Expanded hospital opens at Calif. aquarium
By SUE MANNING (AP) – 11 hours ago
The Associated Press

LONG BEACH, Calif. — They don't cry, cough or run a fever, so how can you tell when a fish is sick?

You watch them, because you have to find them before you can fix them, explained Aquarium of the Pacific veterinarian Lance Adams, who is also known as a "wet vet" or "aqua doc."

Adams heads a team of about 50 aviculturists, mammalogists and aquarists who care for 11,000 fish, birds, mammals and reptiles at the aquarium, located about 25 miles south of Los Angeles.

The smallest of the animals, like baby sea horses, can weigh less than a gram, while the largest, like the California sea lion, can weigh more than 550 pounds.

The Molina Animal Care Center, a $5.5 million expansion that gives the aquarium a 14,000 square-foot hospital, opened Friday and gives the staff new space, new technology and a new audience.

The center will be one of only a few aquarium hospitals in the country where visitors can watch as animals are examined and treated, and it may be the only one that allows people to watch surgeries as they are performed, said Steve Feldman, a spokesman for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, based in Maryland.

The aquarium is also opening a remodeled sea otter habitat, named after the oil giant BP, which donated $1 million for its development four years ago. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico dimmed the park's salute to the new otter home, but aquarium executives said the company's name would not be stripped from the attraction.

This summer, a live feed will be hooked up and aquarium surgeries will be broadcast to the local children's hospital so patients and their parents can watch. The idea is to let kids know they are not alone and give them a chance to ask Adams questions about the surgeries.

"It is truly state-of-the-art in terms of the equipment and facilities, but as importantly, it allows visitors and kids to really learn something about how we care for these creatures and it does it through a number of innovative methods. The openness and the transparency is a really unique feature of this facility," Feldman said.

Not every surgery will be successful. "Because they are wild and we are restraining the animals, there is always a chance something could go wrong," Adams said. "The animal could get overstressed and die. We do what we can to prevent it but if something happens we just have to explain it to the kids."

Beyond the surgeries for sick animals, there will be the cosmetic surgeries, Adams said.

If a sea lion breaks a tooth, a sawfish loses its rostrum or a shark's eye is gouged out, cosmetic surgery is needed to return the animal to its exhibit at the aquarium, Adams said. "We try to maintain the normal appearance of the animals."

They don't do elective surgeries like enhancements or facelifts. And they've never done a transplant or installed a pacemaker at the aquarium, although "it's only a matter of time until a case comes up."

Caretakers work to prevent problems, constantly monitoring environments, water quality and food. And always watching the animals.

Some of the things they look for in fish:

_ If a fish gets itchy, it will start scratching by rubbing against things like rocks. It probably has an external parasite that lives on the skin, he said.

_ Fish putting on weight. The biologists might switch diets or change the number of times some fish are fed. But there is a limit, Adams said, "because you feed to the weakest or most sensitive" fish in a tank.

_ Aging fish can have problems like renal failure, respiratory problems, thickening tissue and decreased activity.

_ Fish breath can tell caretakers a lot. Some halitosis is normal in aquatic animals because they eat raw fish so have bacteria in their mouths. But if it's caused by a tooth absess or pneumonia, the smell turns bad or rotten and alerts the biologists that something is wrong.

Adams visits a lot of schools and a lot of students visit the aquarium. How to identify a sick animal is the most often asked question.

"They want to know if I get grossed out by the blood, don't I think it is disgusting," Adams said.

They ask what happens when the animals die, if the others eat them, if they are buried. He tells them dead fish are removed from the tank, refrigerated until a necropsy can be done, then frozen and turned over to a rendering service. "We don't refeed any of the animals."

Adams usually gets a personal question too, about part of a finger he's missing on his left hand. "Was it bitten off by a shark?" they want to know.

"No," he tells them, but he's never sure they believe him.

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Universal Studios reopens backlot after fire
By CHRISTY LEMIRE (AP) – 2 hours ago
The Associated Press

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — Hollywood loves a sequel, especially during the summer. It's familiar, it's comforting, and most of all, it's bankable.

Universal Studios got a new chapter of its own Thursday with the reopening of its backlot, which an accidental fire decimated two years ago. The $200 million project will once again allow filmmakers to shoot on the streets of New York without having to leave Los Angeles, and it'll give visitors on the studio tour a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the moviemaking process.

Among the films that had been shot there prior to the June 2008 blaze — which also damaged the "King Kong" theme park attraction — were "Back to the Future," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Sting," "Bruce Almighty" and "The Blues Brothers."

The new lot features 13 city blocks and 15 shooting areas over four acres. It includes sections that resemble Central Park, Wall Street, a Broadway theater district, brownstones and a courthouse square. The backlot can also stand in for London. And with a pub, cafe, bank, jewelry shop and many other storefronts, it can function as any city anywhere.

The heights of buildings were increased while, at the same time, the streets were narrowed to allow shooting on both sides simultaneously. The revamp also includes improved fire warning and prevention systems.

Steven Spielberg, who has a 40-year history with Universal, was one of the first people who arrived after the fire. He helped reconstruct the lot with a team that included veteran production designer Rick Carter, who won an Oscar this year for "Avatar" and has worked with Spielberg on such films as "Amistad," "War of the Worlds" and the first two "Jurassic Park" movies.

The director said when he got to the backlot at 6:30 a.m. the day of the fire, "it was truly an inferno."

"The flames were hundreds of feet into the air and everything was coming down quickly," he said. "The smells, the sounds — it was very much like, but actually worse than, 18 years before when the same real estate burned down, burned down to the ground, and had to be rebuilt. I was on that team 18 years ago and I was very proud to volunteer my services to rebuild the lot this time."

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who shot five films on the Universal backlot in his previous life as an actor, said the studio helped make him the star he became when it released "Conan the Barbarian" in 1982.

"For me this is kind of a homecoming. ...They were the ones that launched my career, and then we did `Conan the Destroyer' and `Twins' and `Kindergarten Cop' and `Junior,'" Schwarzenegger said. "I have all kinds of really great, great memories of this studio and, of course, we want to make sure they reopen this backlot as quickly as possible."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who also came to Universal when the blaze started, thanked the Los Angeles city and county firefighters who helped prevent deaths and serious injuries that day.

"Our firefighters and our police officers collaborate and work together on a scale and a scope second to none," he said. "We saw the devastation on that day and I can tell you, I couldn't have been prouder of the men and women of the LA county and LA city fire departments."

Spielberg also praised firefighters for going into the film vault, which houses all the negatives and was in danger of burning, and hauling out film cans one by one to ensure their safety.

"I looked at all the titles — of course, several of the titles should have burned," he said, drawing laughs, "but the majority of the titles, I thought, were awesome titles."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iOjBUavbgejGcbCyOynwHQUpC8jgD9FVICGG0

WORLD OF COLOR AT CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE IS A NEW BRAND OF NIGHT MAGIC PREMIER BELOW
abbreviated:Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year and there is a mad effort underway by the theme park’s masters to make sure that birthday isn’t met with sour headlines about the years of corporate disappointment or seasons of tourist apathy. So it was that the “new” California Adventure - or the latest “new” California Adventure - was ushered in Friday by the scheduled premiere of a new attraction, a water-and-fire show called “World of Color” that not only lives up to the hype, it manages to tap into the company’s long but sometimes elusive tradition of true spectacle innovation.

On Thursday night, a VIP and media preview showed that five years of planning for the 26-minute musical presentation were well spent. The show uses characters and score elements from eight decades of signature Disney films (but the emphasis is absolutely on the post-”Little Mermaid” Disney releases and, wisely, on the evocative Pixar movies), but it’s the canvas that startles - 100,000 images of animation are presented (amid fireworks, lasers and occasional jets of flame) on walls of water and roiling curtains of mist. Instead of smoke-and-mirror gimmickry, though, the collective effect is emotional, dreamy and somewhat bold in this hard, rectangular era of digital-screen obsession.

