FitchCoaster

^

COMBICHRIST! I listen to them every time I want to get in the mood for Haunt. Hahaha.

I'm pretty sure that was a Vekoma Mad House named Houdini's Great Escape. More info can be found here: http://www.greatadventurehistory.com/Houdini.htm I'm quite surprised to hear El Toro let you down, though. Most reviews I read of it are glowing. Great Trip Report though, the photos really made me miss Great Adventure. It's been way too long since I've been there! EDIT: Oops, it seems I've been beat to the punch.

Yeah, we watched that in English last year. What an amazing movie, I'm not really into anime at all, but this was an exception. It was also way better than I thought it was going to be.

I have my hands up most of the time, and I guess I'm a "woo!"er and a "yeah!"er. I've found when it comes to a unexpected intense part of a ride that I'm not familiar with, I'll let out a "ohmyfreakinggod!" followed by a laugh and a "woo!". Hahahaha.

Because the people at Viacom all have heartless souls. Is it Haunt yet?

^ Well, my friends (who all mostly fall in the GP category) all recognize the 'icons' of the park. I even hear kids I don't know in my school talking about some of the more popular characters. So I'd say the average guest would expect to see the stand-outs every year. Perhaps it's just me and my constant rambling of Haunt through the months of September and November that "spreads the word", but I doubt that's the case.

^ Yes. And 'Lil WAYNE sucks. I've come to the conclusion that all rappers whose names contain the word "'Lil" are not going to have much talent.

That won't happen. The Talent Captains (who I'll assume will be in charge of the auditions) know there potential and what an impact they have on Haunt, which will heavily weigh in on their desicion. I can assure you that we won't lose any classic character. And this is why I think Haunt could be considered better than most haunts out there. These classic characters have become such staples to the event that people go to the park EXPECTING their favorites to be there ("That Girl" from Doll Factory, Lucifer, The Bride, etc.). My friends that don't get all of this 'insider' information and don't bother reading back-stories still some back to Haunt every year saying, "I hope we see 'That Girl'", or "Remember last year when The Witch chased me?" This is how Haunt defines itself, by letting the talent be creative and defining their characters. Going back to the main topic, this is why I support auditions in the first place, because I feel that the individual personalities of the monsters are what gives the event itself personality.

Vesuvius by Frank Ticheli. It's a work of art! Ticheli one of my favorite composers.

^ I actually think they perform damn well on busy nights. I think though, on less-crowded nights, the talent really shines. It's so much more intense when there's not much of a crowd. Call me crazy, but I actually like the interactivity from the monsters at Knott's. By no means do I think that a monster should break character in the middle of a maze to 'have a chat', but I love that fact that some monsters interact with the guests while still remaining in character. I know some people that actually get even more scared when a monster tries to speak to them! What I do think Knott's really needs to improve on though is the monsters that DO break character in the middle of a maze. Once while going through a maze last year, right after a scare, a talent said in a regular, non-intimidating voice to another talent, "Hey, I'm getting tired. Cover my spot!" That totally ruined the atmosphere for me. It's things like that I don't want to see.

No I haven't, and again I do see what you're saying. I see a lot of monsters out there that do just "have fun" without back stories. This has really made me think. I still completely support the auditions because I like when the monsters set up a character for themselves, but now that you have brought this up, it's made me wonder if it's worth it asking this from EVERY monster in the park. Here's where I'm torn: if they don't have auditions, it's better for people who don't have a 'developed' character, but there are no chances of having an improved immersive experience. But as I said, these back-stories only really contribute to true fans of the event. If they do have auditions, it could be better for the fans, but not necessarily the monsters. Interesting.

Taken from ultimatehaunt.com: "They will not be looking for Shakespeare-trained actors but will be focused primarily on YOUR character/monster and how you define your character." I do see where you're coming from, but the park isn't looking for actors, they're looking for uniqueness and personality. After some thought, I imagine that all the back-stories of the monsters are more important to the major Haunt fans and really mean nothing to most people. Speaking from my perspective, as a big follower of Haunt and some of the monsters there, reading some of these back-stories makes the event more immersive for me. I understand that most people don't read these and to them, the monsters with the most complex back-stories can appear as just another monster. I'd think it would be easier for the talent at Universal to be creative with their characters because their stories are given to them. I've never been to HHN so I'm not comparing it to Haunt, I'm just saying what I think. However I can't wait to one day go to HHN, sounds like it's awesome!

