A "preacher" dropped us a line to say that he and his 30 red-robed gospel singers spent Christmas day in that most inhospitable of jails. Not French Guiana or Abu Ghraib or even the severly overcrowded, abusively run Orange County Jail. No, this was the most frightening pokey of 'em all: the Disneyland detention room! The horror, the horror. After a 4,500-mile bus ride that included stops at places like Wal-Mart all across the Midwest and crescendoed with a Buy Nothing Day celebration in New Yor
Will the Ducks win the Stanley Cup? Will the Angels make it to the Series? Will Tawny Kitaen stay out of jail? Will terrorists hit one of our local targets: Disneyland, the San Onofre nuke plant or TBN headquarters? Should they hit Disneyland? Will home prices collapse? What will happen first: our troops out of Iraq or Bush out of the White House? And what about Britney Spears? Will she find love, or if she can't find love is this crazy world not worth a hill of beans? What kind of beans? Kidney
Legendary outlaws and dirty jokes aren't typically mentioned in the obituaries of Superior Court judges in OC, but as the panel of judges who censured him in 1998 could have told you, James Randal Ross was not a typical judge.
Ross, who served as an Orange County Superior Court judge from 1983 to 1995, died of a heart attack at his Fullerton home on Monday. He was 80 years old.
Somewhat ironically for someone who served as a judge, Ross will probably be best remembered for his relationship to
KNBC's Chuck Henry recently scooped everyone with this: Oddly, the only two commercial properties in the U.S. that have gained federal no-fly-zone status after 9/11 are Disneyland in Anaheim and Disneyworld in Orlando. The play parks won the favor just days after President George W. Bush invaded Iraq, according to Henry.
The ban keeps aircraft three miles away and at least 3,000 feet above the properties around the clock.
So? Well, if you're thinking the feds are merely protecting sites where
Remember when Disney owned your Anaheim Angels? Yeah, we've erased that from our memory as well (though not that sweet, sweet 2002 World Series win, por supuesto). But the fact remains that Disney is still very much an Orange County institution, especially Disneyland. That's why it shocked us last night, as we were slipping into the food coma caused by the Los Angeles Dodgers' $35 all-you-can-eat right-field pavilion special, to see that Disneyland is not only a major advertiser for the Dodgers,
Sure, there are easier ways to get inside Knott's Berry Farm than joining the military (there used to be a great way sneak in off of La Palma and. . . well, let's just leave it at that), but for those Americans who've already taken the military oath, KBF is offering free admission now through Thanksgiving Day to veterans with proper identification (DD214, Veterans Administration Hospital I.D. or Active Military Service I.D.). Veterans are also allowed to purchase up to six tickets for $12.95.
T
Y'know how Disneyland announced they'd be fixing up "It's A Small World" to accommodate fatties? (OK, Mickey's still in denial, and a Mouse spokesman told the NYT the renovations "have nothing to do with weight," but we know better. Heck, even The Fat Lady's Guide to Disneyland recommends taking the whole seat for that particular ride.)
Anyway, the ride closes on Tuesday, Jan. 22nd, which gives us the holiday weekend to relive its old school charm before Disney ruins it like they did Hong Kong
Wayne Brady, 8 p.m.
He's got a singing career now. $32.50-$35
House of Blues
1530 S. Disneyland Dr.
Anaheim, CA
714-778-2583
The Elvis Show, 9:30 p.m.
The self-proclaimed “greatest Elvis impersonator in Fullerton, Brea and Whittier,” Kirk Wall knows how to rock that white sequined jumpsuit like nobody’s business.
The Continental Room
115 W. Santa Fe Ave.
Fullerton, CA
714-526-4529
Knott's Halloween Haunt, 7 p.m.
Prepare for a scare!
Knott's Berry Farm
8039 Beach Blvd.
Buena Park, CA
714-
One perk for Penn State University players, coaches and fans who have already arrived in Southern California for the New Year's Day Rose Bowl is the traditional Disneyland visit, which is Friday. After all, who wouldn't want to escape the weather in University Park, PA (current temperature: 23 degrees) for the always sunny Magic Kingdom (Friday's forecast: 58 degrees, partly cloudy--in other words, blizzard conditions to Orange Countians)?Indeed, as the 95th Rose Bowl will pit the BCS-ranked No.
