pianojohn
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Posts posted by pianojohn
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So...
Last Tuesday I had oral surgery to remove two lower teeth. It will be 4-8 months before permanents can be put in place. Therefore no food that requires biting for me (sandwiches, fruit, pizza) unless it's cut into very small pieces and then placed at the back of my mouth.
Thursday our older dog has a seizure. 48 hours and $2500 later not sure what's going on.
Sunday my husband gets in an auto accident and his car is totaled. We go the ER and he has bruised ribs and some cuts on his side from the airbag deployment. I take the day off from work but had purchased St. Patrick's Day cupcakes for my cast. I called another cast member who brought them to work for me.Two days later and not one of the people I work with called or texted or asked how we are doing. Not one thank you or anything.
So over ungrateful people.
It's been a horrible week.
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Rode this once way back in 2003. It was INTENSE. Apparently too intense.
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The absolute worst Christmas song ever:
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I wasn't offended just disappointed. Anyone can say "Hey, this guy jerks off."
It doesn't make it clever or funny.
There are a MILLION other ways to say that or imply it which would give the joke a double entendre.Instead, they aimed for the absolute lowest common denominator.
And as far as the "satanic drag show," I have seen much worse on TV.
Plus they warn people over and over that the show is NOT for children. -
On 9/23/2023 at 8:26 PM, AmyUD06 said:
It was around this point that I was approached by a security officer and asked what I was doing taking pictures of everything, resulting in my usual spiel about how I catalog different parks and write reviews, showing him some of my past TPR reports, yada yada. Funny how this only happens at tiny little out of the way parks...we all gotta get them more exposure and popularity so they're used to it haha!
Same thing happened to me on my one and only trip there years ago. However, this security guard harassed me implying I was doing something illegal. I wrote a letter to the park telling them about my negative experience. Don't know if I can ever bring myself to support them again.
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Just got back from my own trip out to KSF for opening weekend.
We went on Thursday night as part of the press preview. My thoughts:
The Bloodline house USED to give guests toy guns to shoot the vampires. Without this key element, there was a lot of dead space between scareactors.
Loved the Cinema Slasher house, BUT they should have stopped with a double feature. The first two slasher send ups (babysitter and camp) worked great, but the third one was confusing. I still could not tell you what it was about.
The Music, Monsters, and Mayhem show. As a 35+ year veteran of theme park shows (I have been playing them since 1986 and writing and directing them for decades as well), I speak from a place of experience.
The dance numbers were great. High energy, great costumes and lighting, and the required finale with dancers in the rain getting soaked.
The MC/host. We saw the first show on Thursday night. He was NOT funny. Now I am all about pushing the envelope and adult humor. Making ONE joke about jerking off (with an audience member named Angel) and then referencing it back over and over and over again was like beating a very dead horse. The joke wasn't clever, wasn't funny the first time, and the bit grew VERY old. It was the lowest of the low and lacked any kind of creativity. And his "impressions" weren't that great. I don't know what Elvira would think of his impression esp when he pulled out his fake boobs to show to the audience.
I am hoping the show gets overhauled or at least 10-15 minutes trimmed out of it. Cut the MC/Actor, use voiceovers or the witch videos, and pick up the pace. I really miss the far superior improv show Puppet Up which was WAY more entertaining and had built in repeat viewing value. I cannot see anyone watching this MMM show more then once.-
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I will be there for opening night on Sept 21st! Cannot wait!!
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20 hours ago, coasterbill said:
Dragster also spent like 4 hours of every day broken on a good day. If capacity is lower but uptime is better this could still easily see more riders per season.
Have to disagree. I have ridden it many times on days when it ran flawlessly from open to close. Yes, it had issues, but not nearly as bad as others rides like the original Bat at Kings Island or Volcano at Kings Dominion. I look forward to whatever this new version is and am hopeful for a more reliable experience on a daily basis.
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Not sure where else to vent so I thought I would come here.
IN a nutshell, had a women of color call me a wt (whitey) on Facebook since I replaced the previous TWO men of color in a job that they were not qualified to do. And she is ALWAYS playing the race card at every opportunity.
Not sure what to do with this veiled racist jab at me.-
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Since we're talking about musicals, I am currently music directing and conducting/playing keyboard 1 for Dreamgirls here in Winter Garden, Florida about 20 minutes from Orlando.
https://gardentheatre.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/events/a0S6R00000tGrnEUAS
It is a 9 piece LIVE band which is a rarity in most theater these days.If you're planning to see it ( and ME!) I am playing/conducting the following dates:
Wednesday July 19th 7:30pm show
Thursday July 20th 7:30pm
Friday July 21st 7:30pm show
Saturday July 22nd 2:00pm show
Saturday July 22nd 7:30pm show
Sunday July 23rd 2:00pm show
Wednesday July 26th 7:30pm showOFF TO CALIFORNIA!!
Wednesday August 2nd 7:30pm show
Thursday August 3rd 7:30pm
Friday August 4th 7:30pm show
Saturday August 5th 2:00pm show
Saturday August 5th 7:30pm show
Sunday August 6th 2:00pm show
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1 hour ago, MartinU said:
Hey everyone!
