Full Sail University Adds Music Festival to 5th Annual Hall of Fame
Celebration Schedule – February 19-21, 2014
Full Sail University is proud to announce the addition of a three-day music festival to the 5th Annual Hall of Fame celebration featuring nationally and locally recognized bands and artists performing live on Full Sail’s campus. The Hall of Fame music festival will also include gaming exhibits, film screenings, food trucks and more.
This year’s Hall of Fame Music Festival, sponsored by WWE®, will feature performances by: Bear Toe, Beebs and Her Money Makers, Courrier, Jeremy Ellis, The Pauses, Thomas Wynn & The Believers, and many more. Admission to the music festival is free and open to the public, with doors opening at 12pm daily and performances held on the university’s Hollywood-style backlot from 3pm to 9pm. Full Sail’s Hall of Fame Week is sponsored by Sony Electronics’ Professional Solutions of America, with supporting sponsors WWE, Adobe Systems, Inc., Avid, CDW-G, Cisco, Hewlett Packard Co., Murphy Lighting Systems, and Sennheiser.
During Hall of Fame week, guest lectures and panel discussions will take place featuring new and past Hall of Fame inductees and industry leaders from notable companies including, but not limited to, ESPN, Sony, and WWE. Select events within the week will be streamed live to the university’s online students and the public.
Kicking off the Hall of Fame week celebration on February 18, Full Sail is proud to host the world premiere of Orlando Rising, a documentary film dedicated to the growth and economic impact of the Orlando digital industry. On February 21, the highlight of the multi-day celebration will be the induction ceremony of the latest Full Sail University Hall of Fame induction class comprised of six Full Sail graduates.
“As we embark on our 5th annual Hall of Fame celebration week, and the 35th anniversary of our university, we are filled with an astounding sense of pride surrounding our remarkable university community,” said Full Sail University President, Garry Jones.
Additional information regarding events, music festival performance schedule, and special guests will be announced as Hall of Fame Week approaches. Please visit the mobile-optimized site http://halloffame.fullsail.edu for more details, Like Full Sail University on Facebook and follow @FullSail to join the #FullSailHOF conversation on Twitter.
About Full Sail University:
Full Sail University is an award-winning educational leader for those pursuing careers in the entertainment and media industry. Founded in 1979, Full Sail has been recognized as one of the Top Five Game Degree Programs by Electronic Gaming Monthly, one of the Best Music Programs by Rolling Stone Magazine, and one of the Best Film Programs by UNleashed Magazine. Recently, Full Sail received the “21st Century Best Practices in Distance Learning Award” from the United States Distance Learning Association, was named the “School/College of the Year” by the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges, and was recognized as one of the Top 100 Social Media Colleges by Studentadvisor.com.
Full Sail offers on-campus and online Master’s, Bachelor’s, and Associate’s degree programs in areas related to animation, art, business, education, graphic design, film, marketing, web development, music, recording arts, sports, and video games. Full Sail graduate credits include work on OSCAR®, Emmy®, GRAMMY®, ADDY®, MTV Video Music Award, and Spike VGX Video Game Award nominated and winning projects.
One of my favorite times of year is just about a week away! Although it may be snowing where you are, the lawns are neatly manicured, the lines are ready to be chalked, the sun is out, and it is almost baseball season! Pitchers and catchers begin reporting to Major League Baseball Spring Training locations in Florida and Arizona in the next few days. My favorite team, the Atlanta Braves, report on February 13th. That means the beginning of Spring Training is not far behind, starting for most teams on February 26th.
I cannot wait to get back to see my team at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports at Champion Stadium. I absolutely love Spring Training and the access it gives you to some of your favorite stars as well as giving you the opportunity to see the up and comers. You can read about some of my previous Spring Training experiences with the Atlanta Braves in particular as well as other teams here.
The great thing about living in Florida this time of year is the opportunity to catch the Atlanta Braves around at several different stadiums within a couple hours radius of my house. I’m hoping to catch at least one game at Walt Disney World since it is their home field. I am looking forward to the season even more now knowing two of our return players, Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman, have been locked into contracts for at least a couple of years each.
