What's new and rockin' at Orlando trade show

November 19, 2008

Items displayed at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo range from tiny bits of batter to virtual skee ball to a triple-decker carousel. Here are some of the standouts.

Recent columns

• Cypress Gardens fans take last spin

  November 17, 2008

  Theme-park visitors said farewell to the rides and animals of Cypress Gardens Adventure Park on Sunday, the last day of business before the attraction shuts down for four months to prepare for its "rebirth" in March.

• Backstage Pass

  November 16, 2008

  All My Children star Susan Lucci says Super Soap Weekend gives her a chance to thank the fans who supported her with votes on ABC's Dancing With the Stars. "The atmosphere here is electric," Lucci said Saturday between appearances at Disney's Hollywood Studios. "I feel like a rock star here because the fans are so generous." Lucci and her dance partner Tony Dovolani were scheduled to perform Saturday night at the event. She gives high praise to former competitor and Orlando native Warren Sapp. "I love Warren Sapp -- dancing and behind the scenes," she said. He may win it all. "I think it will be between Warren and Brooke [Burke]," Lucci said. Super Soap concludes today at the theme park. -- DB

• Last Super Soap Weekend offers bittersweet suds

  November 14, 2008

  It looks fun to be a daytime drama star during Super Soap Weekend -- thousands of folks frantically calling your name, lining up for your autograph, hanging on your every word. But there's an occupational hazard.

• She's mother of invention

  November 14, 2008

  Add "inventor" to Joan Lunden's r�sum�.

• Acrobatics go aquatic in new SeaWorld show

  November 7, 2008

  A new stage show at SeaWorld Orlando takes to the air to present underwater adventures.

• Universal to have 2 Mannheim Steamroller concerts

  November 6, 2008

  Platinum-selling Mannheim Steamroller will kick off Universal Orlando's holiday events with two concerts at its Universal Studios theme park Dec. 6, the company will announce today. During its 20 years, the Grammy-winning group has been defined by its sweeping Christmas instrumentals.

• Tinker Bell and friends are worth the (long) wait

  October 31, 2008

  The lowdown for folks venturing to Pixie Hollow, the new fairy-based, meet-and-greet station at Magic Kingdom: Pack patience -- but there is a payoff.

• Pixie Hollow is Disney's newest flight of fancy

  October 28, 2008

  Your little princess may soon discover a newfound fondness for fairies, if Disney has its way.

• This 'bizarre' Halloween Horror Nights magician likes a good scare

  October 26, 2008

  Brian Brushwood has been practicing "bizarre magic" with shows on college campuses for nine years. On the side, he creates Web episodes of Scam School, which demonstrates crafty bar bets and other mind games. He's back in Orlando for Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights, this year as a headliner of a stage show. Brushwood talked with Sentinel reporter Dewayne Bevil about the gigs.

• Cook will heat up 'SNL'

  October 25, 2008

  The Saturday Night Live on Nov. 1 will be a really big show. It's the last episode before the election, and NBC has added a definite ratings draw: American Idol victor David Cook will be the musical guest. Ben Affleck will be the host. This weekend's show should be pretty big, too. Jon Hamm of Mad Men is the host (that AMC drama has its second-season finale this weekend). The musical guest is Coldplay. Saturday Night Live airs at 11:30 p.m. Saturdays on WESH-Channel 2. -- HB

• A little scary, a little eerie at theme parks

  October 24, 2008

  For the next two weekends, Central Florida theme parks and attractions will offer a range of Halloween events, from sweet to shriek. Whether your

• The whole family can dig in at Disney's T-Rex Cafe

  October 24, 2008

  A few notes and nibbles from my first sit-down at T-Rex Cafe, a few days after its grand opening last week at Downtown Disney:

• Reporter learns scare tactics at Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights

  October 21, 2008

  I've not been myself lately. I've been Monsieur Pepe, a Frenchman with a nasty virus, a broken nose, impaired fashion sense and a major, major skin condition. Pepe's pretty scary to look at, but that's the point.

• From New York Times to Fox News

  October 21, 2008

  Former New York Times reporter Judith Miller has become a Fox News Channel contributor. The channel made the announcement Monday and said Miller will offer analysis and commentary on international affairs and national-security issues. She also will write for FoxNews.com. Fox didn't have a date for her debut. Miller shared a Pulitzer Prize at the Times for reporting on global terrorism.

• We won't keep you in the dark - these theme park rides fade to black

  October 17, 2008

  Expedition Everest is a ride that has grown on me. My first impression was lukewarm -- not particularly thrilling or fast, yet the Yeti sequence zipped by too quickly. And although I value an entertaining queue, that shouldn't really be the selling point.

• Magic Kingdom, SeaWorld celebrate Halloween without horror

  October 10, 2008

  One of the things Walt Disney World does best is transport adults back to childhood, and a prime example of that is Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, an after-hours, separate-ticket event at Magic Kingdom.

• Which theme-park attractions take the cake in 2008?

  October 3, 2008

  As I re-read last year's best-of list, I realized my most favorite theme-park things haven't shifted much in the past year. I'm still a steadfast fool who will stand in line for the Amazing Adventure of Spider-Man ( Islands of Adventure), Kraken ( SeaWorld Orlando), Festival of the Lion King (Disney's Animal Kingdom) and Tower of Terror (Disney's Hollywood Studios).

• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival to feed U.S. rep for Bocuse d'Or international cuisine contest

  September 26, 2008

  Something big is cooking at this year's Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, which begins today. Chefs will square off to determine the USA's representative to the Bocuse d'Or international cuisine contest in Lyon, France, and theme-park guests can watch the proceedings.

• Bloody Mary reigns at Universal's 18th Halloween Horror Nights

  September 26, 2008

  There's just something about Bloody Mary.

