Theme park and attraction news, rumors and videos.
Comedian and actor Larry the Cable Guy recently stepped inside SeaWorld’s Penguin Encounter and gave a big thumbs-up to his new feathered friend “Git-R-Done,” a rockhopper penguin.
Larry credits a previous visit to SeaWorld for being able to answer the $200,000 question about penguins on the television show “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” His question was, “do penguins have feathers?”
He spent the rest of the day at the park with his family.
Radio Disney held a concert in the town of Celebration last Saturday as part of the nightly holiday Now Snowing event. The headliner was 15-year-old Justin Bieber.
The corner of Front Street and Market Street was jammed with fans – mostly preteen and teen girls. Whenever someone on stage mentioned Justin’s name, I bet you could hear the screaming from Disney World. Many of the girls had been waiting on the street since early Saturday morning.
The Radio Disney event started at 6 p.m. with one of the radio personalities on stage doing various dances with the crowd. Next up was a performance by Jasmin. She’s the 2009 N.B.T. (Next Big Thing) winner, chosen by Radio Disney fans.
After much more delay than the crowd wanted, Justin Bieber finally took the stage.
I was able to record a couple of his songs. Please forgive the shakiness. As I said, the fans were really packed into the streets and cameras and signs were going up all over.
The town of Celebration’s Now Snowing celebration features simulated snow falling on Market Street on the hour from 6 to 9 every night in December. The event also includes horse-drawn carriage rides, strolling Charles Dickens carolers, photos with Santa, ice skating and more.
But tonight’s event includes a special Radio Disney concert featuring a performance by YouTube teen sensation Justin Bieber. If you’ve never heard of Justin, here’s a Good Morning America segment about him.
The Radio Disney event starts at 6 p.m. A large crowd is expected, so if you plan on attending the free concert, you may want to park in the lot at 215 Celebration Place, near Highway 192, and ride the shuttle to downtown. Shuttle service starts at 5 p.m.
Here’s a video of the snow falling on Market Street in 2008.
Orlando’s 67 Days of Smiles finalists were revealed today by the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau (Orlando CVB). The finalists are vying for a $25,000 job spending 67 Days in Orlando experiencing all of the attractions offered in the renowned land of theme parks and alligators, and sharing their daily adventures with a global audience via social media outlets and media interviews.
After receiving hundreds of submissions from more than a dozen countries, the Orlando CVB has invited the top ten finalist pairs to spend July 26 to 28 in Orlando for 67 action-packed hours of “dry-run” experiences complete with roller coaster rides and adventure and cultural activities, along with personality tests and personal interviews in an effort to determine which pair will ultimately be selected for this once-in-a-lifetime assignment.
“We were overwhelmed by the creativity and engaging personalities of the pairs that submitted applications for this incredible opportunity. It was a challenge to narrow the field to our 10 finalist pairs, said Orlando CVB President and CEO Gary Sain. “Now we’re excited to meet the finalists in-person and watch how they depict their personal experiences with Orlando to the world.”
The Finalists for 67 Days of Smiles are:
• April Bonilla and Melissa Casey – Friends from Dania Beach, Fla. who consider this their last big adventure before April gets married and moves to Memphis.
• Clayton and Michael Derricott – Brothers from Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada. Clayton is in construction; Michael works in banking and both are avid hockey fans.
• Kate Fitzpatrick and Darren Symons –Couple from Melbourne, Australia that most recently lived in London, England. Darren is a teacher; Kate works in Communications.
• Tyler and Lindsay Key – Husband & wife team from Charlotte, N.C. Tyler works in Marketing; Lindsay is an office manager for an IT company. Both are Florida State graduates.
• Rommy Kopp and Tanja Hoehn – Cousins who were raised together in Germany. One now lives in Orlando, while the other calls Zwickau, Germany home. Tanja is a student studying foreign languages; Rommy works in hospitality.
• Renee McGibbon and Nabavi Oliver – Friends from New York City that originally met in Orlando. Renee is a graphic designer and former Orlando Magic intern; Nabavi is a lawyer.
• Bryce and Brendan Plank – Brothers from Chula Vista, Calif. who split their time working in hospitality and as online media producers.
• Kyle Post and Stacey Doornbos – Childhood friends originally from Holland, Mich. and now living in New York City. Kyle is a Broadway performer; Stacey works with children in East Harlem.
• Justin Vilardi and Shannon Waitekus – Friends from Palm Harbor, Fla. Justin is a musician and “manny,” while Shannon works as a kindergarten teacher.
• Kyle and Trina Wullschleger – Newlyweds from Omaha, Neb; Kyle is an independent video producer and social media consultant. Trina works as an independent hairstylist.
Each finalist pair will share their Orlando Boot Camp experiences with the world through their personal Twitter and blog accounts. Go to VisitOrlando.com/67DaysofSmiles to learn more about each pair and get links to their personal Twitter accounts and blogs. Many of the finalists have posted their creative video entries on their blogs.
The winning pair will be announced in early August and will begin their 67 Days of Smiles in Orlando on Aug. 27. The pair will live in a two-bedroom condo in Downtown Orlando, compliments of Historic Creations Design Development, design/developer of Star Tower Condominium. For their 67 day assignment, they will also be given cell phones, digital video and still cameras, a Dollar Rent A Car and $25,000 to cover living expenses back home. The attraction experiences will include everything from rollercoaster riding to hang gliding, swimming with dolphins, spa-ing, golfing, gator wrestling, museum exploring, theatre-going, dining and more.
For real time updates follow Orlando on Twitter at Twitter.com/VisitOrlando or become a fan of 67 Days of Smiles on Facebook.