Tickets are available for purchase now to individual games or in what are called “mini plans” with blocks of three games bundled together. You can buy tickets through Ticketmaster online or by phone, or in person at the Champion Stadium Box Office from 9am to 5pm seven days a week. I like the relatively new feature on the website where you can pick out individual seats, which is handy if you are trying to meet up with friends for a game if they’ve already got tickets.
Have you been to an Atlanta Braves Spring Training game? Are you as excited as I am to get back to America’s pastime? Hope to see you there!
SEAWORLD® ORLANDO’S BANDS, BREW & BBQ™ HEADLINERS FOR WEEK TWO
GRETCHEN WILSON (FEB. 8), BILL ENGVALL (FEB. 9)
ORLANDO, Fla. (February 4, 2014) – SeaWorld Orlando’s Bands, Brew & BBQ festival features five more weekends of rocking concerts, mouth-watering BBQ, thirst-quenching beer and toe-tapping fun. Bands, Brew & BBQ takes place weekends in February through the first two weekends in March.
Grammy Award-winning Country star, Gretchen Wilson, plays Saturday, February 8.
Comedian Bill Engvall plays Sunday, February 9.
Both concerts start at 4 p.m. at the park’s Bayside Stadium. Visit SeaWorldOrlando.com for more details.
Bands, Brew & BBQ also celebrates the food! Serious barbecue connoisseurs can taste it all and pick their favorites. Sample Orlando’s best barbecue from local smokehouses — Bubbalou’s Bodacious Bar-B-Que, Cecil’s Texas Style BAR-B-Q and Sonny’s BBQ® – plus SeaWorld’s very own Sweet & Smokin’ Barbecue. Sip on our ice-cold craft beer selection while enjoying live rocking concerts and exciting activities for the whole family to enjoy.
Even the little ones have their own area to get up close to animals, work on masterpieces at coloring stations, take photos with SeaWorld costume characters, learn from educators and play interactive games.
During Bands, Brew & BBQ, all Harley-Davidson® riders get free parking when they ride their hog to SeaWorld. And in between all the eating and line dancing, event-goers can take in the proudly displayed 2014 Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Like all other events at SeaWorld Orlando, Bands, Brew & BBQ is included with park admission or any annual pass product.
The best way to experience Bands, Brew & BBQ is with a Fun Card; pay for a day and play all year – with no blackout dates – to experience all of SeaWorld’s remarkable events.
Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar – Disneyland Hotel, CA
Regardless what coast or continent you hail from, Disneyphiles know that Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA has become a recognized “must-see” destination at the resort. And, all the hoopla and avail is well-deserved. Naturally, when news first broke in early-2013 that a new Sam’s would be built in Orlando, excitement stirred like an erupting Krakatoa (also the name of one of Trader Sam’s signature cocktails.)
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Since opening in May 2011, Trader Sam’s has delighted guests and regulars to a fun atmosphere where artifacts festoon the walls, an array of exotic cocktails garnish every table and countertop, and some Disney “magic” is always in the air. Eagle-eyed guests will also spot some clever “nods” to other Disney parks and properties hidden inside, including a number of references that knowledgeable Walt Disney World regulars will recognize. Later in this article we’ll ruminate about the incarnation of Trader Sam’s planned for Orlando, but right now let’s take a closer look at Disneyland’s Trader Sam’s and hope that the forthcoming version for Orlando can bring the same sense of atmosphere and fun.
What’s the Story Here?
Is Trader Sam’s more Tiki Room or more Jungle Cruise? And what’s up with the myriad of mysterious artifacts scattershot throughout the joint? The truth is, Trader Sam’s has tons of stories. Thousands, actually.
Brandon Kleyla, a Lead Set Decorator with Walt Disney Imagineering who was also involved with the show writing and show directing says there are over 1,600 individual pieces of artifacts, photos, and other objects at Trader Sam’s. Brandon (also responsible for the fan documentary Indyfans: The Quest for Fortune and Glory) also worked as a Lead Set Decorator on Mystic Manor, the new Iron Man ride coming to Hong Kong, and is currently working on the Avatar project underway in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Having grown up in Florida, Walt Disney World was obviously influential to Brandon. He has a special fondness for the old Adventurer’s Club and later became a Jungle Cruise skipper in Disneyland.
