A Disney Attraction Review: Lights. Motors, Action 8 out of 10

Lights, Motors, Action  Extreme Stunt Show

While at Disney Studios we went to see the Lights, Motor Action stunt show which is a basically a stunt show featuring cars.  I had never seen this before (I think it opened right after my last visit to the parks)

It was interesting to see something other than the typical fall off of the top of the building stunts -but there is really only so much you can do with cars in such a small setting.  I like that they were able to show you how the stunts they shot were able to be edited into the exciting scenes you see in the movies and give you a look at how some of the cool stunts were done.

Herbie the Love Bug step aside as the fan favorite car of boys these days is Lightning McQueen.  They had a cool life size version in as a small part of the show. Which the audience really responded to.

After Lightning left it was back to the action in more car chases.  This stunt show has a lot of testosterone and I think it is a safe bet that if you are a car person you will enjoy this show.   

A stuntman on fire is always exciting

 There were motor cycle jumps

The jet ski scene I could have done without....(It gave me flashbacks of Universal's lackluster Waterworld show)

The finale scene was really great and luckily I was able to get a picture just as the car was going through the flames

Take a bow gentlemen

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Bill Cosby's Disappearing act at Disney's Hollywood Studios (This post is for the adults)

We should never  over admire or idolize celebrities.
I saw a post earlier this week about Bill Cosby's statue being removed from Disney's Hollywood Studios and thought it would be worth talking about for a minute.

Hollywood has a habit of building up and deifying celebrities as long as they make a profit on them.  The Bill Cosby story is just another example of this.  Hollywood was apparently okay keeping his dark secrets as long as they could cash in and now he is expendable.

Bill Cosby was America's dad. 

The Cosby Show one of the biggest shows in all of Television.  
He was a brilliant stand up comedian that did a clean act.   
He didn't need to resort to curse words and was brilliantly funny.   He had a famed TV career on shows like I Spy, Fat Albert  and his Stand up career.  After his TV days he also toured the country talking about how African Americans  needed to stop blaming others for their problems and take responsibility in making their lives better themselves instead of complaining about it.   
Bill Cosby who was once the shining example of what African Americans should strive to be as he played a Doctor with strong family values.  Breaking down TV Stereotypes and showing people what they could strive for.    Now like so many celebs on a pedestal he has literally  been torn down  from that pedestal. 

Michael Jackson....  Tiger Woods.  ..... Lance Armstrong....  
Bill Cosby.   Hollywood Builds them up and reaps the benefits from this and then --when they have no use of them anymore tears them down.   

Until this week I was convinced that "I'm sure he slept with all these women----which makes him a cheater"  (something I despise) ---"But I doubt that he would drug women to have his way him them....He was Bill Cosby after all I'm sure he can get women pretty easily"  Now breaking news has revealed more information in the matter.

Now Bill Cosby has fallen from Grace.   
I took this picture of Cosby--amid the rumors on our trip back in March to Disney's Hollywood Studios.  Now this statue is gone as of this week.  The smiling TV Dad in the sweater has been erased.
I wonder if we really knew about many Celeb and Athlete's lives how many other statues would be removed from their pedestals. 

Hollywood's Dark Side.  

The part that really bothers me is how like with the Donald Sterling stuff ---people say after the fact....."It was Hollywood's worst kept secret".   Everyone knew Donald Sterling was a Racist for years --but they only decided to be outraged about it when the audio tape surfaced.  All of a sudden this week we are in a rush to erase the Confederate flag from every corner of the country about an incident that really has nothing to do with the flag itself---where was the outrage over the flag a month ago?

Stuff as serious as what Cosby is being accused of -shouldn't  have been kept a secret.  As long as the Cosby Show is bringing in big ratings --Hollywood was apparently okay with sweeping it under the rug.  

 Why??  Why are we okay with that?

Why aren't we mad at NBC if this was Hollywood's worst kept secret?  How many Sports Stars and Celebs will we worship and deify over and over again before we learn the lesson.  We don't really know what does or doesn't go on in these Celebs lives.  