The following is a report by the Weekly's new news fellow, Spencer Kornhaber, who is so new he does not yet have a sign-in for this blog, thus Coker's name shows:Disneyland's Main Street USA is an orgy of good-ole'-days Americana -- penny arcades, horse-drawn carriages, unbelievably enormous piles of ice cream -- so maybe this new proposal from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the parents of a slain Anaheim resident isn't so crazy. They want Disney to install a statue memorializi
A four percent drop in revenues from theme parks and lower occupancy at company-owned hotels ringing Anaheim's Disneyland and its resorts elsewhere, combined with declines in other company sectors, contributed to falling first quarter earnings for the Walt Disney Co. The Mouse House earned 41 cents a share in its first quarter ended Dec. 27, 2008, down from 63 cents the previous year. According to the company press release:Parks and Resorts revenues for the quarter decreased 4% to $2.7 billion
Artist, marketing man and blogger extraordinaire Dave Decaro posts on the Disneyland Art Blog, the Jungle Cruise Blog, the Haunted Mansion Blog, the Pirates of the Caribbean Blog and 2719 Hyperion
(for the Hollywood address of Walt Disney Studios). "Yes, I spend way
too much time at Disneyland," Decaro notes his mini-profile. Currently,
his Daveland Blog features posts based on Richard Nixon's
many brushes with the Anaheim theme park, which the Stubbly One and his family
visited frequently in th
Orange County Register: Octo-Mom took spawn from her oldest litters to Knott's Berry Farm on Saturday and Disneyland the day before, and all she got were crummy t-shirts reading: "More kids have passed through my log fume than Knott's" and "Your Kaiser co-pays helped pay for the 8-pack I just dropped, so what am I doing now? I'm going to Disneyland!" TMZ's got pics of the getaway, which allowed volunteer contractors to finish getting her La Habra home
If you go to Disneyland this spring or summer, you'll find great deals on Park Hopper tickets. The question is whether there will be anyone there to sell you your tickets, take your tickets and grope you. Disney is eliminating 1,900 jobs at its domestic theme parks, most in Orlando (1,400), the least in Burbank (200) and the rest at the Anaheim resort (300).
This worries pop culturista Lisa Derrick, who writes and edits La Figa at Firedoglake.com.
It's going to be weird
Carousel News & Trader--A
Sun
Valley-based trade mag for the mighty carousel industry--previews a
book about Orange County amusement parks that pre-date Disneyland and
Knott's Berry Farm. Early Amusement Parks of Orange County trades on author and former Disney/Knott's ride operator Richard Harris'
lifelong fascination with theme parks and attractions and contains
photographs culled from museums, private collections and the Orange
County Archives.
Harris does devote plenty of ink to Disney
It was supposed to be the perfect Cinco de Mayo: dinner with my chica and some of our pals at the muy muy Napa Rose at Disneyland's Grand Californian Hotel followed by moshing at the Mouse of Blues with O.C.'s O.G. punk-mock veteranos, Manic Hispanic. I should've known better: the two don't mix.Napa Rose, for those who don't know, is Disneyland's attempt at food more serious than their legendary corn dogs. On that level, it's succeeded for years, with an embrace of California cuisine focusing on
An Australian mother of four daughters who planned to bring her brood to Disneyland to celebrate her release from detention in Thailand for stealing a bar mat was denied a U.S. visa so the trip has been scrubbed, reports today's Herald Sun. Annice Smoel, 36, of Melbourne, hoped a visit to the Magic Kingdom would help make up for her family's Thai nightmare, but the U.S. embassy denied her application for a non-immigrant visa because of the conviction for stealing a bar mat in Phuket. "They are g
Photo by Rick Kent
An Amy Poehler look-alike crosses the finish line at the Trek Women Triathlon in Austin, Texas, where she had to get wet first.The caps are their's as the Trek Women Triathlon Series bills itself as "the ONLY women's triathlon series CREATED BY WOMEN, RUN BY WOMEN, EXCLUSIVELY FOR WOMEN." Nothing wrong with that. But it seems from our game-day broadcasting booth high in the sky over Anaheim that their triathlon at Disneyland Sunday morning is not a triathlon at all. Acc
The Orange County version of the Lakers victory parade above is tomorrow, Thursday, at 10 a.m. on Main Street USA at Disneyland. The Anaheim resort issued a media advisory saying that MVP and Newport Coast resident Kobe Bryant and other unnamed players will participate in the event.Perhaps the dejected Orlando Magic can boost their spirits at their own Magic Kingdom on the opposite side of the continental U.S.If the Mouseketeers provide more details about the Lakers victory lap, we'll update th
Indie Fest USA 2009, which is scheduled to open with red carpet arrivals at the Disneyland Hotel Aug. 22 and continue seven days thereafter in Anaheim, vows to "break the mold in film festivals," according to Ray L. Gibb, vice president of events with Indie Fest USA Entertainment Group. "At other film festivals, high ticket and pass prices mean less can afford to attend," Gibb explains in an email. "Limiting selections to films that have won awards limits the screening availability to the
On various Internet sites, including the "Captain EO @ Disneyland" Facebook page, Disneyland is being urged to bring back the Captain EO attraction to honor Michael Jackson.Captain EO, which debuted at Disneyland on Sept. 18, 1986 (six days after its world premiere at Walt Disney World's Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida), and ran continuously through April of 1997, was the 17-minute film you see YouTubed in two parts above.Other sites where people are calling for EO's return to Disneyland in
As someone commenting on this previous post revealed, an online petition drive has been launched to urge Disneyland to bring back the Captain EO attraction in light of Michael Jackson's death. But there are two problems with this:
1) The site being used to pull this off, PetitionSpot.com, has no single, unified petition but at least four different efforts. Save Captain EO, which has 223 supporters toward a goal of getting 10,000, calls for either the attraction's return
The concept art of the Carthay Circle TheatreWith recent announcements of the complete re-vamping of that other park, Disney's California Adventure seem to have a bright future ahead, abandoning its current concept of a California-themed theme park in uh, California, and replacing it with something that revolves more around nostalgia--old Hollywood, movie palaces, sprays of bougainvillea, a Victorian seaside town. And the person in charge of overseeing the complete $1 billion re-vamping o
Flickr user Donabel and EwenWhoa there.It's Disneyland's 54th birthday today--and none more appropriate of a day for our weekly roundup of some of the best--and the worst--tweets from the
park that's only sometimes the happiest place on earth. There's plenty of the usual complain-y too-crowded, too-pricey tweets but the one from Twitter user totemototem takes the cake with his link to the above photo of the Little Mermaid outgrowing her little shell bra at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con. Awkward.
Flickr User SurfDaddy"Don't Drink and Disney"You're excited, we know it, we can feel it from here! This week's round-up of tweets from Disneyland bring us gems like a gal rehashing high school hatred for "some one-armed girl" and, everyone's favorite, getting high at the park (we highly recommend the Winnie the Pooh ride). Follow us at @OCWeekly!sazmi: @shezzalicious i doubt its as bad as the time me and my friends went to disneyland..the guys got ill, & the hotel room was covered in puke
Earlier, we discussed the possibility of the return of Michael Jackson's 3D alien thriller Captain EO to Disneyland's Tomorrowland--bumping off Honey, We Shrunk the Audience for its original home at the Magic Eye Theater. Amongst the various issues on resurrecting the film, there's the logistical, time costly stuff like the matter of re-mastering the original film for today's audience and today's technology, and re-fitting the theater with new special effects. Despite all that, all-things-Dis
So as of Sunday, July 31, Disneyland and California Adventure ticket prices are up $3. Which, you know, doesn't sound like a whole lot on its own but this just means the single-day pass are now $72 for adults and $62 for children. Remember in 2001 when tickets were "just" $43? Does anybody still recall the days of $25 tickets? Ow.Anyway, throw a couple churros in there, a frozen lemonade, a spinning light-up Mickey... and you've got yourself a priiiiiicey little family getaway that's just dow
Flickr user briberryAnybody else freaked out by the texture of Mad Hatter's nose?Twitter really does have everything. Type in any pairing of words and you'll get someone talking about something--usually totally inappropriate to publicly broadcast--right there for everyone to read. We love it. This week's Tweets From the Park weekly round-up celebrates this new form of digital exhibitionism. We salute you, guy who had sex in a Disneyland gift shop bathroom! And you, too, guy taking a shit with
The more you know: Richard Nixon, being the only Orange Countian ever elected to the office of President of the United States, is--expectantly--also the President with the closest ties to Disneyland. Nixon first visited the park in August 1955, not long after the grand opening of Disneyland, and was presented with a key to the park at City Hall on Main Street. A few more documented appearances after that happened, the highlight of which was captured on the above super fun YouTube clip (brought
David Koenig, the Aliso Viejo author of Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland, Mouse Under Glass: Secrets of Disney Animation & Theme Parks and More Mouse Tales: A Closer Peek Backstage at Disneyland has an interesting MousePlanet post that features an unnamed source saying the just-completed, five-week refurbishment of vehicles that carry guests on Peter Pan's Flight at the Magic Kingdom was done for one reason:
To fit those guests' fatter asses.
