Back to the Future ride in CA is closing too
Last year I wrote about the ridiculous decision to close the Back to the Future ride at Universal Studios Orlando. Well, California is following suit and closing theirs as well. Boo.
At least they’re making it an event. Here in Florida there was no sendoff whatsoever. I wish I could go…
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD INVITES GUESTS TO BE THE FINAL TIME-TRAVELERS ON “BACK TO THE FUTURE – THE RIDE” AND TAKE A CHANCE AT WINNING A COLLECTIBLE DELOREAN AS DOC BROWN SETS THE RIDE ON A COUNTDOWN TO ITS LAST MISSION ON LABOR DAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2007
“BACK TO THE FUTURE” CLOSURE TO MAKE WAY FOR NEW SIMPSONS THRILL RIDE OPENING SPRING 2008 AT “THE ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL OF L.A.”
Universal City, California – After thrilling over 61 million visitors with wild rides across “the space-time continuum,” the ground-breaking “Back to the Future – The Ride” attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood will soar into the future for the very last time on Labor Day, September 3, 2007. Fans of the attraction will also have an opportunity to take the last ride and drive off as the owner of one of the stainless steel 1981 DeLoreans that served as inspiration for Doc Brown’s flux capacitor-equipped time machines.
“Back to the Future – The Ride” blends breakthrough simulator technology with a cutting-edge Omni-max 70mm film to create a total sensory experience. A signature attraction at “The Entertainment Capital of L.A.” for over 14 years, the ride is being closed to make way for the introduction of a new thrill ride based on the enormously popular “The Simpsons” TV series and movie. The Simpsons ride is slated to debut in Spring 2008.
“Back to the Future – The Ride” was introduced in 1993 as a continuation of the Oscar®-winning blockbuster “Back to the Future” film trilogy directed by Robert Zemeckis and executive produced by Steven Spielberg for Universal Pictures. The attraction features an eight-seat convertible DeLorean Time Travel Vehicle that elevates the theme park ride experience to an unprecedented level of detail, beginning with an artfully staged queue line experience that helps set up the ride’s narrative storyline.
At the center of “Back to the Future—The Ride” is an original film, masterfully designed to interface with the simulator’s technology by an award-winning team of filmmakers, including Oscar®-winning and three-time Oscar® nominated director Douglas Trumbull, Oscar®-nominated cinematographer David K. Kennedy and Oscar®-nominated writer Bob Gale.
With imitation being the most sincere form or flattery, the ride has inspired many replicas at other theme parks worldwide since its gala 1993 premiere at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Fewer than 10,000 DeLorean automobiles were built at the company’s Northern Ireland factory. The car was notable for its futuristic design, including a stainless steel exterior and top-opening gull-wing doors. The 1981 DeLorean that Universal Studios Hollywood will give away has been driven with just over 60,000 miles. Officials at the studio are unable to estimate how many millions of years the vehicle has traveled in the space-time continuum. To learn more about winning the DeLorean, guests can log on to www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com or visit the theme park to register at specially-created “Back to the Future” kiosks.
The Carpenters Aren’t Rock and Roll
At one point during dinner conversation last night, the topic turned to "What’s your favorite Elvis song?" Naturally everyone had a different answer, considering that Elvis recorded 9 million songs during his career. No lie.
When I stated that my hands down favorite was If I Can Dream, the reactions ranged from "I’m not sure I recognize that one" to "Bah, that’s one of those upbeat, inspirational ones".
Now rather than turn this into a "So what about you people, what’s your favorite Elvis song?" I’m going to go in a different direction. See, the song If I Can Dream reminds me of the 1988 movie Heartbreak Hotel, an underrated little gem that while totally preposterous is still entertaining. The song is featured on its soundtrack.
Heartbreak Hotel tells you from the very start that it’s completely made up, calling itself a fable about the King. It’s 1972, and a small town kid from Ohio (Charlie Schlatter) kidnaps Elvis Presley (David Keith) to help cheer up his mom (Tuesday Weld). Elvis cleans himself up, reflects upon the mistakes he’s made in life, and even performs in the high school talent show. I know it sounds absurd, but it’s a cute little movie.
The DVD (which unfortunately is full screen only) is readily available and pretty cheap too. You can find it online for $6-$7 easily. The Watercooler recommends this title to you.