As imagineers forged the origins of Trader Sam’s, the concept changed from a more “upscale” minimalist tiki bar to the fun and quirky version we all know today that replicates the sense of humor in some of Disney’s great attractions. The Disney “story” behind Trader Sam’s is that the “head salesman” from the end of the Jungle Cruise ride partnered with the Jungle Cruise Navigational Company to build a place where Sam could show off his “talents for brewing head-shrinking potions naturally gave him experience in mixing exotic elixirs.” So, it’s only natural that the place is crammed with shrunken heads, spears, masks, beads, and trinkets.
In an interview with David Yeh at EndorExpress.com, Brandon sheds some further light onto the conceptual origins saying “what if he [Sam] knew Indiana Jones, what if he knew Jack Sparrow, or Swiss Family Robinson”, you know, all those types of characters.” As Brandon puts it, Trader Sam’s “became Adventurer’s Club meets Jungle Cruise meets Tiki Room.” And, indeed, guests can spot gifts and letter from all kinds of Disney notables -including the Adventurer’s Club- all around the Enchanted Tiki Bar (more on the hidden Disney tributes further below!)
Ins and outs of Trader Sam’s
For those who haven’t yet been, Trader Sam’s is located within the Disneyland Hotel complex, adjacent to the Monorail Pool areas in the middle of the three hotel towers. It’s at the far western end of Downtown Disney and parking is free for the first three hours (be warned, however: Sam’s has been known to make those first three hours disappear fast!)
As you approach the front, you pass by the lanai, which is lit at night with tiki torch gaslamps and faux-tapa cloth lights hanging overhead. Around the corner of the lanai is the entrance to Tangaroa Terrace, a quick serve food location that long-time Disney World fans will recognize the name as being borrowed from the Polynesian.
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A view of the lanai area in front.
And, lest anyone think it’s strictly for adults, fear not because Trader Sam’s “family-Friendly”, too. The sizable lanai dining area outside wraps around the side of the building shared with Tangaroa Terrace. Guests on the lanai during afternoons and evenings also get to enjoy a duo of Polynesian singers (Note: Sam’s is only able to serve alcoholic drinks to guests sitting within the area in front of Sam’s. Drinks can be taken to the Tangaroa Terrace sitting area, just not ordered/served there.)
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Tangaroa Terrace is a quick service restaurant adjacent to Trader Sam’s.
Minors are not allowed to sit at the bar, but can sit at the tables inside as long as they are accompanied by an adult. However, the crowd can get loud later in the evenings, so it’s probably best to stay outside if you have little ones. There’s also a seating area across the walkway from Sam’s with a fireplace where you can enjoy to-go drinks. To-go drinks can also be ordered at Sam’s and taken into the Pool areas.
As nice as the exteriors are, INSIDE Sam’s is where the incredible eye candy resides. After nearly three years of serving libations, even regular visitors are still spotting things they never saw before. Be sure you sit where you can see one of the two windows looking out onto the tranquil bays in the shadow of some old volcanoes… that may not be as dormant as they appear.
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Talk to your bartender or server (or “skippers”, as they call them in true Jungle Cruise fashion) and you might hear tales behind some of the artifacts on the walls around you. They also know where certain things are hidden, which only the shrewdest “Mouse Detectives” could possibly find on their own. (There are at least two hidden Mickey’s that I’ve found –and probably more await discovery! A light or camera flash certainly comes in handy for looking “up” and “down” for them.)
There are photos of locales and people from exotic places around the globe, including some of Sam himself: in front of a familiar looking South American temple or two, meeting Teddy Roosevelt, etc. Just a few fun things to look for:
A whip from Indiana Jones
A letter from Short Round (Temple of Doom)
Old hardback edition of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Tiki god drummers from the Enchanted Tiki Room
Black and white photo of Dick van Dyke
A tiki mask in the likeness of Imagineer Joe Rohde (known for his “ear wear”)
Trader Sam’s “family tree”
PLENTY of references to the Adventurer’s Club! Look for Colonel Suchbench, Samantha Sterling, and Hathaway Browne.
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The Disney Magic
Now, I don’t want to give away too much and spoil things, but they don’t call this an “enchanted” tiki bar for no reason! The centerpiece of Trader Sam’s are their variety of liquid concoctions. There’s a selection of 12 tiki drinks (plus three “No-Booze Brews”) illustrated in their menu, in addition to beer and wines. For an additional cost, five of the cocktails can be served in souvenir mugs that you get to keep (as shown on the menu.) The Uh-Oa bowl drink serves 2-3 people is always served in the mega-bowl with a flaming stack of sugar cubes atop a floating half of lime.
