Penguins - 2, Sabres - 0

We once again have good news and bad news. Lets start with the bad news first. The Penguins have lost Gary Roberts to injury. Gosh, the bodies seem to be piling up as of late. He suffered a broken left fibula in the 2nd period. Showing what a warrior he is, he refused a stretcher and skated off the ice with the help of teammates. The loss of Roberts is a big blow in terms of intensity and leadership. The left fibula is a non-weight bearing bone and if it's a clean cut, Roberts might be able to return within 2 months time. He will be reevaluated though. Luckily, Ryan Malone came back from his infection. The question is now who gets the call up to replace Roberts.

On to the good news... did you know the Penguins are 12-5 in their last 17? What? Really? No way! The way they've been playing? But they are. It hasn't been pretty but they are winning games and in the thick of the playoff race. And out of nowhere, Ty Conklin has claimed his spot as the Pens' number 1 goaltender. Ty Freakin' Conklin! He's 4-0 and got his first shutout as a Penguins last night. He played very well and looks to be starting the Winter Classic on New Year's Day.

Next up in the Winter Classic in Buffalo! Bring on the outdoors and those spiffy powder blue jerseys!

Fantasy In The Sky!!!

The New Year's fireworks at the Magic Kingdom are pretty popular. So popular, in fact, that the park usually closes in the morning on New Year's Eve because it reached full capacity. I wanted to see them myself but I didn't want to have to deal with those crowds. Thankfully, Disney came to the rescue. Disney is doing 3 nights of New Year's fireworks, so people can see them without having to squeeze themselves among a billion people. Tonight was the first showing so I went to see them. Something was very peculiar about them though. They were called "Fantasy in the Sky." Now that name brings back many memories. Fantasy in the Sky was the first Disney fireworks show I ever saw. It was the one that introduced me to that magic. It's since been replaced by Wishes. But this couldn't be THE Fantasy in the Sky, could it? I figured it would be a different show, using an old name.

I was wrong.

11:50 pm came and the Magic Kingdom turned dark. And just like that, a very familiar song played. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe it. This IS Fantasy in the Sky!

The second star to the right shines in the night for you...



I have not heard this music in almost 5 years. I never thought I would hear it played in the park again. It was surreal and my eyes just began to water up. Now this wasn't the old show exactly. It was updated to bring in today's fireworks effects but there was no doubt, this was the Fantasy in the Sky we all knew. Even the way the castle lit up was the same. I will say it now and I may get some heat over it but Fantasy in the Sky is better than Wishes! I mean it! With the updated effects to bring it on par with Wishes' effects, it became clear to me which was the better show. The music makes the fireworks show and Fantasy in the Sky has better music. It taps into timeless Disney songs while Wishes consists mainly of a bunch of people chanting "Wishes! Wishes!" and constant interruptions by Jiminy Cricket. The music of Fantasy in the Sky really grabs you and holds on. I am so happy to be able to have relived Fantasy in the Sky tonight.

But that wasn't the end of it. The New Year's fireworks were more than Fantasy in the Sky. When Fantasy in the Sky ended, only a few moments remained until midnight. It was then I was introduced to what may be the greatest fireworks effect of them all... the perimeter fireworks. For those who don't know, perimeter fireworks don't just appear behind Cinderella Castle, they envelop the entire Magic Kingdom! Disney only brings out the perimeter fireworks on special occasions and this was one of them. The Magic Kingdom's countdown puts Time Square's to shame. The countdown was done through perimeter fireworks somehow writing numbers in the sky. So all around you, the numbers 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 were blasted into the sky. Perimeters must be seen to be believed. It is incredible to be there, surrounded by fireworks in all directions. Wow, just wow!







Happy New Year, indeed!