The nighttime show is presented above Paradise Lagoon and uses 1,200 specially designed fountains that create water whips, wide fans, thick geysers and shimmery cascades that stand, dart or dance with “Fantasia”-like expression. But more than, say, the cavorting fountains of the Bellagio in Las Vegas, the waterworks for this show interact with projected images and the recorded music of 200 musicians, singers and voice actors for storytelling, which Disney does extremely well in its most shining moments. . 7o0Icz6ExiM&hl . L O S A N G E L E S T I M E S

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Six Flags Magic Mountain aims to reclaim coaster crown with Green Lantern in 2011
By Brady MacDonald
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
2:57 PM PDT, October 19, 2010

Six Flags Magic Mountain will reclaim the Roller Coaster Capital of the World title with the addition of two coasters in spring 2011, including a first-of-its-kind ride in the U.S., amusement park officials said.

The Green Lantern will bring Magic Mountain's coaster count to 18, allowing the Valencia amusement park to recapture the coaster crown, taken by Ohio’s Cedar Point in 2008. Magic Mountain snatched the crown from Cedar Point around the turn of the millennium after adding a coaster a year during a building binge that stretched from 1997 to 2003. Cedar Point, with 17 coasters, plans to add a tower swing thrill ride in 2011.

The Green Lantern vertical coaster, with green zigzag track and black supports, will sit on a compact footprint near the Batman and Riddler’s Revenge coasters. The new-concept 4th dimension coaster, similar in style to X2 but more tame, will reach a top speed of 37 mph over 825 feet of serpentine track during the two-minute ride. (Watch concept video of the Green Lantern at Screamscape.)

The Intamin ZacSpin coaster will be the first of its kind in the U.S. The Grona Lund theme park in Stockholm added an identical ZacSpin called Insane last year, with smaller versions of the ride also operating in Spain and Finland.

Coaster enthusiasts who have ridden the European ZacSpins invariably describe the experience as fun, intense and weird but gripe about capacity issues.

Upon boarding a train that straddles the track, eight riders per car face in two directions, forward and backward. A chain lift carries each car up an inverted curved section to a height of 107 feet. From there, the suspended trains rock back and forth on the straight-aways and rotate head over heels as the cars plunge over freefall drops.

Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey will also add a stand-up coaster called Green Lantern in 2011, relocated from a shuttered park in Kentucky. The debut of both themed coasters will coincide with the 2011 release of the "Green Lantern" movie based on the DC Comics superhero with otherworldly powers.

Magic Mountain will also add a kiddie coaster in spring 2011, relocated from a now-shuttered Six Flags park in New Orleans. Mr. Six's DanceCoaster was announced as a new addition for 2010 and later postponed because of construction delays. Magic Mountain has since dropped the Mr. Six name from the coaster.

The as-yet-renamed red-and-black junior coaster will replace the Sierra Falls water slide between the Thomas Town and Bugs Bunny World kiddie lands. Eventually, the kids' coaster will likely get a Looney Tunes theme, officials said.


Read More: http://www.latimes.com/travel/destinations/southerncalifornia/la-trb-green-lantern-magic-mountain-20111019,0,4055452.story

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Disney California Adventure extreme makeover to transform theme park entrance
By Brady MacDonald
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
3:46 PM PST, December 21, 2010

An intense, 16-month construction project designed to transform the Disney California Adventure entryway from a nondescript strip mall into a circa-1920s Los Angeles streetscape will begin in earnest Jan. 4.

As part of an ongoing, $1.1 billion makeover, the sweeping and extensive reimagineering will wall off 4 acres of the main entrance between the C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A letters, Sunshine Plaza, Grizzly Peak and Hollywood Studios Backlot. The remade entryway, dubbed Buena Vista Street, will be designed to evoke the era when a young Walt Disney first arrived in Los Angeles.

After the winter holiday season ends, construction walls will go up around the iconic C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A letters Jan. 4 so that crews can turn the plaza area into Streamline Moderne turnstiles modeled after the former Pan-Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles.

The most disruptive phase of the project will start in August, when retheming work will begin on the shops just inside the entrance. On Aug. 1, Engine-Ear Toys, Bu-r-r Bank Ice Cream and Baker's Field Bakery will close on the right side of the entrance. Then on Aug. 29, the Greetings from California gift shop on the left side of the entrance will close. If all goes according to plan, the new Pan-Pacific-style turnstiles will also open Aug. 29.

But construction will force Disney to route visitors through a 500-foot-long backstage pathway running behind Soarin' Over California. The temporary entrance/exit route is expected to remain in place through spring 2012. Another pathway carved through the Sunshine Plaza construction zone will allow visitors to travel between Condor Flats and Hollywood Studios Backlot.

The undertaking is so massive and unprecedented that DCA Vice President Mary Niven has taken to a Web video in an effort to convince visitors the Anaheim theme park will remain open for business once the front gate turns into a construction zone.

"While we're adding all these new attractions, our guests' favorite attractions are still open," said Niven, who faces the daunting challenge of building and operating a theme park at the same time.

Indeed, all major attractions and shows will remain open during construction.

By spring 2011, virtually all the areas of Paradise Pier currently behind construction walls will reopen to the public – including the Voyage of the Little Mermaid dark ride, the Goofy's Sky School wild mouse coaster, the Paradise Garden Grill and Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta restaurants, the Corndog Castle take-out stand and the SeaSide Souvenir shop.

The 12-acre Cars Land addition is expected to make its debut with three new rides in spring 2012.

The ongoing expansion, which some have derisively dubbed "Disney's Construction Adventure," has proven to be a continuing nightmare for DCA planners. They were forced to ship the Main Street Electrical Parade to the Magic Kingdom when earlier construction shrank the parade route and cancel the California Food & Wine Festival for 2011 and 2012 when logistical hurdles became evident.

In addition, the Pixar Play Parade will go on hiatus after Jan. 3, with the parade characters continuing to appear in pop-up "dance parties" throughout the park. "The Incredibles" mini float will begin appearing at various locations throughout the park on Jan. 7, with "Toy Story" and "Monsters, Inc." pop-up parties making their debuts over the ensuing weeks. The full Pixar parade is expected to return in November.

The Playhouse Disney theater will also close after Jan. 23 for conversion into the Disney Junior theater in spring. The rethemed theater will feature a new show segment based on the upcoming Disney Channel cartoon "Jake and the Never Land Pirates."

Additionally, the Blue Sky Cellar preview center will add a more elaborate display on the Little Mermaid ride beginning on Jan. 27.



Read More: http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-disney-california-adventure-buena-vista-street-12201021,0,1765014.story

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A video tour of the Lego models at the opening of Legoland California's Star Wars Miniland. The event took place on March 31, 2011.

LOS ANGELES WINS! ENDEAVOR COMING TO CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CENTER - PERMANENTLY! . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/201011main_rs_image_feature_890_946x710.jpg NASA . The space shuttle Endeavour is coming home to Southern California for permanent display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

The shuttle, much of which was built in Southern California, has one more scheduled flight, on April 29. The flight will be commanded by Capt. Mark E. Kelly, husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman severely injured in the mass shooting in Tucson in January.

Two other retired shuttles will go to two other sites -- Florida's Kennedy Space Center and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum -- NASA announced Tuesday after a fierce competition for what one museum director called the rarest of space artifacts.

"We are thrilled," said Jeffrey N. Rudolph, president of the science center in a statement Tuesday thanking NASA for recognizing "the importance of returning the Endeavour to its home in California."

