In addition to the Main Street Electrical Parade returning, new effects for Tower of Terror and new fireworks show we previously told you about as park of Walt Disney World’s Summer Nightastic, some more events were announced.

A Rock N’ Glow Dance Party will be held in the courtyard of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Sizzling summer sounds will be spun by DJs.

More high-energy music presented by DJs will get guests’ toes a-tapping during a Magic Kingdom street party. (Pictured above is a street party float at Disneyland last summer for their Summer Nightastic celebration.)

Summer Nightastic begins at Walt Disney World on June 6 and continues through Aug. 14, 2010.

Here’s a video of the original Summer Nightastic announcement:

It looks like The American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has helped at least one person get noticed. Aaron Kelly was named one of the top 24 contestants this past week on the American Idol television show. He won the Dream Ticket at The American Idol Experience on Feb. 9, 2009 and was able to skip the line at the Orlando auditions last year. It’s been reported that he sang Amazed by Lonestar at the Hollywood Studios attraction.

Aaron has already had quite a career in music. This page on his Web site lists many of his accomplishments, including opening for Loretta Lynn and winning many other singing competitions.

American Idol producers have set up social media accounts for all of the top 24 contestants. Here are Aarons:
www.twitter.com/AKellyAI9
www.facebook.com/AKellyAI9
www.myspace.com/akellyai9

Here’s a look at his official audition on the TV show.

And here’s a look at the Orlando auditions last summer.

ESPN and Walt Disney World are again offering fans the opportunity to see and hear many ESPN personalities during ESPN The Weekend Feb. 25 to 28. This year’s event will be held at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the newly re-imagined ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

ESPN personalities scheduled to appear are John Anderson, Tedy Bruschi, Colin Cowherd, Ron Jaworski, Karl Ravech, Sage Steele, Dick Vitale, Trey Wingo, Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg.

More than 30 athletes will also appear, including running back Maurice Jones-Drew, tight end Jason Witten, kicker Adam Vinatieri and safety Brian Dawkins; New York Yankees CC Sabathia and Joba Chamberlain; MLB legends Curt Schilling, Bernie Williams and Hall of Famers Andre Dawson and Jim Palmer; NFL Hall of Famers Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Darrell Green; former LPGA golfer Annika Sorenstam; and U.S. Olympic gold medalists Shawn Johnson and Brandi Chastain, among many others.

All of the ESPN personalities and sports celebrities expected to attend the sixth annual event are listed at espntheweekend.com (Click on Who’s Coming).

For the first time, the event branches out to the soon-to-be relaunched ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, formerly Disney’s Wide World of Sports, for a special performance by the Harlem Globetrotters (Feb 25) and two days of Major League soccer action, which help kick off the grand opening of the 220-acre multi-sport venue.

Live Shows
ESPN will present live telecasts – including First Take and NFL Live from a set in front of Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat on Hollywood Boulevard. Park guests will have a chance to appear on-air via crowd shots while watching the programming on video screens. Popular ESPN Radio shows Mike & Mike in the Morning and The Herd with Colin Cowherd will be broadcast live from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Feb. 25-26.

As Major League Baseball Spring Training games get underway in Florida, ESPN’s on-site program lineup will feature a special two-hour Baseball Tonight with host Karl Ravech and analysts John Kruk, Bobby Valentine and Chris Singleton from the theme park Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. as ESPN’s popular baseball news, information and highlights show kicks off its 21st season.

Mike & Mike Celebrate 10 Years
ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning will celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary at the newly re-imagined ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort on Wednesday, Feb. 24 (6-10 a.m.). ESPN Radio’s popular morning-drive show hosted by Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic launched in January 2000. Today the show is heard (and seen on ESPN2) by more than 12 million listeners each week on more than 350 stations nationwide.

Inside ESPN
Live stage shows will bring fans and guests behind-the-scenes of some of the network’s most popular programs, including SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight, First Take, NFL Live and Stump the Schwab. The shows will provide an inside look at favorite athletes, teams and ESPN programs. Fans can get into the action themselves by asking questions directly to ESPN personalities and athletes.

Dream Job
Guests who think they have what it takes to be on SportsCenter can experience what it’s like to audition for ESPN. Select contestants will go through a series of on-air tasks and the audience will select the best sportscaster during each show. ESPN personalities and sports celebrities will help mentor contestants as part of the experience.

Motorcades and Conversations
Periodically throughout each day, sports stars will motorcade up Hollywood Boulevard to the stage at the base of Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat and join ESPN commentators for conversations about their careers and Q&A sessions with park guests.