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Not only do the “skippers” have a lot of props to play with, certain drink orders “activate” the tiki gods and really bring the bar to life. Be sure to watch the windows to, uh, check the weather (remember those dormant volcanoes?) You’ll also notice the pillars around the bar are carved with familiar faces from the Enchanted Tiki Room. Don’t worry about watching them to much, but they’ll sure keep an eye on you. And try to be keep an eye on that replica of the Wicked Wench inside the giant glass bottle behind the bar (Trivia Time: Adventurer’s Club aficionados: that bottle is an original piece from the Club, however the ship inside was carved for Sam’s by Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily.)
I’ve sampled nearly every drink (and non-alcoholic beverage) Sam’s makes, and they are all tasty. If you aren’t sure what to order, consult your skipper. They’ll be able to steer you in the right direction.
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Try a Shrunken Zombie Head , but watch out- they aren’t called “zombies” for no reason.
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A festive color cube makes the Krakatoa lava-licious!
Sam’s skippers can also make drinks that aren’t listed on the menu, for those wanting more standard mixed drink fare like Old Fashions, Dark & Stormy’s, White Russians, etc. But, you could get those anywhere! And for the truly adventurous, see what novel drink your skipper recommends that’s not on the menu at all. They now have three or four drinks that are “off-menu”, but which all the skippers are now able to make (I recommend the King Kamehameha Mai Tai or the Navy Grog.) Friends of old Adventurer Club will find themselves able to order both the “old” and “new” Kungalooshes, too (just be prepared to give your skipper the proper hand greeting!)
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Hope you’ve enjoyed the tour in and around Trader Sam’s so far. Come back next week when we get into some more tie-ins that Sam’s has to Walt Disney World, including information about the Trader Sam’s that is planned for Walt Disney World!
LEGOLAND Florida will celebrates the launch of the first-ever, full length theatrical LEGO adventure, The LEGO MovieT, with a movie-themed weekend in the park on February 8 and 9, 2014.
If your little ones are anything like Zoe, we have watched The LEGO Movie trailer a million times! She is so excited!!!
httpv://youtu.be/fZ_JOBCLF-I
You can head to your local theatre to watch The LEGO Movie, opening nationwide on Friday, February 7, and then head over to LEGOLAND Florida to see LEGO come to life amidst more than 50 rides, shows and attractions and special movie-themed fun all geared for families with children ages 2 to 12.
The LEGO Movie Weekend at LEGOLAND Florida includes the following activities:
The LEGO Movie Scavenger Hunt – Miniland USA
Movie characters Emmet, Wyldstyle, Lord Business and MetalBeard are lost in Miniland USA. Guests can help find them to save the day! Guests can submit an entry to win a LEGO Prize Pack at www.LEGOLAND.com. See website for official rules.
The LEGO Movie Video Game Challenge – Warner Bros. Games Zone
Gaming fans can test their skills and play the latest action-packed video game, “The LEGO Movie.”
Build Your Own World Competition – Imagination Zone
Guests can use their imagination to build their own unique LEGO model. LEGOLAND Florida Master Model Builders will select a winner from each event day to receive a LEGO prize pack. Official rules will be available at the park.
The LEGO Movie Mural Build – Imagination Zone
Families can build together and help create a giant LEGO poster of “The LEGO Movie.”
Character Meet & Greets – LEGO City
Fans can walk the red carpet and meet two of the stars of “The LEGO Movie.” Emmet and Wyldstyle.
We will absolutely be there, and hope that you will be, too!!!
The LEGO Movie, from Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures and LEGO System A/S, opens in theaters on February 7, 2014. Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, it stars Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie and Charlie Day, with Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman. The original 3D computer animated story follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.
The LEGO Movie Weekend is included with park admission and guests will have complete access to a full day of theme park fun with more than 50 rides, shows and attractions. The best way to experience LEGOLAND Florida is with the LEGOLAND Florida Resident Annual Pass as low as $99 each. Pass members receive unlimited admission for 12 months to LEGOLAND Florida and the LEGOLAND Water Park, as well as all other Merlin US attractions (LEGOLAND California & Water Park, LEGOLAND Discovery Centers, Sea Life Centers and Madam Tussauds), free parking and 10% off food and merchandise with no black-out dates. For the most current information on special events, daily operating hours and to purchase tickets, visit www.LEGOLAND.com.