"The Endeavour will provide an educational platform for the public to celebrate California’s long time leadership in science, technology, mathematics and engineering," he added. "We are confident that it will serve to motivate and inspire millions of young people to dream about possibilities and will attract and engage the next generation of California’s and our nation’s workforce in these fields.”

The test orbiter now on display at the Smithsonian will go to New York's Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden Jr. made the announcement at a ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday to mark the 30th anniversary of the first shuttle launch.

Officials at the California Science Center in Exposition Park got a shuttle-like blast from beating out more than a dozen other cities for the right to house the orbiter, which will enhance the museum's prestige and could provide an economic boost for the city.

Now, the museum must pay $28.8 million to bring the Endeavour to Los Angeles and overcome the logistical challenges of transporting the craft, with its 78-foot wingspan, to a city famous for its traffic problems.

Southern California's ties to the shuttle program date back to the early 1970s. The program pumped billions of dollars into the economy and employed thousands in communities including Downey, Canoga Park and Palmdale. An occasional reminder of the effects of the program came in the form of a sonic boom, which jarred the region during shuttle landings at Edwards Air Force Base. . RICHARD SIMON LOSANGELESTIMES

Strap in for new adventures at Southland theme parks
Disneyland, California Adventure, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Knott's Berry Farm, Legoland, SeaWorld and Belmont Park all have fresh or revamped attractions opening this year.
By Brady MacDonald
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 15, 2011

There's a lot more than pixie dust swirling through the air at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure as construction crews, earth-moving excavators and towering cranes work on several theme park rides set to debut this summer and beyond.

The headliner is the $100-million Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure, scheduled to open June 3 at California Adventure. The elaborate dark ride will take visitors on a family-friendly musical underwater journey based on "The Little Mermaid," the 1989 animated movie.

The Anaheim park will also reopen a kiddie coaster with a new Goofy Sky School theme at the same time.

California Adventure visitors should be forewarned that the construction dust won't settle until 2012, when the 12-acre Cars Land and the main entrance makeover are completed.

Across the way at Disneyland, the long-anticipated reboot of the classic Star Tours motion simulator attraction also is set to open June 3, with riders experiencing 54 possible story lines resulting in a different beginning, middle and end for each journey.

On May 27, the music-centric Mickey's Soundsational Parade is to make its debut on Disneyland's Main Street USA with dancers, drummers and two dozen Disney characters.

Southern California's other theme parks are planning a series of new attractions to counter Disney's continuing $1.1-billion expansion project.

Six Flags Magic Mountain will reclaim the "Roller Coaster Capital of the World" title in mid-June with the addition of a first-of-its-kind ride in the U.S. The Green Lantern vertical coaster will feature suspended trains that rock back and forth on the straightaways and rotate head over heels as the cars plunge over freefall drops.

The Valencia amusement park reopened the revamped Superman: Escape From Krypton shuttle coaster in March with new trains that rocket riders backward at 100 mph.

The 301-foot-tall WindSeeker will change the Knott's Berry Farm skyline when the $5-million spinning swing ride debuts at the Buena Park theme park in late June or early July. WindSeeker will carry 64 riders in twin-seat gondolas to the top of the tower, where the ride's metal arms will extend at a 45-degree angle and spin at 30 mph for one minute.

At Legoland California in San Diego County, the new Star Wars Miniland renders epic battles, iconic cityscapes and massive machines in an intimate 1:20 scale. The new "Star Wars" attraction, which opened in March at the Carlsbad park, uses 1.5 million Lego bricks to build a visual timeline stretching from the first film in the series to the latest television cartoons based on the space fantasy.

On Memorial Day weekend, SeaWorld San Diego will launch a new Shamu killer whale show after the death of an animal trainer in 2010 at its sister park in Orlando, Fla., forced a reworking of the signature attraction.

The conservation-themed "One Ocean" show will feature fountains, underwater imagery and orcas performing in unison against a new backdrop of giant LCD screens.

The most jaw-dropping new ride of 2011 belongs to San Diego's Belmont Park. The Octotron, which opened in January, simulates a looping roller-coaster experience over an undulating track.

Sitting two abreast in roller coaster-style seats, riders control the forward and backward direction of the spinning car as it rotates around a circular course. The easily nauseated need not apply.



Read More: http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-amuse-20110515,0,7843319.story

Harry Potter attraction coming to Universal Studios Hollywood
Los Angeles Times
November 30, 2011 | 5:13 pm

Hogwarts is coming to Hollywood.

Universal Studios is planning to build a replica of its successful Florida Harry Potter theme park in Los Angeles, said people familiar with the matter but not authorized to discuss it publicly.

A contract between Comcast Corp.-owned Universal and Warner Bros., which made the "Harry Potter" movies and controls licensing rights to author J.K. Rowling's books about the boy wizard, is being finalized and should be done within the next few weeks, the people said.

The new attraction is expected to open at Universal Studios Hollywood no earlier than 2015.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando has drawn more than 7 million people and was a primary driver in a 36% boost in attendance at the theme park in the first three months of 2011.

Families have flocked to the park to go on Potter-themed rides, like the Flight of the Hippogriff, visit replicas of Potter locations like the Three Broomsticks Inn, and even drink a re-creation of the story's famous butterbeer.

Universal was not the only entertainment company seeking to replicate The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Southern California. Walt Disney Co. also held discussions with Warner to secure the rights for Disneyland in Anaheim. Recently, Disney signed a partnership to create attractions based on 20th Century Fox's "Avatar," the first of which will begin construction in Orlando in 2013.

A remaining question is where the Potter rides and shops would be placed at the land-strapped Universal Hollywood. In order to make room, the park would likely have to remove or retrofit existing rides.

News of the deal was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

— Ben Fritz



Read More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/11/harry-potter-theme-park-coming-to-los-angeles.html

Should have bought the land past Barnham. http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/Fullscreencapture121201110250AM.jpg

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef015437f21549970c-800wi

Harry Potter Wizarding World coming to Universal Hollywood
Los Angeles Times
December 6, 2011 | 12:38 pm

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was trumpeted at Universal Studios Hollywood on Tuesday, as California Gov. Jerry Brown and top officials from Warner Bros. and Universal Studios promised the creation of thousands of new jobs and the expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars in building the new West Coast attraction.

But don't hold your breath: The new attraction will not open until at least 2016.

"It is a great day when we see investment in California and investment in the imagination," the governor said.

Universal Studios' President and COO Ron Meyer and Warner Bros. Chairman and CEO Barry Meyer said the new park would cost "several hundred million dollars" to construct, and create more than one thousand jobs on the Universal City lot and many more in the surrounding area. Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslovsky applauded the "quality jobs" that he said would come with the creation of the new attraction.

Guests at the Tuesday morning press event were served mugs of Harry Potter's signature drink "Butterbeer," and watched a video greeting from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is visiting China on city business. Also on the stage, under a marquee reading, "Hogwarts Is Coming to Hollywood," were "Harry Potter" actors James and Oliver Phelps, who play the mischievous twins Fred and George Weasley in the boy wizard films based on the wildly successful novels by British author J.K. Rowling.

The new attraction will be constructed entirely within the existing Universal Studios property, those making the announcement said. There will be no new real estate purchased for the creation of the multi-acre Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

But the West Coast construction will occur in tandem with an expansion of the Wizarding World at Universal Orlando. That 20-acre attraction, which opened in June 2010, drew more than 7 million visitors in the first year, and led to a 68% increase in attendance for the first three months of 2011.

The Los Angeles Potter park will closely resemble its Florida cousin, said Universal's Meyer.

"When you first see Hogwarts Castle and ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, you will find it an unforgettable experience," Meyer said. "This will change the face of tourism in Southern California."