Interactive Sports Area
The ESPN Sports Zone will give guests of all ages the opportunity to test their skills at a wide variety of sports. MLB-, NBA-, NFL- and BASS-themed interactive areas within the Zone will have fans swinging for the fences, shooting baskets and throwing passes, as well as Dick’s Sporting Goods’ Sports Caravan, a multi-sport interactive area.

Relaunch of Wide World of Sports
ESPN joins the magic of Walt Disney World when the gates open with a special grand opening event at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on Feb. 25. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, and a number of other popular athletes and ESPN personalities are expected to be in attendance, along with George Bodenheimer, president, ESPN, Inc. and ABC Sports and co-chairman Disney Media Networks, Meg Crofton, president, Walt Disney World Resort, and Ken Potrock, senior vice president, Disney Sports Enterprises.

Key festivities include a special grand opening ceremony, live ESPN Radio broadcasts and a variety of sports competitions. Opened originally as Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in 1997, the multi-sport complex annually hosts more than 300 events a year, including Atlanta Braves Spring Training at Champion Stadium.

Harlem Globtrotters
The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters take center court to help tip off the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex relaunch Thursday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. The clown princes of basketball, including Globetrotter stars Special K Daley, Flight Time Lang and Big Easy Lofton, have entertained fans for more than 84 seasons and boast over 23,000 wins. This special performance will feature Greenberg and Golic as honorary coaches, along with a number of other popular athletes and ESPN personalities joining in on the fun at The Milk House. The game will air on ESPN2 the following day, Friday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m., and ESPN’s Emerging Technology Group will use the game as a test for the company’s planned ESPN 3D network launch this summer.

5K and Fun Run
The Champion 5K returns for its second year at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Saturday, Feb. 27, at 7 a.m., challenging runners along the course with ESPN and sports trivia and will feature athletes and ESPN personalities, including John Anderson, Dana Jacobson and Trey Wingo. The 5K will benefit The V Foundation for Cancer Research, and all participants will receive a T-shirt and finisher’s medal. There will also be a Fun Run for kids at 8 a.m. To register, visit disneyenduranceseries.com.

Major League Soccer
Helping kick off the relaunch at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, four Major League Soccer clubs, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC, will compete in the inaugural Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic Feb. 25 and 27. On Thursday, Feb. 25, the Houston Dynamo faces the New York Red Bulls at 6 p.m., followed by FC Dallas versus Toronto FC at 8:30 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 27, the two losing teams will kick off at 6 p.m., with the two winners playing in the championship game at 8:30 p.m.

The “Main Street Electrical Parade” will light up the streets of the Magic Kingdom and will headline new after-dark excitement at Walt Disney World. “After the sun goes down, our Walt Disney World parks will light up the night with ‘Summer Nightastic!’, ” announced Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World Resort, at a media event Wednesday.

Although there will be summer celebrations all around the resort, three main events highlight Summer Nightastic!:

Main Street Electrical Parade
Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade” will return to the Magic Kingdom. Direct from the Disneyland Resort in California, and marking its first engagement in Florida since 2001, the fan favorite parade will be led by Tinker Bell waving from the basket of a magical balloon aboard a new float. Pinocchio and Snow White also join the parade aboard bright new floats. The parade’s beloved music and floats will feature more electrifying audio, plus new lighting technologies that create a pixie-dust effect on all the floats.

New effects for Tower of Terror
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror welcomes “drop-ins” this summer with new glow-in-the-dark lighting effects and the addition of a new drop sequence created especially for Summer Nightastic!.

New fireworks show
The Magic Kingdom will treat guests to a special summer fireworks spectacular. The night sky will explode in vivid colors and brilliant visual effects as whimsical music fills the air. The fireworks show, which hasn’t been named yet, is a brand new, never before seen show.

This summer will also mark the return of the Sounds Like Summer concert series at Epcot and Disney’s Animal Kingdom will have extended evening hours several times a week.

Summer Nightastic will start in early June. No ending date has been decided on yet.
(Update: Disney’s Summer Nightastic will begin June 6 and end on Aug. 14.)

You can sign up at disneyparksmobile.com/textmessaging. When you register, you can enter the specific dates of your visit to receive messages during your stay or just select the option of visiting multiple times per year. If you select multiple visits per year, you’re limited to getting the text information 12 days per year.

Here are all of the current text message options and their limits:

Wait Times
Text “Wait” followed by the name of the attraction.
Up to four times per day.

Park Hours
Get the park hours of any park.
Up to four times per day.

