Disney To Open Children’s Hospital In Orlando
By admin | August 27, 2008
First movies and theme parks, then cruise ships and vacation resorts, now Disney is joining forces with an Orlando hospital to offer the latest in state of the art pediatric services for children.
Disney Children’s Hospital at Florida Hospital will include sophisticated, interactive technology for patients, as well as pediatric physicians who specialize in advanced, minimally invasive surgery. Disney Children’s Hospital administrator Marla Silliman says the facility will be on the forefront of technology and be a model for pediatric hospitals everywhere.
The Walt Disney Company has supported children’s hospitals in the past, but this is the first to bear the company’s name. The new hospital is expected to be open by 2010.
(Source: CBS4)
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Sara Lee Dances with Disney’s “High School Musical 3: Senior Year”
By admin | August 27, 2008
Sara Lee Fresh Bakery, the maker of the best-selling bread in the country, is launching an extensive marketing campaign to unite fans of Disney’s “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” with Sara Lee Soft & Smooth™ bread products. The film promotion is part of a multi-million dollar marketing program Sara Lee Fresh Bakery is investing into its Soft & Smooth brand.
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Woman Sells Vacation Money For $10
By admin | August 27, 2008
A garage sale could keep a Belleville family from a Disney World Vacation. That’s because Tracy Holmes sold the vacation money for $10. However, she didn’t know her husband Fred was hiding the money he intended to use for the surprise vacation in a Sin City DVD. Tracy Holmes says she sold the DVD along with 2 other movies because the couple hadn’t watched it in a while. Holmes thinks the man who bought the DVD during the August 15 garage sale was about 6 feet tall and in his 50s or possibly 60s. She’s hoping that if she gets the word out, he will return the money.
(Source: WXYZ)
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Disney puts Pinocchio on Blu-ray sales team
By admin | August 27, 2008
Walt Disney is dispatching Pinocchio, Snow White and a team of other characters into its effort to accelerate consumer adoption of next-generation DVD technology. Disney, like other media companies, is counting on high-definition Blu-ray discs - and companion technology that connects them to the Internet - to reinvigorate its highly profitable home entertainment business. But so far, Blu-ray players are selling more slowly than expected, apparently because people are not convinced they need a better DVD experience.
So Disney is sending in the troops. The company will release five “platinum” titles from its library in the Blu-ray format over the next two years, hoping that classic animated movies will spur wider interest. The films are “Pinocchio,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Fantasia,” “Fantasia 2000″ and “Beauty and the Beast.” The company had previously announced plans to introduce one such title, “Sleeping Beauty.”
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Orlando hotel room-rates fall
By admin | August 27, 2008
Hotels of all kinds trimmed their room rates in Metro Orlando last month, something that hasn’t happened in the local market in almost five years. Concerned about a soft U.S. economy and its effect on travelers, hoteliers reduced their average room rate 1.3 percent in July, according to the latest survey by Smith Travel Research, which doesn’t include Walt Disney World hotels.
All sectors of the lodging business, from budget motels to luxury resorts, reported lower prices compared with the same month last year. Economy hotels discounted the most, slicing 7 percent from their average daily rate. Luxury hotels shaved the least, with a 1.1 percent average decline. The last time Orlando-area hotels in all price ranges reduced their average room rate in the same month: October 2003.
(Source: Orlando Sentinel)
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Illuminations Earth Barge down for Refurbishment
By admin | August 27, 2008
The Earth Barge has today finally made it into refurbishment for it’s complete overhaul, including new LED display system. It is expected to be out for around 3 to 4 weeks. While under refurbishment, Epcot is running a specially modified version of the show. Show length is around 9 minutes (down from the usual 12 minutes), extra fireworks are used to cover parts of the missing show, and the inferno barge burnoff is used as the final flame and finale.