-- Ben Fritz



Read More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/12/wizarding-world-of-harry-potter-planned-for-universal-hollywood.html

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Scene-by-scene preview: Transformers ride at Universal Studios
By Brady MacDonald
Los Angeles Times
5:30 AM PST, November 30, 2011

The new Transformers ride has been generating positive early reviews from theme park enthusiasts and hard-core fans of the shape-shifting robots during a soft-opening preview at Universal Studios Singapore.

Set to officially debut on Saturday, the five-minute Transformers motion-simulator dark ride, with high-definition 3-D images and special effects, will feature an original story line starring the heroic Autobots and villainous Decepticons -- anthropomorphic robots capable of changing into cars, trucks and planes.

A similar version of the Transformers ride is set to open at Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in spring 2012.

During the queue pre-show, riders are recruited to join the Autobots in an alien robot showdown with the Decepticons.

The queue winds through the NEST military base, with video screens explaining the ride's back story, and past an AllSpark containment chamber that houses a glowing module containing the source of life for all Transformers.

At the loading station, riders climb into a blue Autobot vehicle known as Evac, which explains the mission: Protect the AllSpark from the Decepticons.

Scene 1: A mechanical Decepticon tiger named Ravage grabs the AllSpark, leaps onto Evac's hood and claws at the passengers. Evac escapes by driving erratically.

Scene 2: Bumblebee, an Autobot that can transform into a Volkswagen Beetle, rescues Evac from the motorcycle-bot Sideways and entrusts the riders to protect the AllSpark. Evac flees the scene by crashing through a wall and plowing through city traffic.

Scene 3: Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, attacks Evac before the Autobots' leader, Optimus Prime, comes to the rescue. During the battle, Evac's riders narrowly escape Grindor's spinning helicopter blades.

Scene 4: Evac drives evasively as Megatron gives chase. The evil robot eventually captures Evac, who struggles and manages to break free.

Scene 5: Riders feel the heat of a tremendous explosion after Megatron fires a missile at Evac, who maneuvers to avoid the oncoming shell. Evac escapes through a hole blown in the side of a building by the missile.

Scene 6: Evac gets sucked into a whirling vortex generated by Devastator, a Decepticon created by combining several robots.

Scene 7: Sideswipe, a Lamborghini Autobot, saves Evac and the pair race through city streets battling Decepticons along the way. During the high-speed chase, Evac fires a weapon at Bonecrusher, a bulldozer Decepticon.

Scene 8: Evac manages to escape a second encounter with Devastator only to be grabbed by Starscream's grappling hook. The F-15 fighter jet Decepticon flings Evac through the air, sending the hero robot crashing into a building.

Scene 9: Optimus Prime and Megatron battle in a showdown between the alien robot leaders.

Scene 10: Autobot helicopters fire on Starscream, giving Evac a brief respite.

Scene 11: In the finale, Optimus Prime and Megatron continue their fight on top of a skyscraper. Falling from the building, Megatron pulls Evac over the edge with him and they hurtle headfirst toward street below. At the last possible moment, Bumblebee leaps up and catches Evac.

Scene 12: With Megatron defeated, Optimus Prime congratulates Evac and the rider recruits on a mission accomplished. With the ride over, Evac heads to the unloading station where the passengers disembark.



Read More: http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-transformers-universal-studios-11201130,0,2259110.story

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New Year's Eve at Disney California Adventure Park

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Six Flags Magic Mountain adding new thrill ride for 2012
By Brady MacDonald
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
3:30 AM PDT, September 1, 2011

Six Flags Magic Mountain will add a new 40-story thrill ride in spring 2012 themed to DC Comics villain Lex Luthor that will rank as the world’s tallest and fastest drop tower.

The 400-foot-tall Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom will be attached to both sides of the Valencia amusement park's 415-foot-tall Superman: Escape from Krypton coaster tower.

After ascending to the top of the new drop tower, Lex Luthor riders will freefall for five seconds at speeds reaching 85 miles per hour before a magnetic braking system stops the drop.

Themed to Superman's arch-enemy, the Lex Luthor drop tower will feature green and purple floorless gondolas with riders sitting eight abreast.

Superman trains will rocket up and down the L-shaped shuttle coaster track at 100 mph while Lex Luthor riders rise and fall nearby on the new drop tower built by Switzerland-based Intamin.

Magic Mountain's Lex Luthor ride bests the reigning 390-foot-tall Giant Drop at Dreamworld amusement park in Australia, which has reigned as the tallest drop tower since debuting in 1998. Giant Drop also reaches an approximate speed of 85 mph.

In 2007, Magic Mountain removed an earlier generation of an Intamin-built vertical drop ride known as Freefall after 25 years of service.



Read More: http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-six-flags-magic-mountain-lex-luthor-drop-of-doom-09201101,0,2930695.story

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SeaWorld San Diego to add Manta coaster in 2012
February 09, 2011|By Brady MacDonald | Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

SeaWorld San Diego will add a $10 million-plus roller coaster in 2012 that marks the U.S. debut of a highly anticipated prototype ride.

Paired with a 100,000-gallon aquarium and outdoor ray pool, the Manta coaster will be in a relatively unused back corner of the marine park near the Skyride and Flamingo Cove, SeaWorld officials said.

The 30-foot-tall Manta will feature dual launch zones, a 54-foot drop into a subterranean trench and a dramatic wing dip into a shallow lake over a 2,800-foot-long track. Launched from a tunnel filled with manta ray projections, the inversion-less family coaster will reach a top speed of 43 mph and pull 4 Gs during the two-minute trip. SeaWorld is expected to break ground on the new coaster in the next month.

The electromagnetic-launched mega-coaster, which has coaster enthusiasts salivating, will deliver a much-needed dose of thrills to a park habitually light on rides. I can't wait to take my first spin.

SeaWorld San Diego's Manta represents a significantly more compact version of the 125-foot-tall, 3,500-foot-long Blue Fire coaster in Germany, which features heart rate monitors, video screens for each rider and lap bar-only restraints. The prototype Mack coaster be found only at the company-owned Europa-Park, which serves as a proving ground for the manufacturer's newest rides.

SeaWorld's sister park in Orlando, Fla., opened a similarly themed Manta flying coaster in 2009 that features a wing dip splashdown across a shallow lake.



Read More: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/11/news/la-trb-seaworld-san-diego-manta-01201111

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New Fantasy Faire Experience Coming to Disneyland Park

The boundaries of Fantasyland are expanding with a brand new experience called Fantasy Faire. For this project, Carnations Plaza Gardens Stage is being reimagined into an enchanting village square that will immerse guests in the stories of their favorite princesses in exciting new ways.

Guests will travel through a village square surrounded by fairytale cottages and pavilions to the heart of the square – Tangled Tower, inspired by the film. The village square will come alive with activities and entertainment, including a Royal Ribbon Parade where guests can dance and interact with Belle or Rapunzel. Guests can visit the their favorite Disney royalty from such films as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Tangled.”

‪The Fantasy Faire Stage will be a new entertainment venue where the stories of Disney’s fairy tale heroes and heroines will be brought to life, letting guests become part of the story as well.

‪And at night, the Fantasy Faire Stage will come alive with the classic music and dance offerings that Disneyland park guests have loved for years.



Read More: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/08/new-fantasy-faire-experience-coming-to-disneyland-park/



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Read More: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/

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Legoland to add Pirate Reef water ride, expand Star Wars area
By Brady MacDonald
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
10:22 AM PST, January 19, 2012

As part of a multiattraction expansion this spring, Legoland California plans to update the Star Wars Miniland area that debuted last summer, add a pirate-themed shoot-the-chutes water ride and install a crab exhibit at the adjacent SeaLife Aquarium.