It's me at Knott's during the BEST time of the year.

I love that auditions are back for Haunt. Hopefully this weeds out the talent that aren't quite "there". This definitely raises the standards for incoming street talent as well for existing street talent. I think it's awesome that they are encouraging for character development. The most admirable thing about some of the vets in the streets are how they back their character up with a back-story. It gives each monster a personality, so you aren't seeing the same monster over and over again, just with a different costume. I can't believe we're already talking about auditions and rehire! Soon enough, opening day is going to be here! I'm already in my "Haunt '09 spirit" (actually, I have been since Haunt '08 ended)! I can't wait.

Colorado Sunrise - 3OH!3

I love these lines from 3Oh!3's Colorado Sunrise (Not the whole song, just this part). Plus, it has a really catchy beat, along with all their other stuff. "I've got five fingers on each hand for every mistake that I've made, 'Cause my tongue is tied to tonsels and i need to sh*t and shave. I'm a shade to pale for handsome and have habits I can't shake, And if you try to take that from me well I'll never be the same... ...Trainwreck that I am, And I am what I am what I am what I am, A trainwreck, that I am And I am what I am what I am what I am, A trainwreck. And as long as it's okay with you I think I'll stay right here. I got no where to go 'cause where to go is up to you, dear. Happy as a clam I see the glimmer in your eyes. Hold you through the night and watch that Colorado sunrise. No car and never cared cared because I got no place to go. But in a room missing a wall, I couldn't pay a plant to grow You can try and make this pretty, pick up all my dirty clothes. And if you never really get me then I guess you'll never know the... ...Trainwreck that I am. And I am what I am what I am what I am, A trainwreck that I am. And I am what I am what I am what I am, A trainwreck."

^ LOL, I think "I'm On A Boat" is hilarious! The sad thing is, kids at my school take is seriously. That shows how great of a satire it is of current rap songs, people can't tell the difference! All I can do is laugh.

Hahahaha, I love the video too. "Masecaaa!" never fails to make me laugh! Once me and some of my cousins went through the tortilla factory multiple times not only for the free tortillas, but because we found the video so amusing. In fact, we filmed it:

1. Sierra Sidewinder 2. Pony Express 3. Montezooma's Revenge 4. Ghostrider 5. Jaguar 6. Timberline Twister 7. Boomerang 8. Xcelerator 9. Silver Bullet 10. Perilous Plunge The roller coasters in italics are the rides that I could understand Knott's advertising as 'extreme'. (I included Perilous Plunge since Knott's considers it a coaster) The ones in bold are the rides that are exclusive to the park (or rides that are rare), and in my opinion only two of the bolded rides are really worth riding. That's only two coasters out of their entire lineup that I'd consider 'extreme'. And in my opinion, I'd consider Monty and Boomerang family coasters, so that makes more than half of Knott's coasters family rides. I don't think the "Ride on, coaster warriors" slogan really fits the park to be honest.

The new area looks nice and well-themed, in typical Busch Gardens fashion. It reminds me a lot of SWSD's Bay of Play, except it has more rides and forest theming. Other than that it's pretty similar. Great TR, I enjoyed it. Loved the pictures!

Great Trip Report! Thorpe Park looks like it's a lot of fun. I loved your pictures, especially that last one of the reflection of Stealth in the puddle. That's definitely desktop worthy!

NICE! Anther alto sax player! But... you're going to regret not doing band in high school, I know because I almost made the same mistake. There's so much to do and even if you're not into marching band itself, all the things you do are so much fun that it doesn't really even matter. In fact, there are kids in my band that aren't interested in band like the rest of us are, but love being in it for the friends and the fun. So don't give it up! What FlyingScooter's daughter said is so true:

I'd LOVE a TPR license plate frame! I'll get one right away when it's available!

It's Almost 11:50 PM, and I have the rest of this English packet on "Inner Beauty" to do. This includes about 18 questions left to answer and 4 essays. This wouldn't be such a big deal if I didn't have to wake up at 5:30 AM tomorrow.