Look at JFK a serial Adulterer.....He is still deified by many people despite constantly cheating on his wife.   Would he have been treated differently today?  Would Bill Clinton --another liar and cheater have gotten the same treatment today that he did in the 1990's?   Stop putting people on a Pedestal---because that pedestal may have some cracks in it. 

 In the same week that Cosby statue came down at Disney's Hollywood Studios Subway restaurants had to disown Jarod 

( You know the Once Fat Guy that supposedly lost weight eating Sandwiches --because of a possible scandal).

My point is maybe we should stop building this people up in the first place.   Maybe Athletes and Movie Stars should just be looked at for their performance on the field and on the screen instead of looked at as role models.   Too many people have demons and when those demons come out --we all end up disappointed.   I used to love to watch the Tour De France.....Because of Lance Armstrong and his years of lying and ruining people's lives with threats --I can't even watch that corrupt sport anymore.

A Question to Disney:   Why is Bill Cosby gone and yet they brought back Captain EO with Michael Jackson?

Have we already forgotten all the child molestation accusations he faced --before he drugged himself to death?    How is that less offensive then what Cosby is accused of.

Okay sorry rant over......Next time I'll get back to fun Disney news.  

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A Disney Restaurant Review: The Brown Derby

While at Disney’s Hollywood Studios the other place on our must stop restaurant list was The Brown Derby.  

  The old Brown Derby in Hollywood is the home of the home of the original Cobb Salad and is the first place I ever had a Cobb Salad over 10 years ago and is still the best Cobb Salad I have ever had.  The original Derby is pictured below.

This is where you want to eat at Disney’s Hollywood Studios if you are looking for something a little fancier and more fine dining—yet you can still find some reasonable food at a decent price if you aren’t going full blown Steaks and Seafood plates. 

The decor of this old Hollywood themed restaurant is classic Hollywood with old caricatures of famous Hollywood actors.  Like the Carthay Circle at Disney’s California adventure –this restaurant is stylish and classy.  

I had the Appetizer Cobb Salad which was awesome.  One of our friends had the Pan Sear Salmon and absolutely loved it.

We also had the Artisanal Cheeses  which consisted of  the following:

Wensleydale Carnberry, VSOP Reypenaer Gouda, Bayley Hazen Blue Cheese with House-made Pickles, Spiced Pecans, and an Apple-Mustard Marmalade

I had a great Martini called the Varm Dame Martini

 My wife had  a  MacMurray Ranch Chardonnay from Sonoma:  This is a good Chardonnay that we had tried previously in Disney’s California Adventure – which is featured at that park one of what they call the Disney Family Wines.   (Here is a blog we did about that over on our wine blog).    

http://2dollarwineconnoisseur.blogspot.com/2015/03/wine-at-disneyland-resort-alfresco_1.html

What is the Disney connection you ask..  It is a winery connected with Fred MacMurray of Disney movie fame from the Nutty Professor, Shaggy Dog movies.

We absolutely loved the Brown Derby.  My stepdaughter wanted to go back to Disneyworld so she could get the Salmon that our friends let her have a taste of. 

If we return to Disney’s  Hollywood Studios  we would like to hit there outdoor lounge which has  some great sounding appetizers Martini, Margarita, Wine and Scotch Flights.

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Nostalgia vs Cheesiness : A look at the Great Movie Ride

Great

I’m a huge Disney fan and a huge movie fan –so I have always loved  The Great Movie Ride.  

It  is like an animatronic trip into the history of films. 

  I love the Raiders scene (My favorite movie)

The Casablanca Scene is classic even though

  the movie itself is overrated.  

And the Wizard of OZ scene is a gem.  I love how the conclusion of the ride has the movie montage of famous movies clips  (I’m a fan of movie history so I’ve seen most of these films).

