Update for February 11 – 17, 2008
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I’m (not) going to Disneyland!
After his team’s dramatic 17-14 win in Super Bowl XLII, New York Giants star Eli Manning was tapped to appear in the traditional “I’m going to Disneyland!” / “I’m going to Disney World!” commercial, and a Disney press release announced that Manning would in fact be headed to Disneyland first thing Monday morning to appear alongside players from a local Pop Warner football team in a parade down Main Street, U.S.A
Guests bring New York Giants balloons and jerseys to Disneyland on Monday in anticipation of a scheduled visit by MVP Eli Manning. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Media arrived early Monday morning to set up for the parade, which was moved up by 90 minutes to allow Manning time to fly to New York to appear on The Late Show With David Letterman that evening. A small crowd of fans, some sporting Manning’s jersey, arrived to catch a glimpse of the MVP. A little after 9:00, cast members began to take down the crowd-control ropes after receiving word that Manning had cancelled his appearance. The Pop Warner football players who were to have appeared in the parade with Manning did get to ride down Main Street as originally scheduled.
At first cast members told the crowd that Manning had missed his flight, but the New York Daily News (link) later reported that Manning’s flight sat “on the tarmac at Scottsdale Airport for six hours due to weather delays,” causing the player to miss not only the Disneyland parade but also forcing him to reschedule his Letterman appearance. According to Brady MacDonald of the Los Angeles Times, Disney officials have been told not to expect a Manning appearance within the next two weeks—and even then it might be at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, rather than at Disneyland. (link)
An Eli Manning fan visits Disneyland after Super Bowl XLII. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.