Set to open March 29, the Star Wars Gallery will include 3-foot-tall Lego models of a dozen characters from the epic film saga, including Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2D2, Yoda and Darth Vader.

At the same time, model builders will install new characters, weapons and spacecraft to existing Star Wars Miniland scenes rendered in 1:20 scale using Lego bricks.

Among the new additions to the Lego-fied "Star Wars" scenes:

--Rebel soldiers trapped in a net set by Ewoks in Endor.

--A Starfighter hovering over a landing pad in Mustafar.

--Three AT-RT walkers on a reconnaissance mission on Kshyyyk.

--An Ion Cannon firing a particle beam on Hoth.

--A Sandcrawler trolling across the sands of Tatooine.

Debuting on May 24, the Pirate Reef shoot-the-chutes water ride will take riders down a 25-foot drop that generates a tidal wave splash designed to soak bystanders watching from a pedestrian bridge.

A pair of pirate ships flanking the flume ride will be armed with water cannons capable of soaking any riders that manage to escape the deluge.

Legoland visitors will be able to access the new shoot-the-chutes ride from the Pirate Shores area of the theme park or from the nearby separate-admission water park.

Pirate Reef will be built by Florida-based Hopkins Amusement Rides, which created a number of shoot-the-chutes rides for Six Flags parks as well as the Pittsburg Plunge at Kennywood.

In addition, Legoland's separate-admission SeaLife Aquarium plans to open a new Claws exhibit this spring with Japanese spider crabs, coconut crabs, land crabs, lobsters and prawns.



Read More: http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-legoland-california-star-wars-pirate-reef-01201219,0,531604.story

Six Flags Magic Mountain spills plans for record-setting coaster
By Brady MacDonald
Los Angeles Times
5:30 AM PST, March 7, 2012

Six Flags Magic Mountain is expected to add a terrain-hugging launched roller coaster in 2013 featuring the world's tallest loop, according to an employee who wasn't authorized to speak on behalf of the amusement park.

The new multi-launch coaster will be called Full Throttle, according to the official Six Flags Facebook page.

Full Throttle's record-setting vertical loop is expected to top the Superman: Krypton coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, which holds the current title of world's tallest loop at 145 feet. Magic Mountain's own Viper, with a 144-foot-tall loop, is a close second, according to Roller Coaster Database.

Full Throttle would become Magic Mountain's 18th coaster, moving the California park ahead of Ohio's Cedar Point for the title of "Roller Coaster Capital of the World."



Read More: http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-six-flags-magic-mountain-full-throttle-03201207,0,2643870.story

Disney announced that construction would begin in May on the Fanasy Faire, a "village square" featuring the stories of princesses.

While construction is underway, Disney is moving the Jump, Jive, Boogie Swing Party to the Westside Stage in Downtown Disney. The first free Downtown Disney party is set for May 5.



Read More: http://www.ocregister.com/news/disney-348995-plaza-faire.html

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New penguin exhibit to open Thursday in Long Beach
May 15, 2012 | 9:28 am
Los Angeles Times

A new $1.5-million exhibit at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach featuring a colony of 13 Magellanic penguins is set to open to the public Thursday.

As staffers prepared the 3,000-square-foot June Keyes Penguin Exhibit for its debut — installing sunshades, inspecting plumbing fixtures and setting up kennels to mimic nesting burrows — the first penguins in the aquarium's collection of 11,000 animals were exploring the amenities of their new digs.

Some of the flightless black-and-white birds used their stubby flippers to glide gracefully through the water of a 14,000-gallon pool chilled to a constant 60 degrees. Others waddled and swayed on land like tiny partygoers heading home from an all-nighter. A few fluffed their feathers in anticipation of a bucket lunch: Herring and smelt prepared in the aquarium's stainless-steel kitchen.



Read More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/05/new-penguin-exhibit-in-long-beach-opens-to-the-public.html

Rob Lowe
Official "Unofficial" California Tour Guide
http://www.visitcalifornia.com/Life-in-California/Rob-Lowe/

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Safari Park to get $9 million gift for new tiger exhibit
Written by Lori Weisberg
10 a.m., May 18, 2012

An entirely new home for San Diego Zoo Safari Park's Sumatran tigers could open by 2014, thanks to the park's largest pledge ever of $9 million.

Park officials announced Friday that the planned $19.5 million Tiger Trail attraction is assured of the donation as long as an additional $2 million is raised by the end of the year.

A couple who has chosen to remain anonymous pledged to contribute $9 for every $2 in donations to finance the new attraction, designed in part to draw attention to the dwindling Sumatran tiger population. The gift, at most, would be $9 million if the park succeeds in attracting $2 million in donations.



Read More: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/may/18/safari-park-to-have-new-home-for-tigers-thanks-to/

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http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/big/big-smiley-001.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org/free-big-smiley.php) COLORFUL!!

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NBCUniversal scraps plan to build housing on Universal back lot
Instead of developing apartments and condos on Universal Studios land, it now suggests adding more film and TV production facilities, enhancing the theme park and building an extra hotel.
By Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times
6:10 PM PDT, July 16, 2012

NBCUniversal has dropped controversial plans to build thousands of residences on its famous back lot and hopes instead to add movie and television production facilities and expand the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park.

The new $1.6-billion proposal was unveiled Monday just before the release of the final environmental impact report on the company's proposal to improve the sprawling studio and tourist attraction in the San Fernando Valley.

An earlier plan, valued at $3 billion, called for nearly 3,000 apartments and condominiums at the east end of the studio's property; they would have been served by proposed shops and restaurants. Many neighbors were opposed to the housing, and this year Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky called on NBCUniversal to ditch the residential component of its "Evolution Plan."

Housing development would have made economic sense for the company, Universal Studios President Ron Meyer said a meeting with The Times on Monday. Yaroslavsky and Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge, however, "urged us to focus on our core business," Meyer said, "and they are right."

Yaroslavsky and LaBonge attended the meeting at Universal and voiced support for what they called the "no-residential alternative" while stopping short of endorsing the new plan, which still faces city and county approval processes.

Eliminating a portion of the back lot to build housing would reduce television and motion picture production at Universal — potentially costing jobs — because there would be less room for filming, Yaroslavsky said. He also expressed sympathy for neighbors in the hills above the studio.

"If you lived over the back lot, you wouldn't want Park La Brea Towers erected in your backyard either," Yaroslavsky said, referring to a massive apartment complex in the mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles.

LaBonge said he hoped Universal would continue to emphasize film and television production on the lot and the popular Universal Studios tour.

"This is an important tourist attraction," he said. "You see people outside smiling with anticipation."

Homeowner groups have been watching Universal's plans with interest over the years.

The president of the Hollywood Knolls Community Club, Daniel Savage, said dropping the housing component would be "a welcome change in terms of lessening the potential negative impacts on traffic and infrastructure such a housing complex would have, but also preserve to the greatest extent possible the historical Universal back lot and keeping it available for production, which is greatly needed in this city."

The new plan calls for adding 327,000 square feet of development to the theme park, which might include an expansion of the well-known tram tour and parking. The boundaries of the theme park would not grow.

The theme-park enhancements might seem to be a natural complement for the planned Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which NBCUniversal said in December would cost "several hundred million dollars" to create. The studio hopes to emulate the success of the attraction at Universal Studios Orlando in Florida.

But on Monday, NBCUniversal officials said they hadn't determined where they would place the "Harry Potter" attraction, which is expected to include a re-creation of the Hogwarts castle as well as Potter-themed rides, shops and restaurants.

A key revision of the proposal calls for construction of two 500-room hotels instead of one. The new plan also would bump up the amount of new production facilities and offices to 1.45 million square feet from 1.24 million square feet.