Character Locations
Text “Meet” followed by the name of the character.
One part of their site says there’s a limit of once per day, but their FAQ lists four times per day.

Resort Information
When you sign up and indicate which resort you’re staying at, you will receive information about your resort.

By signing up, you may also receive random exclusive offers. You also indicate your favorite character. You may just get a message from that character or information about them.

Number 10

A night view looking down to the pool area from an upper floor of the new Hilton Orlando.
Photo courtesy of Hilton Orlando

Number 9

American Idol television stars pose with Mickey Mouse outside The American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Photo by Matt Roseboom

Number 8

The entrance to SeaWorld’s new Manta flying roller coaster.
Photo by Matt Roseboom

Number 7

David Cook and Carrie Underwood sing a duet during the opening of The American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Photo by Matt Roseboom

Number 6

A panoramic night view from the Top of the World lounge of Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
Photo by Matt Roseboom

Number 5

An usher greets guests without a smile at the gates of Universal Studios for Halloween Horror Nights.
Photo by Matt Roseboom

Number 4

Fans arriving at Disney’s Hollywood Studios are greeted by some Stormtroopers up above.
Photo by Matt Roseboom

Number 3

Carrie Underwood and David Cook smile as they stand next to Mickey Mouse for a group photo.
Photo by Matt Roseboom

Number 2

David Cook rides down Hollywood Boulevard during a parade for the opening of The American Idol Experience.
Photo by Julie Saunders

Number 1

David Cook and Carrie Underwood share a ride on the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios after the opining of The American Idol Experience.
Photo by Matt Roseboom

Our YouTube channel was a popular place in 2009. We reached more than a million views for a couple of our older videos, while others lay dormant for reasons unknown to us. Sometimes we think a video is going to be a huge hit and it flops, and sometimes we wonder why we’re bothering to record something and it turns out to be very popular. Other times a video won’t be popular for weeks and weeks, then all of the sudden the view count shoots up. But for whatever reasons, here are the top 10 viewed videos we posted in 2009. We’ll start at number 10.

Number 10

A full ride on SeaWorld’s new Manta roller coaster -- 99,000+ views

Number 9

Club Penguin Rockhopper and Blue Penguin at Walt Disney World -- 120,000+ views

Number 8

Halloween Horror Nights 19 2009 Opening Night Scare Zones -- 130,000+ views

Number 7

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow at the Disney D23 Expo -- 131,000+ views

Number 6

Epcot Flower & Garden Festival 2009 with Disney Fairies -- 132,000+ views

Number 5

David Cook Sings at Walt Disney World’s American Idol -- 135,000+ views

Number 4

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit coaster POV from Universal Studios -- 306,000+ views

Number 3

American Idol Kris Allen sings “Heartless” at Disney World -- 388,000+ views

Number 2

Dance-Off with the Star War Stars 2009 -- Hyperspace Hoopla -- 408,000+ views

Number 1

David Cook and Carrie Underwood Duet at Walt Disney World -- 820,000+ views

As we said in our Top 10 Blog Posts of 2009 story, some videos have obviously been online longer than others, so here’s our honorable mentions:

Manta Opening SeaWorld Orlando -- Views, Interviews, & Queue -- 80,000+ views

Star Wars Weekends 2009 Parade at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 22, Opening Day -- 78,000+ views

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios Now Open -- 77,000+ views

Disney World Fantasyland expansion announcement & makeover concept art -- 66,000+ views

Disney Hall of Presidents update with Obama animatronic -- 60,000+ views

A lot has happened in the Orlando area theme parks in 2009. Some new attractions were announced, some have closed down and some have opened up. One both opened and closed in 2009 (we’re talking about you Stitch.) Below are the top 10 most read blog posts on our site during 2009. Below the top 10 are some honorable mentions. Let’s count them down.

Number 10

Hilarious Dance-Off with the Star Wars Stars 2009 at Disney’s Star Wars Weekends – Video and Photos

Number 9

Photos from the new Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Lodge

Number 8

Hidden songs confirmed on Rip Ride Rockit coaster

Number 7

A look at the new Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort

Number 6

Club Penguin Characters Arrive at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Number 5

Pictures from within Disney’s new Bay Lake Tower

Number 4

D23 Expo: 20 pieces of concept art for the major Fantasyland expansion now confirmed for Walt Disney World

Number 3

Halloween Horror Nights 19 scare-by-scare review and video

Number 2

Halloween Horror Nights 2009 Dates and Official Web Site

Number 1

New construction may add truth to ‘leaked’ Fantasyland refurbishment plans

It’s hard to tell which stories are really the most popular during a year since a story posted in January obviously has been online longer than one posted in December. So here are three we feel are worthy of an honorable mention.