(Source: WDW Magic)
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Disney’s New Hannah Montana Album Features ‘Global Warming Anthem’
By admin | August 27, 2008
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama’s two daughters, Malia, 9, and Sasha, 6, are big fans of Hannah Montana – and maybe there’s a reason why. Teen star Miley Cyrus, known as Hannah Montana in the Disney Channel TV series television of the same name, is now crusading for global warming alarmism. But she admits she isn’t really sure what it means. Disney also owns ABC, a network that often hypes climate change alarmism. On the 15-year-old singer’s recently released album “Breakout,” she sings that she wants
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Disney cruise ship to host premiere of Disney Channel show
By admin | August 26, 2008
The Disney Wonder cruise ship will host the world premiere for a new Disney Channel television show when it sets sail later this week from Port Canaveral on a three-night Caribbean voyage.
The 2,800-passenger ship will host the premiere of “The Suite Life on Deck,” a spin-off of Disney’s popular “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.” Disney says passengers on the Aug. 28-31 sailing of the Wonder will experience a “Hollywood-style, red-carpet” arrival of some of the show’s stars, a sneak peak at the first episode and a question-and-answer session with cast members. All of the events will take place on Aug. 29, at the ship’s “Goofy Pool.”
“The popularity of Disney Channel shows and stars are at an all-time high,” Disney Cruise Line President Tom McAlpin said in a prepared statement. “We’re pleased to partner with Disney Channel for this world-premiere event and share some of the red-carpet excitement with our guests, showcasing that Disney difference only Disney Cruise Line can offer.”
(Source: Orlando Sentinel)
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Benson, Keaton Voicing Toy Story 3
By admin | August 26, 2008
While promoting The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning (on DVD August 26), Jodi Benson, who has voiced Ariel since 1989’s hit feature, revealed that she is returning as the voice of Barbie in Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3 and will be joined by Michael Keaton as the voice of Ken, reports IESB.net. Keaton worked with Pixar previously voicing Chick Hicks in 2006’s Cars. Benson played Tour Guide Barbie and Barbie on Backpack for Toy Story 2. The duo join voice cast members Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, Estelle Harris, John Ratzenberger and Ned Beatty. The third installment is scheduled for a June 18, 2010 release.
(Source: Coming Soon)
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Disney’s ‘Cheetah Girls’ claws to top
By admin | August 26, 2008
Beating all competition but the Beijing Olympics on NBC, the Disney Channel’s original movie musical “The Cheetah Girls: One World” harvested 6.2 million total primetime viewers on Friday. “Cheetah Girls,” which ran for 90 minutes starting at 8, actually edged out the Olympics in kids 6 to 11 (2.8 million overall) and in tweens 9 to 14 (2.4 million).
The 6.2 million total catapulted “Cheetah Girls” into second place among all original movies scheduled on TV this summer; in first place is the Disney Channel’s “Camp Rock,” featuring the Jonas Brothers, which scored 8.9 million on June 20. Two previous “Cheetah Girls” movies also chalked up humongous numbers on Disney Channel — 6.5 million viewers in August 2003 and 7.8 million in August 2006.
(Source: Variety)
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Miley Cyrus: ‘Breakout’
By admin | August 26, 2008
Up until a few weeks ago it was easy to pigeonhole Miley Cyrus. The 15-year-old daughter of ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ singer Billy Ray, who found fame as the star of Disney Channel TV series-turned-multimedia phenomenon Hannah Montana, seemed like a typical modern-day US teen star: fun for kids and people who spend too much time reading the National Enquirer, but of little interest to anyone else. But then came ‘See You Again’, an infectious dance-pop tune that was given a bangin’ Eurodance remix for its UK single release. Suddenly Cyrus had something that Hilary Duff, her most obvious Disney Channel forebear, never quite managed: a decent song that actually got played on the radio.
If ‘See You Again’ was a pleasant surprise, Breakout, the first album Cyrus has released without any connection to Hannah Montana, is a bit of a revelation. It’s filled with brisk and breezy power-pop songs about waiting for the school bell to ring, boys who act like jerks when they’re with their mates and breaking up at the end of the driveway. Almost everything on the album is a notch or two better than you’d expect: the ballads aren’t nearly as drippy as they could be, Cyrus’s cover of ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ is far from disastrous and the song about global warming, ‘Wake Up America’, is charming rather than teeth-grinding.
