MousePlanetWatch 35 – news feed for September 6, 2007
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Run time 0:32:34
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Send in your suggestions, comments or tips via our email feedback
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Something new
We’re trying something new this week, with Mark and Mike discussing the news
instead of Mark just reading it. Let us
know what you think of it!
Walt Disney World News
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort will offer
a lease extension to Disney Vacation Club members with ownership interests
there, but many questions remain. Join the ongoing
discussion on our MousePad discussion forums. - We’ve restructured the
MousePad theme park discussion forums. Check
them out and let us know what you think! - MouseFest registration is
now open! Join us there! (Check out our MouseFest
information page.) MouseFest also has a great deal on special
room rates with the Swan and Dolphin during the event. Also, consider
filling out the MouseFest pre-arrival
survey. - US Airways has joined
the resort check-in portion of Disney’s Magical Express. Southwest is the
only major domestic carrier still not participating, and hopes to have an
agreement by early next year. They’re also hoping to have at least some
international flights ready to go by the end of the year. - The Backlot Theater will be
demolished, according to paperwork filed with Orange County. What will
happen to the location that was once home to the Spirit of Pocahontas and
Hunchback of Notre Dame stage shows is anybody’s guess, but there have been
rumors of an additional expansion behind the Muppet Theater area. - Walt Disney World has raised
parking fees by one dollar across the board. - Dates have been announced
for the 2008 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival: March 19
– June 1, the longest-ever festival by 15 days.
This and other news can be found in this week’s Walt
Disney World Park Update (it was published on Tuesday this week due to
Labor Day).
Disneyland News
- The Disneyland Half Marathon was held Monday, September 3 at the Disneyland
Resort. Results are posted on the official Disneyland
Half Marathon web site. - Disney has finally posted
the holiday season park hours and entertainment schedules for the Disneyland
Resort on the Disneyland.com web site, and some events are starting later
this year. - The Cartoon Art Museum will
present the Fourth Annual Benefit at Pixar Animation Studios on Saturday,
September 15, 2007. - Andrew also reported on the restructuring
of the MousePad theme park discussion forums. - This ‘n’ That:
- Indiana Jones Adventure was closed for three days last week so that
some of the ride’s speakers could be replaced. - Los Angeles radio station KLAC is hosting a special listener event
at Disneyland on Sunday, September 9. - Tickets for the Happiest Haunts tour go on sale on September 21, and
the tour will only be offered Monday through Thursday. Last week’s information
was incorrect. - The latest version of Honda’s ASIMO humanoid robot is now on display
inside Innoventions at Disneyland. - Disney will staff
and operate two hotels at GardenWalk near Disneyland. - The Grand Californian Hotel’s Napa Rose restaurant has been awarded
the 2007 DiRoNA Award of Excellence for the second time. - Mickey’s Halloween Treat at Disney’s California Adventure is now sold
out for Friday, October 19.
- Indiana Jones Adventure was closed for three days last week so that
This and other news can be found in this week’s Disneyland
Park Update (it was published on Tuesday this week due to Labor Day).
The Walt Disney Company News
- Disney is launching Jetix on a new video-on-demand service in Singapore,
using a new IPTV network. - Nick Valenti and Joachim Splichal of the Patina Restaurant Group have
acquired the Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group. No confirmation yet
on whether the two companies will be merged, or whether Smith & Wollensky
will now make an appearance at one of the Downtown Disney locations. - The Children’s Place announced
another amendment to its agreement with The Walt Disney Company, following
the chain once again missing their deadlines for remodeling the Disney Stores.
One of the interesting clauses would allow Disney to move its flagship World
of Disney store in Manhattan. No information is currently available on what
they might be planning. - The Cheetah Girls will be releasing a new album, “TCG,”
on September 25. It came as no surprise, since Radio Disney has suddenly
started playing Cheetah Girls songs again after they had disappeared for
a while. That’s straight from the Disney playbook, as they had just done
the same thing with songs from “High School Musical” and its various
stars. - Underdog did better than the preliminary numbers that we had at recording
time indicated, finishing in 14th place for the three-day
weekend with a take of nearly $1.69 million. Underdog and Miramax’s
Becoming Jane both did better over the four-day
weekend than the early numbers, as well. After four weeks, Underdog
is a few hundred dollars short of $40 million and Becoming Jane is over
$15.7 million. Ratatouille is over $201 million in 10 weeks.
Administrative stuff
We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback on the new format of shorter, more
frequent MouseStation shows. Currently, MouseStation is published three times
a week, with short subjects on Mondays, featured topics on Wednesdays and
listener feedback on Fridays; the MousePlanetWatch news is published on Thursday.
We’re still currently maintaining the series of three feeds, one for MouseStation
only, one for MousePlanetWatch only and one for both shows.
Based on listener feedback, we will be deciding whether to merge the feeds,
and return to a single feed with all shows, folding MousePlanetWatch into
the main MouseStation feed. That would still leave us with four shows per
week, but there would be only one feed. With the current listener numbers
being fairly even between MouseStation and MousePlanetWatch, it seems as if
there’s a great deal of overlap between the shows.
Please weigh in on the idea of returning to a single feed via email
or by calling our toll-free feedback line at 1-866-939-2278. Don’t forget
that we love voicemails because then we can put your voice on the show!
Don’t forget that you’ve only got two weeks from tomorrow to get your entry
in for our Owner’s Locker contest!
We also wanted to remind you that we have now scheduled our MouseFest meet
for the podcasts. The MouseStation Hustle-tini Meet will begin at 5:30 p.m.
at Classic Concoctions in the Everything Pop food court at Disney’s Pop Century
Resort for Bluetinis to get our nerve up to get up and boogie. We’ll make
sure that we’re in the lobby before 6 p.m. so that we can do The Hustle, then
return to Classic Concoctions or elsewhere to record some more for the podcast.
For more information on the Hustle-tini or any other MousePlanet-sponsored
meet at MouseFest, check out our MouseFest
information page.
Wrapping up
Please take a few minutes to complete our listener
survey. It helps us learn more about you and what you like most about
this podcast.
Don’t forget to go to the iTunes podcast directory and give us a good rating!
You can get your MousePlanet (or MouseStation) swag from the MousePlanet
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CafePress store.
Thanks to our West Coast correspondent Andrew Rich, and audio engineer
and sound editor Steven Ng.
Thank you for listening!
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