"Depending w
Yes, the famous theme park calls itself the "Happiest Place on Earth" and countless kids and adults love the place with good reason, but there's a dark side to the Disneyland area.
As a public service for park visitors please remember that the streets around Disneyland are crime magnets.
If you don't believe it, consider a summary of only reported Anaheim crime for the week leading up to July 3:
Stolen vehicles ..................................................... 26
Prostitution ..........
Flickr user dohrmanoriginalsThis week's round-up of our favorite Tweets From the Park: You know when you have one of those days where everything--everrrything--pisses you off? Well, these people had them, too, apparently. And while at Disneyland. It's Friday, everything will be okay again in about eight hours. Count to ten, you'll be fine. Our choice tweet this week goes to user TVsMatt--because hating on Ed Hardy (clothing) is one of our favorite pastimes. Follow us on Twitter @OCWeekly!lidd
Forget the long wait for Space Mountain--what about the long wait for a pineapple-flavored Dole Whip? Eating your way through Disneyland is allllll part of the experience: Whether it's the smell of fresh waffle cones wafting out from the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street or walking around with a giant turkey leg the size of your calf, everyone has their must-eats. It pains us that we had to omit a few longtime staples--the salty/sweet Monte Cristo sammie at the Blue Bayou, the virgi
Flickr User expressmonorailHere's our weekly round-up of our favorite tweets this week from Disneyland Resort. Some vulgar, some gross, some mean, but all definitely funny. The best tweet o' the week goes to the gal complaining about "fat chicks" and their cleavage. Suh-weet. We were at the park on Wednesday. The good news? The crowds have thinned out now that most of the kidlets are back in school. The bad news? The line for a Dole Whip was just as long as the lines for most of the rides. Al
The actual House of Mouse, Toontown, DisneylandEver wanted to visit any Disney park you wanted to, whenever you wanted to? Ever wanted to own a piece of Disney real estate? Well, now you can, kind of: A Disneyland insider tells us that the park has plans to sell timeshare residences at the Grand Californian Hotel to the public in the future. While the Florida Walt Disney World Resort is already partaking in a similar system, the timeshare program has plans to expand globally soon--Hawaii is a
Flickr user MiehanaWow, it's Friday already? When's the next holiday again? Here's this week's Tweets From the Park, where we round-up our favorite tweets involving the park that's only sometimes the happiest place on earth. Our pick o' the week goes to the guy celebrating his first new job in over a year... and is putting on his three keyboard cat moon shirt and going to Disneyland. Yep. Follow us on Twitter at @OCWeekly! lesliexxx: fuck, I love disneyland. never disappoint..except whe
Unless you're an ex-Mouseketeer, the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or the offspring of one or the other, you're probably not going to make it into Club 33 (Disneyland's hardly secret VIP lounge) for an afternoon highball with Mickey. So then what do you do if your throat's left a little parched from screaming your way through a seventh go on Matterhorn? Well, if riding down Splash Mountain with your mouth open doesn't sound like an option, the next best thing would be to head over to New Orle
Flickr user ParanoidMonkAw, fuckshitgoddammit, people. There was nothing more depressing that scrolling through the Disneyland tweets from last week and seeing all the awful things being tweeted about people just trying to have a good time. Look at that. You made Mickey sad. From the tweets about "shielding" kids from the coooontagious gays to the general ewwwwws, thanks for the most depressing round-up of Tweets From the Park yet! Try to enjoy this extra long edition of super special tweets.