• End in sight for Pleasure Island

  September 19, 2008

  The end is in sight for nightclubs at Pleasure Island, the Downtown Disney entertainment complex that opened in 1989. The final night for all six clubs -- Motion, Mannequins, 8Trax, BET Soundstage Club, Comedy Warehouse and the Adventurers Club -- will be next Saturday. Plans for the area are sketchy,

• Pocahontas' final bow at Disney draws near

  September 12, 2008

  The end is near for Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends. The show, which opened with Disney's Animal Kingdom 10 years ago, concludes its run Sept. 27.

• Attraction puts you in eye of the storm

  August 29, 2008

  Introducing a severe-weather simulator at the height of hurricane season is interesting timing. But if you can't get enough of Fay, Gustav and their ilk, Epcot now is home to an attraction called StormStruck.

• Wizarding World of Harry Potter construction casts its own spell at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure

  August 22, 2008

  The latest attraction at Islands of Adventure has no line, no height restriction and no T-shirt shop.

• So which theme-park treat is sweetest?

  August 15, 2008

  Friends phoned the Theme Park Rangers Hotline recently with this breathless request: Where best to eat dessert at Epcot? That's a hefty question because the international options of the park's World Showcase probably outnumber the choices at any other park.

• Orlando Science Center puts you in 'Rockwell's America'

  August 8, 2008

  The best art transports observers to another place, and now Orlando Science Center visitors can stroll right into life-size "paintings" at its "Rockwell's America" exhibit.

• Disney's 'Baby Elephant Walk'

  August 1, 2008

  When African elephant Tsavo was born this summer at Disney's Animal Kingdom, two pachyderm families were already in place to welcome the 327-pound calf.

• Lost at SeaWorld? Shamu GPS can help

  July 25, 2008

  I'm traveling solo at SeaWorld Orlando when a little voice beckons "In 100 feet, turn right."

• Proof there were tourists before there were theme parks

  July 18, 2008

  If you can't visualize Central Florida before water parks, roller coasters or a certain castle, you should see the latest permanent exhibit at the Orange County Regional History Center.

• Best places to get soaked at theme parks

  July 11, 2008

  Grueling-hot summertime visits to theme parks can be alleviated with turns on one of their water-thrill rides. Take a whirl through this guide to H2O zones and discover which ones are worth getting soaked to the bone.

• don't miss: mermaid calendars at weeki wachee springs

  July 4, 2008

  WHAT: For the first time in history, Weeki Wachee Springs has created a calendar that stars its famed mermaids. Photographer Andrew Brusso, a Florida native with scads of celebrity photos and major magazine covers in his portfolio, captured the finned females after hearing about the park's "Save Our Tails" campaign. He'll be visiting Weeki Wachee, signing the 16-month calendars, which sell for $19.95. (You can see more of Brusso's work at andrewbrusso.com.)

• An extra helping of Liberty

  July 4, 2008

  There's no truer slice of Americana in our theme parks than the Voices of Liberty, a patriotic a cappella singing troupe stationed within Epcot's American Pavilion. The primary gig for the group, outfitted in Colonial attire, is performing in the lobby before screenings of the building's inspirational film The American Adventure. The song list varies from show to show but typically includes Americana tunes, a dream-oriented Disney number and a salute to U.S. troops, past and present.

• Nights are brighter at SeaWorld Orlando with new AfterDark shows

  June 27, 2008

  SeaWorld Orlando has this extended summertime hours thing figured out. Naturally, theme-park guests will linger longer and later when given good reason, so the SeaWorld AfterDark promotion offers up fresh reasons -- entertainment not available during the day.

• Force is with you if you're a 'Star Wars' fan

  June 20, 2008

  Something's amiss at Disney's Hollywood Studios when Imperial stormtroopers bark at guests from perches above the turnstiles. But the faux menace of the white-armored warriors is one of the ways that even casual fans can enjoy Star Wars Weekends.

• So you want to spin the wheel?

  June 13, 2008

  The search for contestants for the Wheel of Fortune episodes that will be taped at SeaWorld Orlando will begin with a two-day visit of the Wheelmobile Sept. 27-28.

• Little nooks provide a cool, soothing moment of solitude at theme parks

  June 13, 2008

  When I need a break from the sun or the teeming masses at Disney's Animal Kingdom, I have a hideaway in the shadow of the park's Tree of Life. It's a ledge bench that faces the tranquil Discovery River and for a moment, everyone and everything else -- including the Expedition Everest coaster -- seems far, far away.

• Need a dose of Disney? New sites put you there

  May 23, 2008

  On your next Magic Kingdom visit, your grandmother in Wisconsin can virtually tag along.

• 'Garden Police' chief lays down the law

  April 4, 2008

  Shirley Bovshow went from real-estate professional to stay-at-home mom/avid gardener to landscape designer to TV personality. She eventually landed her own show, Garden Police, on Discovery Home Channel. "I'm kind of like Rachael Ray with dirty hands," Bovshow says. Her last trip to Disney World was in December for a family reunion. This weekend, she'll speak during the Great American Gardeners series in Garden Town at noon and 3 p.m. today, Saturday and Sunday.

• Kid rockers find their beat in Playhouse Disney

  October 19, 2007

  It's a small-child world after all during the Playhouse Disney in Concert series at Disney- MGM Studios. The entertainment is geared to preschoolers and toddlers - and not a few parents to boot.

• Theme park favorites bring chills, thrills and smiles

  October 5, 2007

  My list of theme-park favorites evolves. Sometimes an attraction gets tired; sometimes it's just me. Who knows what tomorrow holds? Next year's list I could be swooning about Toy Story Mania or the Simpsons ride, but here's what's tops now: