Before continuing with my tale, I must allow George at Imaginerding some piece of mind. Here is the promised closeup of his beloved books:



Back to the regularly scheduled post:



Before Fantasmic began, Stacy continued her marathon shopping spree and Dough & I tooled around taking photos. LOVED this vintage car with the cool hood ornament!



And before we knew it, twas time to meet up again for Fantasmic. I’ll start right off with the disclaimer that I’m not a huge fan of Fantasmic. I’ve seen it about 3 or 4 times, and each time I think, “What's the big deal about?” I know that for some, that’s tantamount to sacrilege; I also know that there’s a fairly large sanction of people out there who frequently ask the question, “But what’s the storyline?” Personally, when it comes to attractions and shows, I want to be ENTERTAINED. If it’s not entertaining, I don’t give a crap if there’s a cohesive storyline. Just because you have 3 boring scenes that are tied together with a common thread of a storyline does not mean you have something entertaining. I LOVED Kim Irvine discussing Pirates and Mansion last year, saying they were like attending a fabulous cocktail party where you mingled with the guests and heard lots of fantastic tales. In summary, I don't find the bits and pieces of Fantasmic to be very entertaining. Sure, they've been tied together by saying that Mickey is having a nightmare, but BFD. I’ve never thought that the water effects or other pyrotechnics were spectacular enough to make my jaw drop. The Bellagio Water Show in Vegas...now THAT’S entertainment! The Tiana Showboat Jubilee: simple, yet VERY entertaining!



As is common at WDW, the abundance of space makes things much easier; Fantasmic is able to have its own amphitheater and "body of water," making almost ANYTHING possible. Funny thing is...like so many other things, I prefer the Disneyland version better. Oftentimes, having a smaller space makes you think more creatively, and I believe the folks at Anaheim have a much better show on the Rivers of America than the WDW version in a sterile outdoor theater environment.





The WDW version has a heavy reliance on characters from “Pocahontas,” the 1995 Disney animated film.



Many similar elements to the Anaheim version are featured:





The huge snake was somewhat fun:



The Malificent/Dragon was fairly impressive, but not like the new whiz-bang version that Anaheim has:







It should come as no surprise that Mickey wins in the end against the dragon.



And here came the jaw-dropper of the evening. I have often read that Orlando is sometimes shortchanged in comparison to Anaheim; more money and cooler gadgets hit Anaheim first, with Orlando picking up the slack much later. Nowhere was this more clear than in the next scene. Even before the "boat" came out, I remember thinking, "This theater is for Fantasmic, and the water doesn't connect to the other parks. Did they build a second Mark Twain? Wow! That would be expensive!" The solution was much worse. I highly doubt that Imagineers could have taped together a more pitiful-looking vessel than the cheap piece of $%^&* that floated out with the Disney Character cast. I think I may have seen this thing in a salvage yard once.



Mickey must die from shame; even Steamboat Willie had a better boat.



And the Anaheim version: NO COMPARISON!





But the show goes on, and naturally it ended in a flaming blaze of glory.







OK, onto bigger and better things. As you would expect, the park looks even more magical at night.



Dough headed back to the hotel; Stacy & I went to The Magic Kingdom to enjoy the extra 3 hours the park was open exclusively to hotel guests. And that, dear friends, is where I leave you hanging today. Stay tuned! See more WDW Fantasmic photos at my website.

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Back in the Golden Age of Hollywood, The Brown Derby was one of the most famous restaurants. Stars & studio executives ate there and the fans went to gawk. This fact was made famous by an “I Love Lucy” episode where Lucy has a run-in with William Holden. The Derby was also known for its food: The Cobb Salad, Grapefruit Cake, and of course their famous spaghetti. The walls were filled with caricatures of the stars that ate at the Derby, and the stars themselves would inscribe the caricatures before they were framed and hung. Below is a photo of Shirley Temple dining at the Derby with her first husband, John Agar. Note that the Jimmy Durante caricature required two pictures to contain his schnozz!



There were a number of locations in the Los Angeles area including the one shown here shaped like a derby; sadly, all of them have since closed. On the positive side, at the Disney Hollywood Studios, they went to great length to recreate the Vine Street Brown Derby Restaurant. Eating here was at the top of my list of “to-do’s” while in Orlando.









Just like the original, the walls are filled with caricatures and sketches of Hollywood Celebrities from the Golden Age:





Although the restaurant is quite lounge, because of the booths and multiple dining rooms, it becomes a much more intimate dining experience.







The service was excellent and so was the food; I would say that this was definitely my 2nd favorite dining experience at the resort (after Victoria & Albert’s, of course!). And yes, the Grapefruit Cake was delicious!



HIGHLY recommended for all you Florida WDW travelers! Now, onto the rest of the day! I love backlots; the tour at Universal is much more exciting to me than any of the rides there. It was interesting to walk through “the backlot” at the Disney Hollywood Studios, but at the same time, it was a snoozer for me, as none of these façades are actually used in movies or TV shows (if someone knows differently, please let me know!).



Even the merchandise kiosks are themed here:





Stacy & Dough posed in front of the San Francisco backdrop; fortunately, this one doesn’t make her sick (trying to get her to do this at the one at DCA is next to impossible!).



There is statue/fountain from the 1984 Tom Hanks movie “Splash”:





We skipped Toy Story Midway Mania (too long of a line...and we have that out here, anyway!) and instead, checked out the Prince Caspian “attraction,” which was full of spoilers (beware!). Somewhat ho-hum, it did have a number of costumes and artifacts from the movie (most of which I believe were on display at the El Capitan).





For a little excitement, we were all looking forward to the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular; although enjoyable, we got a little short-changed as the cold weather hindered the hydraulics used in some of the stunts. No plane crash or desert scene. Sigh.





Here’s a panorama view of the stage:



Cold weather aside, this is a great “behind the scenes” look at how stunts are done, and there is even audience participation! Hopefully it will still be here on my next trip to Orlando.







A great place to warm your hands!



I have watched American Idol, but it’s not the kind of thing I plan my week around. And yet, this show was one of the highlights. Just the right length of time, it is a fun way to see new talent, have some audience participation, and sit down and relax for a bit. What a combo! Complete with an authentic stage and Ryan Seacrest-like host, this show invites 3 regular people (just like you and me!) to sing and compete for the “Golden Ticket” prize: the chance to go to the head of the line at an American Idol audition.





Mercifully, Seacrest is only here via recorded segments. I don’t know why, but this guy just irks me. He lacks the warmth and sincerity of Dick Clark, but for some reason, has made quite a living out of being the host with the most.



The judges were modeled after their TV counterparts; the Simon one was appropriately crabby and rude to the contestants:



The winner was not a surprise; she had a stage presence that definitely spelled a future in entertainment for her.



Next up—FANTASMIC, the East Coast version! See more vintage and current Walt Disney World photos at my website.

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