Video, Photos: Wizarding World of Harry Potter construction update for November 10, 2009

The latest on the early-morning crash between two Disney monorails

There’s a lot going on for New Year’s Eve, but not all of the parks will be having special events or fireworks at midnight. Here’s a list of the special New Year’s Eve events. But be warned that it’s the busiest day of the year and many of the parks may close when they reach capacity. All of the events are included with your park admission except for the party at CityWalk.

Magic Kingdom
“Fantasy in the Sky” fireworks (11:50 p.m.)
Park hours: 8 a.m.-2 a.m.

Epcot
Special version of “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” (7:30 and 11:40 p.m.)
Park hours: 9 a.m.-1 a.m.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Live performances by in-park band “Mulch, Sweat and Shears,” back-to-back with a DJ at Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat. (Mulch, Sweat and Shears sets are 8, 9, 10 and 11 p.m.; DJ starts at 6:30 p.m.)
A special “Lights, Camera, Happy New Year” fireworks show starring Mulch, Sweat and Shears (11:55 p.m.)
Park hours: 8 a.m.-midnight

SeaWorld
Michael Andrew and his Atomic Big Band will perform the best in pop, Latin and swing music. At the stroke of midnight, a vibrant fireworks show will celebrate the New Year.
Park hours: 9 a.m.-1 a.m.

Universal CityWalk
The Temptations and The Four Tops will perform along with a street-wide celebration, with live entertainment and DJ’s in CityWalk’s nightclubs. An all-you-can-eat gourmet menu will also be available, featuring filet mignon, jumbo shrimp, desserts and more. When the clock strikes midnight, guests will welcome the new year with party favors, confetti bursts and a champagne toast.
Tickets are $129.99 plus tax per person. Special discounts are available for annual passholders.

Busch Gardens
Fireworks will help ring in the new year at Gwazi Park.
Park hours: 9 a.m.-1 a.m.

With Disney’s announcement that they will be revamping the attraction into Star Tours II, we asked Eades to tell us a funny story or two about the creation of Star Tours:

Casting Captain Rex

The toughest thing was finding the voice of Rex [the robot pilot seen in the attraction]. We kept trying different people and couldn’t hone in on it. We knew it had to be the right voice. We tried male and female voices. Frank Welker ["Transformers," "Aladdin," "Inspector Gadget"] came in a couple times. Billy Barty [Mickey Mouse shorts, Figment at Epcot] recorded.

Anyway, the next day I came into the office and was waiting for [Imagineer] Tom Fitzgerald to get in. His office was next to mine. I told him I thought I had found the voice and told Tom to drop whatever he was doing and go out and see the film. Tom did – I think he went out at lunch time. He was back later that day as I recall and came in with that smile on his face and said, “You’re right. Book him, Mark.” I managed to get ahold of Paul on the set of his new show and he agreed in principle to do the voice. It was a protracted negotiation, but he ended up being the voice of Rex.

A Different Name

Even though we had come up with the “Star Tours” name, [then-Disney CEO] Michael Eisner wanted the name to have the word ride in it. He was insistent for the longest time, and we had to call it “Star Rides” for the longest time. But Tom kept bringing it up again and again, as we on the team really thought it was the right name. He finally agreed a few months out.

George Lucas in Disguise

We opened the attraction for a couple hours a few months out from opening. We wanted to see what people think, and also check on what we called the “barf factor.” Motion sickness was a real concern, and Tom Fitzgerald, the show producer, was our best guinea pig as he has a real problem with motion sickness. Anyway, George [Lucas] flew down so we could walk him through the attraction too. He had shaved off his beard at the time and no one really recognized him.

Amusing Guest Reactions

We rode it, then opened it up to guests and stood in the exit area to listen to reaction. One person said, upon exiting the attraction, “Can you imagine how many miles of track Disney had to build underneath the park to handle this ride?”

Another person came up to me and asked if I had worked on the attraction. I told him I had. He sidled up to me and asked, “Tell me something, you don’t really go anywhere do you?”

You can read more of our interview with former Imagineer Mark Eades in the Winter 2010 issue of Orlando Attractions Magazine. Also included in the issue are details surrounding the upcoming Star Tours enhancements.

Mark Eades currently writes for the Orange County Register in California, often covering theme park news for their Around Disney section. You can read his recent articles here.