Don’t You Wish Your Weekend Was Fun Like Me?
With my girlfriend out of town and apparently taking the Florida sunshine with her, it was appropriately dreary outside this past weekend. Driving around in the new car listening to tunes wasn’t going to be a safe time filler until her return, so that meant it was a weekend of trying to stay busy someplace else. "Someplace Else" is now the name of my living room.
I don’t have any current projects going on and ones I’ve abandoned in the recent past are difficult to just jump back into at the moment, so all Friday night and most of Saturday I spent the time with either the Xbox 360 (so it’ll stop blogging awful things about me) or the DVD player. That’s right, check me out.
I watched a couple of flicks from my long overdue pile (The Forgotten and the remake of The Pink Panther), finished off some TV on DVD sets (My Name is Earl: Season 1, Scrubs: Season 4, The Office: Season 2 and ER: Season 5), and started a new one (St. Elsewhere: Season 1). I’ll have opinions on all later in the week. The Pink Panther might turn into a full-fledged rant.
Sunday I went in for some "overtime" at work (I got to drive the new car to and from, so… yeah baby, score!), and then finished up my week’s worth of laundry. Then I wrote this blog, the blog I mentioned moments ago, another blog about my car buying experiences, and yet another Personal Hell blog.
Then I wrapped all my Christmas presents, as I’ve been done with my shopping for a while now. Those of you on my gift list will soon find out just how bored I was (heh).
When I wasn’t doing any of those things, I was importing my entire CD collection into iTunes for playback on my iPod, then checking run times against versions that I already had in iTunes to see if I’d duplicated anything, then cleaning up song titles and artists names to my liking, then finally downloading CD artwork for missing albums. Duran Duran’s Ordinary World is now trapped in my head.
Jealous? Why, what were you out doing? Clubbing? Dancing? The cinema? Haha. Losers.
Yeah, I really missed my girlfriend. I’m glad she’s home.
Dane Cook is Not Funny
I’m not entirely clear on this, maybe I’m wrong… but it sure seems to me that Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield does not like Myspace darling Dane Cook.
I can’t say I disagree. Aside from his YouTube bit on SNL a couple weeks back he’s barely registered on my comedy radar. I know the internets love him. Hell, some of my friends think he’s the funniest human to ever walk the surface of the Earth. I just see a guy who works out and wears t-shirts and therefore chicks think he’s hot and will then laugh at anything he says.
Anyway, this article in Rolling Stone really takes Cook to task for, well… not telling jokes. Ever.
Continue reading "Pop Life: The Joke’s On Us"…
Canadians Have It Better
There’s an interesting article in the Toronto Star today about the difference between American TV networks and Canadian ones. For example, did you know that CBS’ now cancelled Smith was the highest rated new show in Canada this season? Or that instead of competing against one another, shows like CSI, ER and Grey’s Anatomy instead air one after another as part of a "superblock" of programming?
Continue reading ‘Their stars and our gripes’…
Random Wednesday XVIII
* WTF?: I noticed the other day that my DSL provider was charging me $16 more per month than the advertised price for the very same service. So I called them to find out what was up. I was told that existing customers had to call to request the new, reduced price. So if I’d never noticed that they reduced their rates, they would have just kept pocketing my $16 per month and never would have said a word. Excellent business practice there.
* It Sinks!: Over the weekend I got the chance to watch Poseidon, the wholly unnecessary remake of 1972′s The Poseidon Adventure (a film that wasn’t much to speak of in the first place).
The sole reason this film exists is to torture Richard Dreyfuss’ character. Dreyfuss, clearly needing some cash because quitting acting to become a teacher just doesn’t seem to pay the bills, plays a gay architect on the doomed ocean liner who has just been dumped and is about to commit suicide when he sees the giant wave heading for the boat. For whatever reason, the impending doom inspires him to live.
For the rest of the film he is tormented at every turn. He manages to kill a young Hispanic couple using only his ankles, he gets smacked in the face by a flying steel door that he tries opening (in a completely laughable scene), he’s conflicted that a small cross might save his Jewishness, and is always not helping the group of survivors by generally being old and unable to keep up. Plus every time the camera cuts to him he’s make either a ridiculous face or an even more ridiculous sound.
Now, all this exists solely to make the character’s death tragic, but then the movie goes and DOESN’T KILL HIM OFF! He’s one of the 3 or 4 survivors in the end. The hell? You don’t completely torture your characters unless you intend their death to have some sort of emotional impact. Instead, he survives, and the character will no doubt be killing himself minutes after the credits roll.
As for the rest of the film, every time it takes a step forward it then runs five steps backwards. For example, fuel falling from the ceiling which ignites and creates a column of fire, preventing our heroes from escaping = good stuff. But when a character takes all of 10 seconds to figure out how to defeat this crazy obstacle and doesn’t bother telling anyone else about his idea just so he can act smug about it later = retarded.
Good effects, laughable everything else. Final Rating: 1.5/5.0.
* Essentials Expansion: Watching Poseidon inspired a revisit to a much better underwater movie, The Abyss. Everyone watching agreed that it’s a solid flick, but the original ending leaves a bit too much to be desired and the E.T. butterflies almost wreck the thing. The special edition ending makes much more sense and is preferred. Luckily, both editions are part of the same package and it now takes it’s place on the DVD Essentials Shelf.
Also joining: Beavis and Butthead Do America: Special Collector’s Edition, Star Wars: Limited Edition, The Empire Strikes Back: Limited Edition, Return of the Jedi: Limited Edition, and Seven (which I will never, ever refer to as Se7en).
The List Grows
My DVD collection list over yonder at DVD Aficionado is woefully out of date, and I hope at some point to revisit it and really correct the hell out of it.
But in the meantime, I’ve started a section for my DVD Essentials Shelf, which now has a few new inductees. Over the last month or so I’ve had the chance to review a handful of my favorites and confirm their status as must-keep movies.
I’m also going to go ahead and add the Beatles Anthology Box Set to the list, which I haven’t rewatched yet. But after watching Imagine the other night and listening to Lennon CDs all day the next day, it’s just a matter of time before I dive into that set again. Then everyone’ll be eating submarine sandwiches.
People ask me why I just keep rewatching older movies instead of watching something new. I can’t say for sure if I’ve changed or if the movies have just gone to crap. My money’s on the latter though.
I’ve been in Blockbuster a few times over the past few months and in the past I could go through a video store and have ten titles in my hands before even getting to the middle of the alphabet. But now it just looks like rows and rows of direct to video Jennifer Love Hewitt and Steven Seagal movies. NOTHING jumps out at me anymore.
I really would like to watch United 93, but I’ve had a hard time finding the time to shut everything out and focus on that film. Lucky Number Slevin is another one I’d like to sit down with eventually. But other than that, it’s difficult to find many titles to get that excited about.
BTTF Ride Closing! Boooo!!
This sucks. It absolutely, positively sucks. Nothing good can come from this. Only bad. Shame on you, Universal Studios. Shame on you. You are officially old, and stupid.
Check the link after the article for video from the now ill-fated ride.
Universal Orlando confirms BTTF Ride closure
from Bttf.com
Orlando — Universal Orlando has finally decided to address the rumors by going on record to confirm with the Orlando Sentinel that Back to the Future™…The Ride will indeed close soon to make way for a yet-unnamed attraction.
Universal Orlando spokesman Tom Schroder spoke yesterday with reporter Scott Powers that internet rumors were indeed true and that the attraction would be closing soon, stopping short of confirming an actual final date although employees at the park admitted they had been told October 1. The park’s Halloween Horror Nights event website conveniently omitted any reference to the attraction on its site map, which was already a glaring sign to fans that the closure reports were sadly true and that the attraction would be gone by October.
As reports on other sites have already indicated, one side of the attraction has already been recently closed. Schroder told the newspaper that Universal has not yet formalized their plans, but that the recent required dome closure has allowed their attraction designers to explore other options during this creative process.
Schroder also stated that Universal Orlando’s decision to close BTTF wasn’t taken lightly. “We know Back to the Future has an enormous following among our fans, and we know it has a significant history,” he told the newspaper.
It’s a decision, however, that has apparently been brewing for at least four years. Shortly after Bob Gault was named President & CEO of Universal Orlando in February 2002, he was quoted by the newspaper just two months later with his vision of replacing the attraction which was barely a decade old at the time. “The Back to the Future movie and the ride vehicles are based on a popular movie from the 1980s,” Gault told the Orlando Sentinel in early April 2002. “They could all be changed out for a story and vehicles that guests relate to better.”