The revised plan calls for $100 million in transit and roadway improvements as originally proposed, said Thomas Smith, senior vice president in charge of real estate on the West Coast for NBCUniversal.

The budget would include a new ramp and other improvements on the 101 Freeway. About half the $100 million would be spent on improving traffic flow on nearby streets, intersections and freeways; the other half would be spent on transit programs, including shuttles, a Metro bus and employee and visitor incentives to forgo car trips.

The final EIR has deemed the no-residential alternative "environmentally superior," officials said, and NBCUniversal has asked the city and county to focus on that version of the plan for the upcoming approval process.

Comcast Corp., which owns a majority interest in NBCUniversal, supports the new plan, Meyer said. Public hearings on the final environmental impact report lie ahead. If the proposal is approved, construction will begin right away, he said.

The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., a business trade group, said it supports NBCUniversal's latest proposal, which would create thousands of construction jobs.

"Not only will these new attractions, destination spots and recreational options boost the economy around the Universal City facility, but they will significantly stimulate our entire region's hospitality and tourism industry," the group said.



Read More: http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-nbc-universal-20120717,0,2938879.story

It would be interesting to see how much of this change was market driven and how much NIMBY driven. It's unfortunate that more housing couldn't be added to the area, since much of the East Valley is starting to get pretty run-down. Nothing encourages landlords to take care of their property like new housing on the market. You can imagine that they and home owners fought this tooth and nail.

Are they really expanding production, or is this just trying to cover up for their failure to get approval for housing? The didn't seem very interested in production facilities for the last several years.

Technically, not even hotel and office is approved. I expect the locals will now turn to battering this down to nothing as well. But the unions will go on the other side which makes it tougher for the City Council to oppose.

i actually don't care for the housing either. universal studios needs to focus on how to make itself more amazing and entertaining. i really think housing (in this situation) limits the lot for upcoming expansions/upgrades. if housing were placed, they would just have to evict everyone in the near future for any expansion on work/entertainment (which might not even work out).. l.a.'s theme park industry needs to step it up in order to compete with orlando as it is.

i actually don't care for the housing either. universal studios needs to focus on how to make itself more amazing and entertaining. i really think housing (in this situation) limits the lot for upcoming expansions/upgrades. if housing were placed, they would just have to evict everyone in the near future for any expansion on work/entertainment (which might not even work out).. l.a.'s theme park industry needs to step it up in order to compete with orlando as it is.

:cheers1:

i actually don't care for the housing either. universal studios needs to focus on how to make itself more amazing and entertaining. i really think housing (in this situation) limits the lot for upcoming expansions/upgrades. if housing were placed, they would just have to evict everyone in the near future for any expansion on work/entertainment (which might not even work out).. l.a.'s theme park industry needs to step it up in order to compete with orlando as it is.

Terrible idea. On that theory, Century City would still be two sound stages and a western backdrop instead of 100M condos and high-rises. AND it would never be used since other places would do the same at a lower cost.

But, in any event, that's a decision made by the investors not by polling the SoCal electorate and landlords.

Terrible idea not to include residential. If it isn't built here it will be built 50 miles out which only continues sprawl. LA needs permanent residents who can support its local economy and this would have done just that. As of now I haven't read anywhere that LA is having a problem attracting tourists to the region but we are finding it difficult attracting middle income urban dwellers with families to our core.

Agree completely. Plus the E. Valley housing stock is generally low grade and needs some capital. This is the usual coalition of landlord and home owners blocking new housing and feeding the growth of Santa Clarita, Palmdale, and ultimately, Texas.

i agree we need housing, but not on a bottlenecked mountain. universal doesn't even have to provide it either (unless of course it was on the red line universal city station). housing on the same lot as the actual theme park (to me) doesn't make sense.

there's plenty of room for housing south of the park. we don't need to sprawl further out. there's room within two blocks of every singlle subway station for housing.

Six flags getting anew slingshot to be installed at the deja vu old site an be running by august.

Check this out, it's ........ PRETTYCOOL! . HpeDeaQrJVo

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Six Flags Magic Mountain today announced another world-record addition to their coaster dynasty with FULL THROTTLE, the world’s tallest and fastest looping coaster slated for the Valencia theme park in 2013. Unlike traditional coasters, this unique, one-of-a-kind triple launch coaster will take the coaster experience to the next generation as riders face a never-been-done-before launch up and over a “Top Hat” that traces the outside of a world-record loop, towering 160 feet — plus a zero to 70 miles-per-hour acceleration on two forward launches and one backward launch into and out of a special effects tunnel. FULL THROTTLE will be located near the front of the park in a newly themed five-acre section where guests will experience high-energy thrills through fast-paced imagery, sound and lights. With this addition, Six Flags Magic Mountain, the Thrill Capital of the World, firmly holds the coveted “Coaster Capital of the World” crown — with a total of 18 roller coasters — more than any other theme park on the planet.

FULL THROTTLE is the perfect addition to the park’s coaster collection, joining other adrenaline-pumping coasters, including Tatsu — the tallest, fastest and longest flying coaster in the world, X2 — the world’s first and only 5th dimensional coaster, Apocalypse — the next generation of wooden coasters and Goliath — the “giant among giants” mega coaster.


Read More: http://www.sixflags.com/magicMountain/info/news_2013newcapannounce.aspx
Read More: http://content.sixflags.com/newfor2013/magicmountain/full-throttle

Please use bathroom before entering the ride.

I don't think I can do that ride anymore.

Huge Carson Porsche Playground Approved, Work Starts Soon (http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/11/huge_carson_porsche_playground_approved_work_starts_soon.php)

Friday, November 9, 2012, by Adrian Glick Kudler (http://la.curbed.com/authors/adrian-glick-kudler)
http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2012.11_pce-thumb.jpg (http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2012.11_pce.jpg)
This week the Carson City Council "enthusiastically approved" a crazy-ass-sounding Porsche Experience Center (http://la.curbed.com/archives/2011/11/carson_golf_course_apartments_to_become_porsche_playground.php) for the current site of a golf course, former landfill, and apartment building. Work will start on the 53-acre project by the end of the year, according to the Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_21955639/carson-council-approves-porsche-driving-course-electric-billboard), and wrap up in fall 2013. The PEC will be the second in the US and have "a museum displaying historical vehicles, a business center, driving simulators, a high-end parts and service area, a restaurant and a 'human performance center' designed to train people like race car drivers," the DB reports in an earlier article (http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_21943110/carson-council-hearing-will-examine-porsche-driving-center). Porsche will also move its North American offices from Santa Ana to the Carson site. Porsche will have to clean up the former landfill site, raze the now-closed Dominguez Hills Golf Course, and demolish the vacant Don Dominguez Apartments.
Ways the Porsche center will terrify drivers>> (http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/11/huge_carson_porsche_playground_approved_work_starts_soon.php#more)
To help rich people feel alive for once, the Porsche Experience Center's "six planned courses include two tracks replicating challenging country roads - one about 2,500 feet long and one twice as long. On another 350-foot-long track, computer-controlled water jets will simulate an icy hill. A low-friction circle will replicate slippery roads, while a 280-foot-long kick plate will simulate the loss of rear wheel traction, and a high-speed track and dynamic area will challenge basic driving skills."
The PEC will sit right next to the Boulevards at South Bay project (http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/04/giant_boulevards_at_south_bay_mixeduse_adds_an_outlet_mall.php), which will have enormous amounts of residential, hotel, retail, entertainment, and office space when it opens, possibly in 2014.

la.curbed.com

very cool!

Aquarium of the Pacific: Benefits by land and by sea
Economic Impact Study Released; $50 Million Expansion Underway
By Micheal Gougis - Contributing Writer
October 09, 2012 - Head for the Aquarium of the Pacific on a warm, pleasant summer weekend.

