July 25, 2013 - On the Go in MCO

AMC’s The Walking Dead Returns to Halloween Horror Nights

AMC’s The Walking Dead to be resurrected at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort’s

Award-Winning Halloween Horror Nights events for second consecutive year!

Universal Halloween Horror Nights — Beginning September 20, AMC’s The Walking Dead will come to life at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights events with all-new terrifying mazes inspired by Season 3 of the critically-acclaimed, award-winning television series.

Season 3 of the Golden Globe-Nominated, Emmy-Award Winning series, ‘The Walking Dead,’

Sets the Stage for All-Original Horrifying Experiences on Both Coasts

Fans with a voracious appetite for AMC’s “The Walking Dead” will have a chance to walk in the footsteps of human survivors when Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort debut all new terrifying mazes inspired by Season 3 of the critically-acclaimed, award-winning television series at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights events beginning September 20.

The eerily authentic and disturbingly real maze experiences will place Halloween Horror Nights guests at the heart of the show’s once impenetrable prison, the West Georgia Correctional Facility, now overrun by hordes of flesh-eating walkers. The mazes at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando will send guests cowering through the walker-infested wilderness that surrounds the prison and into the seemingly utopian town of Woodbury where gruesome secrets are concealed.

Universal Orlando is also dedicating its entire Halloween Horror Nights street experience to “The Walking Dead” – making this the first time ever that all of the scare zones throughout the park will be themed after a hit television series. Guests brave enough to walk the streets of Universal Studios Florida will encounter iconic scenes from all three seasons of the hit show – including the perilous city of Atlanta and Hershel’s dismal barn – and fleets of blood-thirsty walkers who are hungry for their next victim…

The Golden Globe®-nominated, Emmy® Award-winning series “The Walking Dead” is based on the graphic novel written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics. The series tells the story of the months and years after a zombie apocalypse. It follows a group of survivors, led by sheriff Rick Grimes, who travel in search of a safe and secure home. “The Walking Dead” is the first original cable series ever to end the broadcast TV season as the number-one show for adults 18-49. AMC’s “The Walking Dead” returns for season 4 on Sunday, October 13 at 9pm ET/PT.

“What’s great about working with a property like ‘The Walking Dead’ is that each season presents new environments and characters for us to draw inspiration,” said John Murdy, Creative Director for Universal Studios Hollywood. “With the prison as the main setting of Season 3, we seized this opportunity to recreate that very environment, down to the last detail, to be as genuine and authentic to the show as possible. Using movie-quality production value, our goal is to make guests feel as if they are mired in the world of blood-thirsty zombies, which is something you can only do at Halloween Horror Nights”.

“The goal is always to surround guests with authentic and terrifying experiences,” said Michael Aiello, Creative Development Director for Universal Orlando’s Entertainment team. “The combination of ‘The Walking Dead’ themed street experiences and the haunted maze will make it difficult for our guests to escape the hordes of ravenous walkers they’ve seen on their television. The moment you pass through our gate, you become a survivor fighting for your life.”

Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights events have a more than 20-year history of creating incredibly entertaining, horrifying Halloween experiences that are consistently rated the nation’s best. The events on each coast feature highly-themed, disturbingly real, haunted mazes based on everything from films to nightmares — and streets filled with hundreds of specially trained “scareactors.”

For more information about Halloween Horror Nights at either Universal Orlando Resort or Universal Studios Hollywood, visit www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com.

About Universal Orlando Resort
There are many ways to enjoy your Orlando vacation, but there is only one place where vacation becomes adventure: Universal Orlando Resort. It is a unique destination featuring two theme parks, three magnificently themed on-site hotels and a nighttime entertainment complex. It’s the only Orlando destination where you are not just entertained – you become part of the most exhilarating entertainment ever created. You can soar above Hogwarts with Harry Potter, swing above the streets with Spider-Man, be transformed into a banana-loving minion in the hilarious and heartwarming Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ride and help Shrek save Princess Fiona in Shrek 4-D. Now open: TRANSFORMERS: The Ride – 3D.

Universal Orlando Resort is an NBCUniversal company.

Disney Twenty-Three Fall Issue Coming Soon

Disney Twenty-Three Fall Issue

Breaks The Ice With

Disney’s Coolest Animated Film Ever – Frozen

Delivered Exclusively to D23 Gold Members, August 2013

Rarely Seen Photos from Walt Disney’s Personal Camera and a Look Inside Marty Sklar’s Home

Disney twenty-three—the flagship magazine of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club—ushers in winter early, celebrating Disney’s new animated film Frozen. The cover story features exclusive interviews with the film’s cool voice actors Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel, as well as a visit with the filmmakers as they bring Frozen’s wintery wonderland to life in Disney’s 53rd animated feature, coming to theaters this November.

Walt Disney lives on in “Every Picture Tells a Story,” an article showcasing newly discovered photos Walt shot with his personal camera. The photos provide a unique opportunity for fans to see Disney’s world through Walt’s eyes. D23 Members will also get a special treat as former International Ambassador for Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Legend Marty Sklar welcomes readers inside his home to discuss the fascinating new book about his career shaping timeless Disney icons: Dream It! Do It!: My Half-Century Creating Disney’s Magic Kingdoms.