 So after riding this classic ride on our recent trip I turned to my wife expecting to see a smile on her face and instead got a  “That was really cheesy comment”

I was shocked –how could she not find this ride great.  I mean it is a like a Pirates of the Caribbean or Haunted Mansion type ride through the history of movies???  Both of the kids were kind of bored as well.    I couldn’t understand it.  How can a ride that I look on with such fondness  be boring and cheesy to the rest of my family.    I asked –  “what didn’t you like?”   She thought that the whole gunfighter stealing the tram portion with the live actors was just really lame.   I admit the same old bit after 30 years has gotten old and doesn’t hold the same punch that it used to.  But being a Disney and Movie fan –it just reminds me of cheesy old shows that Ioved at Universal Studios.  And being the Disney fan that I am I love any ride with Audio Animatronics.     But I guess I can see how one persons nostalgia is just old and cheesy to someone else.   
  As far as the kids are concerned  --unlike all the animated Disney movies that other rides are based on –they have no idea what 90% of these movies are.    I still see the Great Movie ride through the eyes that I first saw it 30 years ago when it still opened.    To the rest of my family it might as well have  Superstar Limo (the old failed DCA ride through Hollywood).

The ride just got a much needed update to movie montage section at the end to add more relevant films with its new TCM sponsorship as well.   (It should never have taken that long to update the film).

Maybe the ride itself needs an update ?????     (despite my still loving it).   

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A Disney Parks Restaurant Review: Review #2 Sci-Fi Dine In

Some  Disney restaurants are as much about the experience as they are about the food and that is the case with the SciFi Dine-In Theater.  It is located in Disney's Hollywood Studios and was on our must visit Disneyworld bucket list.  The restaurant is set up like you are at a drive in movie in a bunch of 1950's style cars.  You dine in the dark while clips from a bunch of B and C Sci-Fi movies play on the big movie screen in the theater.

I personally love the theme --because I'm a huge sci-fi  and chessy movie fan and love movies that are so bad that they are good.  

The check in area has posters from some of the cheesy movie clips inside that are featured in the waiting area -before you go inside.

There is also a small display of some old Sci Fi props like this Ray Gun that you pass more you reach the drive in area.

The loop on the big screen  while you dine features clips from such "gems" as Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster,  Plan 9 From Outer Space,  and Robot Monster.   It also features some old style lobby refreshment ads and cartoons.  It is pure cheesy fun and the type of movies that you would expect a couple from the 1950's and 1960's going to see at the drive in.  It is a fun environment that the whole family will enjoy.

My only complaint would be that the loop isn't long enough.  At about 45 minutes it repeats during your visit and there is really no reason to not have a loop long enough that you could see original material for the entire dining experience.

One of my favorite clips was Walt Disney introducing a robot character in his futurist nature.

The food itself was good --but my wife commented and I agree that for a drive in experience the menu was a little too adult in nature.  It should be more of a Hamburger, Hot Dogs and Pizza kind of place instead of  Shrimp Pasta and Salmon BLT's menu.    
I had a hamburger and fries which was good.
    
Here is a sample of the menu that I found online.

There are drink choices for the adults as well.

I was in a soda mood for lunch otherwise I would have gone with Magical Star Cocktail, which sounds like an outer space tiki drink.    When the kids got desserts I did go a Godiva Chocolate Martini  which was delicious.  Who needs a chocolate shake when you can have a Chocolate Martini.

Dining at the Sci-Fi dine is a fun treat and as far as I'm concerned a must see.  Go for the experience.

I wish they would bring the Sci-Fi Dine in experience to DCA.   Since DCA and the Hollywood area is so similar it would totally fit and they have the space in the big stage  12 building that originally housed several fast food restaurants.    But if they do maybe it should get an update.   During Star Wars weekends they use the Sci-Fi dine in for a Star Wars dine in experience with clips from the 6 films so far.  I originally saw the first Star Wars in 1977 in a drive in theater--so a Star Wars Dine in Theater would be amazing.  With 6 new films on the way this would be a huge hit and a lot more relevant to the general public that has never seen The Blob or appreciated the astronaut helmet wearing gorilla.

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