You will quickly understand exactly what Aquarium President and CEO Dr. Jerry Schubel means when he says that while the facility could, theoretically, accommodate more visitors, “It’s not the kind of experience we want to provide.”

To do a better job of providing for the animals in its care, teaching the public about the waters of the world and bringing economic benefits to the city and the surrounding community, the Aquarium has announced that it is breaking ground on a $50 million expansion project.

The expansion will not only see an increase in the size of the renowned center, but in the sophistication of the exhibits to better educate the public, Schubel says. And it will help ensure that the Aquarium will generate increased economic benefits for the city in the future, he says.

“It’s about enhancing the experience, enhancing the educational value, and being able to accommodate a larger number of visitors,” Schubel says.

The economic impact of the Aquarium continues to grow as it becomes an increasingly integrated part of the Southern California tourism industry. Make no mistake – tourism is critical to the California economy. In 2011, “total direct travel spending in California was $102.3 billion, a 7.6 percent increase from 2010 spending,” according to California Tourism Industry data.

For the City of Long Beach, the Aquarium represents a $57 million annual economic impact, according to a study conducted by the consulting firm AECOM. That is a dramatic increase from the $42 million annual impact documented in the last study, conducted in 2004.

For the greater Southern California region, the Aquarium delivers $142 million in economic benefits – broadly defined as spending, wages and employment created by the activities and presence of the facility – Schubel says. Currently, the Aquarium is responsible for 520 jobs in the city of Long Beach, and more than 1,200 jobs throughout Southern California, according to the study.

For Long Beach, the Aquarium brings money to the city from outside of its borders, Schubel adds. “About 10 percent of the visitors to the Aquarium come from Long Beach. More than 80 percent of the visitors come from elsewhere in Southern California but outside of Long Beach.”

Attracting more dollars from outside of Long Beach will be one of the benefits of the expansion program, Schubel says.

“As we grow and expand, the length of time of stay at the aquarium goes up,” he says. “So people are more apt to get another meal here in Long Beach. We’re hoping that as the city matures, the number of overnights goes up, because there will be more and more things to do in our city. We not only will be a great destination for conventions, but a destination for tourists to stay overnight.”

Expanding the offerings at the Aquarium can greatly increase the number of visitors, overnight stays in Long Beach and even memberships at the facility due to a phenomenon known as “museum fatigue.”

Basically, researchers have determined that visitors to any exhibit-based facility will last about three hours before they develop a desire to run screaming for the door. If you’ve ever tried to cram in too much museum sightseeing on an overseas vacation, you are very familiar with the feeling.

Currently, a typical visit to the Aquarium is between two hours and 30 minutes and two hours and 45 minutes, Schubel says. By expanding the facility, it will take longer for people to complete their visit – more than the three-hour mark – thus encouraging multi-night stays in the city and increasing the demand for memberships, which save money for people who visit multiple times.

It is important not to think of the expansion solely in economic terms, Schubel says. The Aquarium is a non-profit entity, aimed at educating and informing the community about the waters that cover 70 percent of the Earth’s surface. Expanding the facility, and increasing the sophistication of the delivery of that information, will allow the Aquarium to continue to improve the way it pursues its mission, as it has improved it in recent years.

“Over the last two years, we’ve added a number of new platforms like Science on a Sphere, which is part of our Ocean Science Center, and it’s an entirely new way of delivering messages about the ocean and people’s relationship with the ocean,” Schubel says.

“We’ve added a watershed exhibit that allows us to demonstrate to people how human activities on land in the watershed get collected and transmitted to the ocean. We’ve added the Molina Animal Care Center that not only allows us to take better care of our animals, but it lets the public see how well we take care of our animals, and it’s connected to Miller Children’s Hospital, so that children in the hospital are able to observe our vets doing checkups on our animals and they can talk to him – it has an educational component to it.”

Technology at the core of the expansion plans will allow the Aquarium to continue down this path, Schubel says.

“Live animals are the heart and soul of the aquarium. But live animals are not very good at telling the big stories about what’s happening to their relatives in the wild or in the ocean,” he says.

“So we have to use technology and media. One of the things that will be in our expanded facility will be this amazing surround-around 4-D theater that will be the first of its kind anywhere in the world.”

In the end, telling the story of the ocean and connecting it to those of us on land is the reason for the Aquarium’s existence, and why it is working so hard to expand and improve, Schubel says.

“In a not-for-profit institution, the only profit that really makes sense is in how well you pursue your mission,” Schubel says. “If we increase the stewardship, the knowledge, the education of people in Southern California about the world’s oceans, then we will have succeeded. If all we did was make money, we would have failed.”



Read More: http://www.lbbusinessjournal.com/long-beach-business-journal-newswatch/160-lof-scroller-articles-12-10-09/951-aquarium-of-the-pacific-benefits-by-land-and-by-sea.html

Interesting. So the theory is to make it large enough that it takes more than 3 hrs. to visit; that way people have to come back a second day or hit the Queen Mary on some other day, which brings food and lodging revenues. Hope the aquarium is adding interesting or exciting exhibits and not just space-filler.

Interesting. So the theory is to make it large enough that it takes more than 3 hrs. to visit; that way people have to come back a second day or hit the Queen Mary on some other day, which brings food and lodging revenues. Hope the aquarium is adding interesting or exciting exhibits and not just space-filler.

The Aquarium of the Pacific is in fact the fourth largest aquarium in the nation.

Anaheim clears way for resort-area expansion
Amendment streamlines development process in area around Disneyland Resort.
By ERIC CARPENTER / Orange County Register
Published: Dec. 18, 2012 Updated: Dec. 19, 2012 12:22 p.m.

ANAHEIM – The City Council has cleared the way for a large expansion of the Convention Center and streamlined the development process within the Resort District around Disneyland.

The council unanimously approved the amendment to the Anaheim Resort Specific Plan, the planning document that guides development within the 581-acre resort area.

The Tuesday night approval streamlines development standards and would expedite state-mandated environmental reviews that analyze how projects could generate additional traffic, air pollution and noise, among other effects on the environment.

"(The Resort District) has been a major economic engine of the city," Councilwoman Kris Murray said. "We have to look forward. This is the document that allows us to plan for future growth."

The approval clears the way for the Anaheim Convention Center to accommodate up to:

•an additional 400,000 square feet of Convention Center exhibit space

•180,000 more square feet of commercial space, for businesses such as restaurants and retail

•40,000 square feet of additional meeting and ballroom space

•900 hotel rooms on the city's property

The city-owned Convention Center has undergone five major expansions since it opened in 1967. It now has 815,000 square feet of exhibit space, which makes it the largest exhibit facility on the West Coast.

Next month, the Grand Plaza is expected to open – providing an additional 100,000 square feet of outdoor exhibit space.

City officials cited statistics that show there is reason for optimism about growth in the Resort District. Revenue from the city's hotel-bed tax has nearly doubled in 12 years – from $45.4 million in the 1999-2000 fiscal year to $90.4 million.



Read More: http://www.ocregister.com/news/city-381065-resort-center.html

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The Legoland Hotel plans to open at the Carlsbad, Calif., park on April 5, 2013.

From Curbed LA:

Huge Universal Studios Expansion Could Start This Summer

The NBCUniversal Evolution Plan, the huge expansion of the Universal Studios lot, has now gotten final-final approval from the LA City Council (it got initial approval last fall) and the mayor says he'll sign off too; now it goes to the county planning commission for the last of it. All those approvals cap about seven years of work on various iterations of the plan--just last year, NBCUni cut all housing from the project. They also agreed to cut any digital billboards facing neighboring homeowners, aside from ones at the entrance. The final version "involves extensive upgrades to the company's movie and television studios, including new sets, soundstages and technology, as well as new hotels, $100 million in transportation improvements and expansions at CityWalk and the theme park," in the words of the Daily News. There'll also be a park and bike path on the river. The studio says that if everything goes according to plan, work will start this summer--first up is the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction and the production facility upgrades.