BTTF fans & theme park enthusiasts have related to the top-drawing attraction just fine over the past 15+ years, showing their support by standing in lengthy lines time-after-time to ‘ride the movie.’ It’s a mystery as to why one of the park’s most popular attractions has long been targeted by upper management for closure over other aging Universal properties, such as Earthquake, JAWS and E.T. Adventure, if the theme park truly realizes Back to the Future has an ‘enormous following.’ It’s a question to which fans may never receive a satisfying answer.
Random Wednesday XVI
* New iPods: Of course, less than 30 days after I rejoin the nerd club and buy an Apple product, Apple goes and revamps the damn thing making it both better and cheaper.
There was all sorts of iTunes and iPod news yesterday. Basically as it relates to me, if I’d waited a month I’d have an iPod that’s brighter, has better battery life, and is 50 bucks cheaper. Oh well, I’m still happy with what I have.
The new iTunes 7 is pretty damn cool, adding even more options to make your music management a snap. Plus Apple has added downloadable games for the iPod. I’ve added Texas Hold ‘Em to mine already, and have my eye on some portable Pac-Man. The only drawback to the games is that you have to have the headphones on to hear sound, which goes against everything we know about portable gaming.
* Rifftrax News: Over at Rifftrax, downloadable commentaries for both Cocktail and XXX have been added. As always, they’re well worth the measly pennies you’ll be throwing in Mike Nelson’s general direction.
* Another New Toy: So I’ve entered the world of digital photography with the purchase of an inexpensive Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-S600, which appears to be a model Sony was closing out to make shelf space for the Cyber-Shot DSC-S500. I’m not sure why the model number goes down for a new product, but I digress.
Sure it’s not as cool as Lesliedotcom’s new kickass Sony camera, but we really don’t use our cameras for the same purpose. My main interest in my new camera lies in its ability to record MPEG movies in fairly good quality. I wouldn’t make a full fledged movie with it or anything, but my primary goal was to have something handy for when YouTube worthy hijinks break out around me. And the video resolution recorded by the camera works splendidly.
Random Wednesday XIII
There’s not a man, woman, or child alive who doesn’t enjoy a tasty beverage: I watched The Big Lebowski again recently and found myself thirsty for The Dude’s favorite drink, a white Russian. It looks like it might be rather palatable. For the record though I should state that I once thought that Guinness was going to be a delicious beverage. Not so much.
Speaking of beverages, there’s a new off shoot of Diet Pepsi called Jazz. There are different blends of flavors, and I tried one that was berries and cream. It tastes just like those Life Savers suckers that were cherry and cream… you know, the clear red/solid white swirled ones? But in liquid form. It’s better than the Diet Dr. Pepper Berries and Cream that’s out there now, but both are still rather chalky, and probably not something I’ll be drinking again.
Oh, and speaking of beverages again, at work we have a cooler that’s always filled with Sobe products (if you’re not familiar, it’s some kind of hippy surfer fruit juice company). Until a week ago I’d never given them a second glance. But I’m trying to cut back on the soda, and water just wasn’t going to go well with my lunch so I gave one a shot. Delicious stuff! The first one I had tasted something like a creamsicle, and the one I’m having as I type this update is a strawberry daiquiri thing that has aloe vera in it. I’m drinking lotion! Hippy lotion!
Rifftrax Update: Since I last mentioned MST3K’s Mike Nelson’s new website, he’s added several more tracks for download. You can get commentaries for The Fifth Element, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (with fellow MST3K alum Kevin Murphy), as well as the tracks from Legend Films releases like Reefer Madness and Plan 9 from Outer Space (this way, if you didn’t buy the Legend releases because you had another disc of the film, you can still enjoy the track).
I have mixed feelings about the Star Trek V track. I mean, it’s funny… don’t get me wrong. Hearing Kevin and Mike together again is fantastic. But I like Star Trek V. I’ve always felt that it’s under-appreciated even though it’s not necessarily a well made film (but that’s Paramount’s fault). So this is the first time I can recall watching an MST3K or equivalent commentary that’s ripping on something that I love.