Flickr user Andrew Huff!Hellooo and welcome to another edition of Tweets from the Park, where we round-up the funniest and the most irreverent tweets from Disneyland Resort all for you in one convenient space. Gather 'round and witness the questioning of the hygiene (and odor) of Disneyland visitors and kids getting caught drunk at the park. Faaaantastic. Follow us on Twitter @OCWeekly!MrMKing: @OXTRAVAGANZA. When I went to disneyland all I saw was fucking china men walking around talking in
Flickr user QueenOfNancyLandFriday! Time for our weekly round-up of our favorite irreverent, strange tweets from Disneyland Park. Gold star this week goes to the dude who said being drunk at Disneyland makes it thaaaat much more magical of an experience. Suhweeet. Follow us on Twitter @OCWeekly! seanfabulous: Fat America's body odor is making my Disneyland experience less magical.
mikecarano: Dear Disneyland, I appreciate your new crowd management ideas Pre-fireworks show. Too bad it sucks.
Flickr user ralichteAh, yes, it's Friday and that means it's time for our round-up of the funniest and most irreverent tweets from Disneyland of the week. Our fave? We can't decide: Either the guy still pissed off that Erik Estrada wouldn't say hello to him two years ago at Disneyland or the other guy who overheard someone refer to Princess Jasmine from Aladdin as a terrorist. Huuuhm. Follow us on Twitter @OCWeekly! BerlingKenneth: Fuck Erik Estrada, every time I see that erik estrada glasses
BY DENNIS ROMERO
There was a lot of buzz in clubland last month when the organizers of Electric Daisy Carnival claimed that 135,000 people attended its
two-day dance music event at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. All the
action up there makes it seem like crickets have taken over in Orange
County, which has but a handful of regular, DJ-driven events these
days. Of course, that wasn't always the case. There was a time when
Orange County practically overshadowed L.A. as the rave capital of the
Paul Hiffmeyer/DisneylandOur weekly roundup of some of the best--and the worst--tweets from the park that's only sometimes the happiest place on earth. Our favorite goes to user ZombieHorde. Warms our hearts. Follow us @OCWeekly!worship_girl: Texted my daughter 2x to see if she made it to disneyland ok. She finally texted me back and told me to "chill". Hey, it's nice to know!kennykeil: Hidden beneath the Country Bear Jamboree is the ultra exclusive Club 67, the only place at Disneyland that ser
Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Ah, Friday: It signifies not only the coming of the weekend but our totally awesome weekly feature Tweets From the Park, where we gather up the best of the worst of irreverent/weird/hilarious tweets from Disneyland Park. Fave this week? The dude that refers to children as "crotch fruit." Ew? Follow us on Twitter @OCWeekly! ALIASman09: I saw a mother with all four of herkidson leashes at disneyland. Fucking ridiculous -PuDgE-
Gabe___: Theres a whole bunch of
Flickr user Malingering"Someone ran a stroller right into it. And I laughed."Welcome to this week's Tweet's from the Park, our Friday feature where we gather the best and most interesting (and grossest. And weirdest. And most racist. And...) tweets from Disneyland Park for your reading pleasure. Our fave this week? The dude willing to exchange sex for Disneyland tickets--and he'll even sing "It's a Small World" during the act. Ew? Follow on on Twitter @OCWeekly!Andy_Mackenzie: At Disneyland f
Everyone survive the week? Flickr user NewYork808Don't worry, it's almost over... which also means it's time for our weekly feature, Tweets From the Park, where we round up the funniest, best and most irreverent tweets from Disneyland. Gold star this week to all the gals who chose to wear slutty costumes to the Happiest Place on Earth Halloween weekend. Follow us on Twitter at @OCWeekly!joshmattvander: Disneyland won't let my niece in because her costume looks too much like Alice in wonderlan
Flickr user UnderstatedAh, yes, it's Tweets From the Park, our weekly Friday feature where we round-up the funniest, weirdest, grossest, and usually, yes, most insulting, tweets from Disneyland Resort! Our favorite this week? The gal who wants to punch a little girl's face for wearing a Twilight shirt. Aw! Follow us on Twitter @OCWeekly! Dark_Faerie89: Disneyland is awesome, France sucks ass!
edleenmarie: LOONNNGGG ASS WALK TO THE CAR FROM DISNEYLAND, FML.
tradevoorhees: Finally home
It's Friday! Which can only mean one thing: Time for Tweets From the Park, where we gather all the worst, best, funniest, most disgusting and most confusing tweets from Disneyland Resort all in one convenient place for your reading pleasure. Our fave this week is most definitely the gal who said a certain Disney princess got thrown out of Disneyland... for sitting on Pinocchio's face. Sad. Face. Follow us on Twitter @OCWeekly! Flickr user PocketEdwardOkay, so this whole Twilight thing might be g