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2013/02/huge_universal_studios_expansion_could_start_this_summer.php

http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/streams/2013/March/130308/1C6359092-disney-fantasy-faire-rapunzel-show.streams_desktop_medium.jpg

Disneyland debuts Fantasy Faire for the princess-mad masses
Rob Lovitt , NBC News contributor

Fantasy Faire, however, better befits the princesses’ regal status. Located near the forecourt of Sleeping Beauty Castle, the attraction resembles a medieval village; highlights include a Royal Hall, Royal Theatre and Tangled Tower, a lighted sculpture inspired by the story of Rapunzel.



http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/itineraries/disneyland-debuts-fantasy-faire-princess-mad-masses-1C8775301

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Dapper Day at Disneyland, the nattiest place on Earth
Sartorial events at Disneyland attract thousands who enjoy the outmoded notion of dressing up in vintage or modern style.
BY RICK ROJAS, LOS ANGELES TIMES
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTINA HOUSE, FOR THE TIMES
March 26, 2013

"People are looking for an excuse to dress up," said Justin Jorgensen, who started Dapper Day in 2011 and has organized five of the events, all at Disneyland. The latest Dapper Day — the same Sunday as the Oscars, Hollywood’s own dress-up day — drew an estimated crowd of 10,000 to the Anaheim park and about 1,000 more at Florida's Disney World.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-5150bb79/turbine/la-me-dapper-day-disneyland-pictures-20130325-003/600



http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dapper-20130326-dto,0,2190196.htmlstory
http://dapperday.com/

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Nederlander to bring concerts to USC's Galen Center
By Randy Lewis
April 24, 2013, 4:47 p.m.

Just as news came down that the long-running Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal City will close in September and be razed to make way for a new Harry Potter attraction, a new pop music venue is about to come online in Los Angeles.

Nederlander Concerts has entered a deal to book concerts at USC’s Galen Center, a sports arena that can handle events for audiences of 5,000 to 11,000 capacity, Nederlander Concerts Chief Executive Alex Hodges told The Times on Wednesday.

“This gives us an indoor place for those shows that need to be indoors, and for winter months it gives us the opportunity to replace some of the shows that would be at Gibson on a 12-month basis,” Hodges said.



http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-nederlander-concerts-usc-galen-center-exclusive-20130424,0,2864946.story

NBCUNIVERSAL RECEIVES POSITIVE COUNTY VOTE ON EVOLUTION PLAN http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/Fullscreencapture425201320308AM.jpg (http://s231.photobucket.com/user/trolltoast/media/album%203/Fullscreencapture425201320308AM.jpg.html)

UNIVERSAL CITY, California, April 23, 2013 – NBCUniversal announced today plans to begin construction of the first projects of its 25-year Evolution Plan. The Evolution Plan represents a $1.6 billion investment in tourism and production. This long-term investment in two industries that are vital to Los Angeles will create more than 30,000 jobs and generate $2 billion of economic activity during operations for the region.

“After nearly a decade of work on the Evolution Plan, today’s vote sets the stage for our next 100 years in Los Angeles,” said Ron Meyer, president and COO of Universal Studios. “We are thankful for the support and leadership we have received from both the County and City of Los Angeles and are ready to get started investing in these important tourism and production projects in the next few months.”

Starting in late summer, NBCUniversal will begin construction of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter themed land at Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, as well as new and upgraded television production facilities, office space and infrastructure on the Universal Studios lot. These projects represent a nearly $500 million investment in the Los Angeles economy and the creation of more than 2,000 construction jobs alone.

“We thank Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, the entire Board of Supervisors, and County staff for providing us the path to bring much needed jobs and investment to Los Angeles,” said Corinne Verdery, Chief Real Estate Development and Planning Officer, NBCUniversal. “The working relationship we have built with the community was invaluable in developing our future plan and we are grateful to our nearly 7,500 supporters and union partners who have been with us every step of the way. We look forward to bringing The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Hollywood, forever changing the face of tourism in Los Angeles.”

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood will be a fully immersive experience for the entire family designed to bring the Harry Potter fiction and films to life with impeccable detail and authenticity. Similar to the dynamic Universal Orlando Resort themed land that opened in 2010, the Hollywood experience will be faithful to the visual landscape of the fiction and films, including Hogwarts castle that will serve as the centerpiece of the impressively themed environment. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a collaboration between Warner Bros. Entertainment and Universal Parks and Resorts.

On the Universal Studios lot, NBCUniversal will upgrade existing production facilities and add new capabilities to better respond to the needs of television production. In addition, NBCUniversal is looking to create modern offices that will house everything from post-production services to traditional office space.

About The Evolution Plan
The NBCUniversal Evolution Plan is a blueprint for the 391-acre Universal City property. The plan includes upgrades and improvements to our production and post production facilities, a revitalized entertainment destination, and modern office space, all without expanding the current property. The plan also includes more than $100 million investment in transportation and transit improvements. These advancements will secure our role as one of the world's largest working studios, keeping high-paying production jobs in Los Angeles while adding significant investment and tax revenue to our local economy.

For more information about the Evolution Plan, go to www.nbcuniversalevolution.com.

NBCUniversal will also be making significant investments in the community including providing funding for the development of a bikeway along critical segments of the Los Angeles River as well as funding for programs and local organizations that will enhance the neighborhoods closest to the property including landscaping and neighborhood traffic protection measures.

Although today’s endorsement by the County Board of Supervisors is a critical step, the Evolution Plan project will require additional approvals as it moves through the final County processes.

About Harry Potter
Harry Potter continues to be a global phenomenon. Each of the seven books by author J.K. Rowling has broken sales records, with the series to date having sold over 450 million copies worldwide and translated into more than 70 languages. The Harry Potter films, produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, have grossed more than $7.7 billion to date worldwide at the box office, making Harry Potter the largest-grossing film franchise in history.

About Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A.SM, includes a full-day, movie-based theme park and Studio Tour; the CityWalk entertainment, shopping and dining complex, the Universal CityWalk Cinemas, the “5 Towers” state-of-the-art outdoor concert venue, and the Gibson Amphitheatre concert and special event arena. World-class rides and attractions include the critically-acclaimed and award-winning mega-attraction, “Transformers™: The Ride-3D,” the intense, award-winning ride, “King Kong 360 3-D” on the famed behind-the-scenes Studio Tour, “The Simpsons RideTM,” “Revenge of the MummySM —The Ride” indoor roller coaster and “Jurassic Park® —The Ride.”

About NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is owned by Comcast Corporation.

About Warner Bros. Entertainment
Warner Bros. Entertainment is a global leader in all forms of entertainment and their related businesses across all current and emerging media and platforms. A Time Warner Company, the fully integrated, broadbased studio is home to one of the most successful collections of brands in the world and stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry from feature film, television and home entertainment production and worldwide distribution to DVD, digital distribution, animation, comic books, video games, product and brand licensing, international cinemas and broadcasting.

The NBCUniversal Evolution Plan No Residential Alternative is a blueprint for our 391-acre Universal City property. As part of the Final Environmental Impact Report and in response to Supervisor Yaroslavsky, Councilman LaBonge and the community, we made the tough decision to eliminate the nearly 3,000 residential units from the plan and move forward with the No Residential Alternative. With the No Residential Alternative, we will focus our future growth on this property in our core businesses of production and tourism.

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