Disney twenty-three’s Fall issue also offers a look at Disney parks around the world. Readers journey across the Pacific Ocean to Tokyo Disneyland to celebrate its joyful 30th anniversary in “Happiness in the Park,” and head to Hong Kong Disneyland’s Mystic Manor to explore one of Walt Disney Imagineering’s most multifaceted and exhilarating attractions yet.

Also included in the Fall issue of Disney twenty-three:

America’s Mouseketeer sweetheart Annette Funicello is remembered in “Forever Annette”
A glimpse at Mickey’s latest cartoon escapades
On its 25th anniversary, we take look at how the instant Disney classic, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, spectacularly combined animation and realism
PHOTOfiles: See the picture often referred to as the “best photo ever taken” of Walt
“D Society”: Tailgate at the Monsters University world premiere; see Jerry Bruckheimer accept his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; and head to Burbank to tour the Disney Studio Lot with D23 Members

The Disney magic continues at www.D23.com, which will feature unique and member-exclusive stories that amplify the contents of D23’s glossy magazine. D23 Web Extras, online August 9, will complement the Fall issue of Disney twenty-three:

Interviews with Dane Cook and Teri Hatcher, the voices of Dusty Crophopper and Dottie in the upcoming animated feature Disney’s Planes
An expanded photo gallery of the gorgeous artwork from Frozen
A video interview with Disney Legend Marty Sklar, taken when D23 visited his home

Also in the Fall issue, members will receive one of two exclusive magnets designed by artist Kevin Kidney. These high-spirited, retro-style magnets pay homage to the Haunted Mansion’s Hatbox Ghost and Tinker Bell, during this trick-or-treat time of year.

Disney twenty-three, which is delivered directly to fans’ doorsteps, is offered exclusively to D23 Gold Members as a benefit of their membership.

About D23

The name “D23” pays homage to the exciting journey that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his fledgling studio in Hollywood. D23 is the first official club for fans in Disney’s nearly 90-year history. D23 gives its members a greater connection to the entire world of Disney by placing them in the middle of the magic through its quarterly publication Disney twenty-three; a rich website at D23.com with members-only content; member-exclusive discounts and special events for D23 Members throughout the year, highlighted by the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, August 9–11, 2013.

Fans can join D23 at Gold, Silver and Free Membership levels at D23.com and at www.DisneyStore.com/D23. To keep up with all the latest D23 news and events, follow us @DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.

John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art

One of my absolute favorite museums to visit is Sarasota’s John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Built on Sarasota Bay, along with their mansion Ca’ d’Zan, the Asolo Theater, the Circus Museum, the Ringling Museum of Art is a gem. The grounds surrounding the museum are absolutely gorgeous and well worth spending an entire day there.

Last week I had the pleasure of spending a few hours at the Ringling Museum on Monday. Each week, the museum offers free admission to the art museum on Mondays. There is still a fee on Mondays if you want to visit John and Mabel’s mansion Ca’ d’Zan or the Circus Museum. The museum is open 7 days a week except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Regular hours are 10am – 5pm Friday – Wednesday and 10am – 8pm on Thursdays in the art and circus museums. Regular admission is $25 for adults, $5 for children 6 – 17 and children 5 and under are free. There are often discounts available for seniors, Florida teachers, active duty military, and college students as well as multiple day passes. Due to the size of the grounds, and for visitors’ convenience, the museum offers complimentary trams back and forth between the art museum, mansion, circus museum and the entrance.

I have been to this museum dozens of times, but each time I discover something new, and this time was no exception. It is great for a one time visit or every few weeks to catch the rotating special exhibits. The Ringling Museum is a fantastic way to spend an hour or even all day in Sarasota. The art museum is host to tremendous works from artists by the likes of Rubens, Rembrandt, El Greco, Marcel Duchamp and many more. What brought me here this trip, in addition to it had just been a while, was a new exhibit that opened last month. The American Moderns collection was beautiful. There were artists of many different modern styles, but my favorites were Norman Rockwell’s The Tattoo Artist and Georgia O’Keeffe’s Black Pansy & Forget-Me-Nots. Just a head’s up, pictures are not permitted in the special collections, unlike the rest of the museum where photography is allowed as long as it is without flash.

The artwork at the museum is only possibly paralleled by the museum and gardens surrounding it. Ceilings seem to stretch 30 – 40 feet high, which is perfect for displaying the gigantic canvases from Rubens you encounter in the first salon. As you continue around to each new room, the ornate designs that greet you are more and more elegant. It is very easy to see the Ringlings had magnificent style and it is carried from the mansion into the art museum. Take time to appreciate and explore the architecture and the courtyard, including the replica of Michaelangelo’s David that is the centerpiece of this breathtaking garden.

I have been to the Ringling Museum for special events after hours several times. Some of my favorites have been charity events around the holidays at night at Ca’ d’Zan and then a separate wine tasting event held outside in the courtyard in the spring. There have also been times where I’ve just explored the grounds and Mable’s beautiful rose gardens. If you get an opportunity, I strongly recommend that you take the time to spend a day at this great museum. If you can go on a Monday or a Thursday when you get even more bang for your buck, even better. The Ringling Museum also regularly holds special events like live music, movies and even yoga on the terrace.

Follow the Ringling Museum on twitter at @theRingling. They also have a fantastic app for smartphones that offer gallery pictures, gps enabled maps, hours, and great info about the museums. It can be found by searching the app store for Ringling Museum Guide.

Have you been to Sarasota to visit the Ringling? It is amazing and I hope you all get the chance to explore this beautiful complex of museums.