Penguins - 4, Capitals - 3 (OT)

It was redemption for Sarge. After being the goat in regulation for two costly turnovers that turned into Washington goals, Sergei Gonchar scored the game-winner off a beautiful play by Sidney Crosby in overtime. It was another odd night of scoring with guys like Taffe, Sydor, and Brashear scoring goals. Conklin played rather well. I wonder if he's taking the number one spot away from Sabourin. The Capitals played a really well puck possession game. Why is it that with a team filled with so much talent do the Penguins insist on playing dump and chase? Carry the the puck in! And quick looking for the perfect play. Shoot the puck!

Lieutenant Dan!

Gary Sinise rocks at the Candlelight Processional!

Merry Christmas!

Penguins - 4, Bruins - 2

Didn't catch the game but some things jump out from the recaps. Roberts, Laraque, and Conklin as the stars of the game? Wow... it is a bizarro world. Malkin seemed to show once again that he's every bit as good as Crosby. And there was good news and bad news about Mark Eaton. The good news is his shoulder injury wasn't that serious. The bad new is he suffered a far worse knee injury yesterday. The Pens may have lost their best defensive defensemen for the year. With the loss of his shot-blocking ability alone, our goalies will be sure to face more shots now. There are a lot of rumors floating around about finding Sid a legitimate winger. Names being thrown around are Marian Hossa, J.P. Dumont, and Kristian Huselius. Wow!

Disney Goes Vietnamese

I visited Disney's Animal Kingdom for the first time in who-knows-when today. The park was actually opened late tonight, until 8 pm. Can you believe that? So I finally got a chance to see Animal Kingdom at night. It was very nice and peaceful. Almost eerie, too. But that wasn't the coolest thing I did there. I decided to try out the new Yak & Yeti Restaurant in Asia. I must say that it is quite nice. It has a variety of Asian dishes, including one that shocked me. While going through the menu, one item jumped out at me... Pho. Disney has Pho now??? For those who don't know, Pho is a traditional Vietnamese soup with beef and rice noodles. Never did I think I would see the day that Disney would serve Vietnamese food. I was tempted to try it but I already had some earlier in the week. Odd, over 5 months in Orlando and the first two times I would see Pho on a menu would happen in the same week. Instead, I had the Shaoxing Steak and Shrimp, which consisted of skirt steak, tempura-battered shrimp, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables, and a chili plum dipping sauce. It was excellent! Absolutely delicious. The shrimp was perfect and the steak practically melted in your mouth. I will definitely eat here again. The Yak & Yeti has become my restaurant of choice now at Animal Kingdom. It's one of the better Asian restaurants Disney has. Epcot's Nine Dragons has some serious competition now.

Osborne Lights

I thought I'd share a recording I made yesterday of The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at the Disney-MGM Studios. Pardon my jerky movements at times, I was getting bumped by people. The Streets of America get pretty crowded for the lights.

Islanders - 4, Penguins - 2

The Penguins once again displayed their inconsistency. Sabu was horrible. More and more, the talk of Ray Shero making a move gets louder and louder. Something is up. Be prepared.

New Little Mermaid Video

There's a new video out for The Little Mermaid on Broadway and it's the best clip yet. It shows the best musical scenes from the show and finally reveals Sebastian's costume!

Check it out!

Penguins - 5, Bruins - 4 (SO)

This game was just INSANE! The whole game was just crazy. Crosby and Malkin have their way with the Bruins in the first period. Laraque and Chara's failed attempts to fight. Crosby finishing up the Gordie Howe hat trick by bloodying Andy Ference. Crosby fighting? And not only fighting but winning? The whole game seemed to be going the Penguins' way. But then we were reminded that the Penguins can't play a whole game. Although we escaped with a win, we should hang our heads for giving up a 4-goal lead. The game should have never made it to overtime. But Kris Letang becomes the hero again. He's 3 for 3 in shootouts. This guy has some wicked moves. Why is he a defensemen? Seriously, maybe we should be looking at him to be Crosby's wingman.

Kris Letang > Ryan Whitney

Let's hope Mark Eaton is ok. If we lose our only true defensive defensemen... we are in some deep trouble.