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Chesapeake parents sound plea for band’s Disney trip
By admin | August 26, 2008
More than a dozen parents, including some from other high schools, spoke before the School Board on Monday night to ask that students in the Great Bridge High School marching band be allowed to perform at Disney World and to ride the park’s attractions over their winter break this year. “Please, I beg of you,” said Alan Walker, who is a band parent at Grassfield High School. “Do not let this slip away from Chesapeake.”
For more than a decade, the Great Bridge marching band has made a trip to Orlando, Fla., every four years to perform in the Citrus Parade, which is broadcast on national television, and in Disney World’s parade down Main Street.
But this year, parents say, when they submitted their application for a field-trip permit, they were denied. School administrators had concerns about the safety of students on the rides and about whether they would have adequate supervision in the park, school spokesman Tom Cupitt said. A school division rule, put in place in 2006, banned trips to amusement parks and water parks.
Students would be allowed to travel to Florida to perform but would not be allowed to go on park rides, Cupitt said.
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Disney Finalizes Deal with Four Seasons to Anchor New Luxury Resort
By admin | August 25, 2008
Walt Disney World Co. has finalized the sale of 298 acres of land to Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts for a hotel and golf course that will anchor the new luxury resort announced last year as part of an expansion of Walt Disney World Resort.
“This is an important milestone for a project that will enable our company and our community to further tap into the luxury travel market,” said Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World Resort. “Working together for the first time, Walt Disney World Resort and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts will create a world-class family resort destination that offers the exceptional service and amenities and one-of-a-kind guest experiences that are the hallmark of both our brands.”
Located along the northeast border of Walt Disney World, the resort will include a 445-room Four Seasons hotel, Residence Club (fractional ownership vacation homes) and 18-hole championship golf course, as well as custom single- and multi-family vacation homes.
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Theme parks keep showering goodies on political parties
By admin | August 25, 2008
Orlando’s theme parks keep giving Florida’s political parties lots of freebies. Walt Disney World alone gave more than $56,000 worth of goodies to the Republican Party of Florida between April 1 and Aug. 21, the final reporting period before tomorrow’s primary election. The gifts included theme-park tickets, hotel rooms, meals and other entertainment, according to election reports. The gifts allowed the Republican Party to host a mid-June dinner and fundraiser featuring Gov. Charlie Crist at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
Disney also gave — though not quite as generously — to the Florida Democratic Party. The records show Disney handed the Democrats just under $9,000 in freebies, most of it in the form of theme-park tickets. Universal Orlando, meanwhile, gave just under $1,400 worth of tickets to the Florida Democratic Party. And SeaWorld Orlando-owner Anheuser Busch gave $900 in golf tickets to the Democrats.
Of course, all three gave more than gifts. Anheuser Busch also gave $51,000 in direct campaign contributions to the Republican Party during the fundraising period plus another $40,000 to the Democratic Party. Disney gave $15,200 to the Republicans and $5,000 to the Democrats. And Universal gave $500 to the Republicans and $25,000 to the Democrats.
(Source: Orlando Sentinel)
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Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival Information Released
By admin | August 25, 2008
Dates:
September 26, 2008 - November 9, 2008
Embark on an epicurean adventure as the 13th Annual Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival showcases the flavors of the world. Explore marketplaces featuring regional foods, wines, and beers. Learn from renowned chefs and winemakers at special programs and demonstrations, and sample the finest cuisine from around the globe. Savor the sizzling sounds of the Eat to the Beat concert series, presenting a stellar line-up of popular musical acts.
For more information, visit the hub at the Festival Welcome Center, where you’ll also find the Festival Wine Shop, the Wonders Bar for champagne and wine, and the official book-signing location for celebrity chefs and authors. Venture inside the Stockpot shop and check out its marvelous merchandise, including the marketplace cookbook and a special festival edition of the Disney Gift Card, which provides a handy way to pay for so much fun at the Festival!
For more Detailed Information click here
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