Whether you look at him as being a superhero or a monster, the Hulk is quite a compelling character to read about. In modern culture, the comic book portrayal of the Hulk tends to take a back seat to either fond memories of Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby and the never forgotten phrase of, “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.” Or the more recent portrayal in The Avengers movie and the defining phrase of, “That’s my secret, Captain. I’m always angry.” Suddenly many realized, hey there’s a lot more to this character than simply, “Hulk Smash!”
That’s where reading about him in comic books is so much different. The character is constantly changing, constantly evolving, but always breaks down into a question of what makes a man a hero or a monster. When written well, it truly makes you wonder is it Bruce Banner who turns into the Hulk, or is it the Hulk who turns into Bruce Banner. But one simple thing about the Hulk always carries the story, the madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets. What if his anger became so focused that there became no stopping him. That’s where Planet Hulk comes in, it is a story about pushing the Hulk to that brink.
It all starts with the Fantastic Four stopping a rampaging Hulk and calming him down for umpteenth time. The Thing makes an offhand, joking remark to Mister Fantastic about rocketing the Hulk into space that sets the wheels in motion. At this time in the Marvel Universe a group had formed behind the scenes calling themselves the Illuminati. Comprised of Iron Man, Mister Fantastic, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt, Namor, and Professor X, this team voted to send launch the Hulk into space to land on a deserted planet to protect the Earth. (note: Professor X was absent, and Namor voted against the plan and quit the group) And they go through with it launching the Hulk into space.
From there their plan both works and fails. The Hulk is off Earth, with S.H.I.E.L.D. training the She-Hulk as a stand in, though with an ulterior motive. However the ship they sent him in is thrown off course by a wormhole and the Hulk ends up not on a deserted planet, but rather the planet Sakaar, a planet that has a society that is a conglomeration of other races that have been pulled through the same wormhole. He is weakened from the journey, able to be injured, and easily subjugated by the natives with an obedience disc and made to become a Gladiator for the Red King. One thing drives him through the storyline, his anger.
After all his friends have betrayed him, and stranded him in a place where he could be killed. He has no knowledge that they did not intend for him to be on Sakaar, and thus his driving motivation throughout the story becomes a quest for revenge. Along the way he makes a pact with other fellow gladiators, and together over the slain body of one of their fallen they make a pact to become Warbound to each other. Each is in their own way as strong as the Hulk himself prior to departing Earth.
The Red King takes an immediate dislike to Hulk and the Warbound are sent off to die multiple times. Eventually this all leads to a rebellion, led by the Hulk to defeat the Red King, free the slaves and free Sakaar. Now that really leaves out a lot of details I know, but to find those out I’ll suggest that you take the time to read the story. Though I promise there’s at least one cosmic surprise inside.
When all is said and done the Hulk – having defeated the Red King, and brought peace to the planet by uniting it’s cornucopia of inhabitants – is made the king of Sakaar. And throughout the story as he’s constantly challenged throughout he becomes steadily stronger and more angry. Then he takes a wife and she becomes pregnant. He starts to calm down and accept his new home and his new position as its leader. That is until the ship he crash landed in is paraded through the capital city of Sakaar where it has a warp core breach.
The ship explodes killing everyone in the city, including his wife and unborn child, and damaging much of Sakaar. At this point the Hulk becomes pure rage and anger and all he wants is revenge. A revenge that is targeted against the four members of the Illuminati that were responsible for sending him into space. Together with his Warbound they take their stone starship and head for Earth.
It’d been a very long time since I’d read a comic book from a Hulk title. It’s hard when one of your fondest comic reading memories looking back is that of Doc Sampson breaking his hand and arm to knock out the Hulk. But really it was like riding a bicycle to read, and a great way to jump back into the standard character from a comic book perspective (with prior recent experiences being the Ultimate Hulk and Zombie Hulk). Hulk fans who maybe don’t have as much comic book experience may struggle some with this story, but the payoff is grand for what it leads to later (see below). This is pure raw, raging Hulk, and it’s a great story that delivers.
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