I need advice. I'm going to Knoebels for the first time this summer! I'm so excited. My wife and I love rides, and plan to be there from opening to closing. Is there a recommended order to hit the coasters to avoid long lines? Or, advice on low capacity rides that are in high demand?
Also... we were thinking of going Memorial Day. Is this stupid and defeat my "avoid the crowds" idea?
Lastly, what are the "Must eats" of this park? I know everyone has their favorites.
Like I said, I'm excited to go for the first time. We actually chose this park over Hershey and King's Dominion this year. We're wanting the most our of this highly ranked historic park. Any help is appreciated!Flying Turns first. It has the lowest capacity and slowest lines. Then Impulse. After that, you should be fine.
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On 5/3/2023 at 6:59 PM, Nrthwnd said:
And here's The Five who got The 2023 TONY Nomination (among other noms) for BEST MUSICAL ....
Broadcast of the TONYs is Sunday, June 11th. On CBS. 8pm EST (Live).
I saw 2 of them and here are my thoughts:
Kimberly Akimbo is beautiful and heartbreaking. Victoria Clark WILL win the Tony for best actress. It has already been announced that a national tour will go out so see it! So life affirming.
Some Like It Hot is a big splashy Broadway musical in every sense of the word. The score by the same team that wrote Hairspray is filled with swinging tunes. Literally! Almost every song is an uptempo swing song, and they are all great. This show NEEDS to win some Tonys to continue running.
& Juliet also announced a national tour already, and the show is continually selling out. It doesn't need any wins to continue making money at the box office.
I really wanna see Shucked. I have heard nothing but great things about it.NYNY? Don't know if it will last if it doesn't win anything. We'll see!
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On 4/27/2023 at 11:19 AM, RaceBoarder said:
- Can we leave the property early in the AM to find breakfast and then come back in a reasonable amount of time? Does the Perkins have "normal" prices or is breakfast gonna cost $25+?
Better yet head to Berardis for an amazing breakfast. They are probably 10-15 minutes from the park but totally worth the drive. They also open at 7am so you could easily hit it before a day at the park.
Check out their food here: http://www.sanduskyberardis.com/
They USED to provide the french fries at the park until Cedar Point decided to make their own. I usually order them with my omelet instead of breakfast potatoes.-
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Sad to hear this news. The spot was always a nice getaway from the heat and a chance to learn about the park's history. Really hope the plan is not dead. I don't know what else they would do with that building since it already has attached food stands on the far side.
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Has there been any word about the Frontier Museum? It was supposed to open in 2020 then 2021....now who knows!
Anyone who went to Winter Chill Out get any more info?
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Guess I can rant.
I've been a WDW cast member since 9/1999 so that's almost 24 years.
During COVID, I was furloughed and then laid off.
During that time, I got an MA in Creative Writing.
I have applied for dozens of jobs and gotten nothing.
After almost 1 1/2 YEARS of waiting, in May 2022 I returned to one of the two shows I had been playing before the shutdown.
I was given a ONE day contract. I work one day a week unless they need me to fill in.
I am still waiting for the other show to reopen.
I have been forced to work a multitude of other jobs just to pay my bills.
I seriously don't know how much longer I can wait.
Done.-
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So 4 out of 13 coasters running? And the indoor one (which should be able to run in any weather) is CLOSED?
Hard pass.-
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Awesome TR. Shawn and I went there for Christmas a few years ago and just loved it.
Also, they bake and sell the cinnamon bread AT the hotel! We may or may not have had it for breakfast two mornings in a row. (we did!!)
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On 11/28/2022 at 11:14 AM, Invertalon said:
I don't know if Knott's is really much better. It may be the lesser of two evils, but honestly, our last visit to Knott's was worse than SFMM. The crews were far slower, horrid capacity on everything (mega-stacking on Silver Bullet, Ghostride is insanity with how poor the crews are, etc...). I mean, some of the worst Cedar Fair operations I have experienced at any of their parks both visits. Employee's also looked completely miserable, everywhere. Complete opposite of SFMM, believe it or not, who had energetic crews having fun. It was night and day difference. You would have thought it would be the opposite.
I dunno, neither are great for different reasons. Disneyland obviously will be best operation wise, but uh, it's Disney. So...I have no idea WHEN you went to Knotts, but I have never had a bad day there. I went twice this October during KSF daytime and had zero issues. Even with the night time crowds, nothing like you described.
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On 10/29/2022 at 11:26 AM, bert425 said:
really nice report.
I honestly had no idea that "Monster Stomp" is a packaged show. . .costumes, sets, and show are exactly the same as in the other parks? for some reason, I never even considered that!
pretty cool, actually.It is NOT a packaged show. The only similarity is the title. They are all VASTLY different productions from the song selections to the cast to the choreography and costumes.
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On 10/28/2022 at 10:43 AM, jedimaster1227 said:
If you've seen it at any of the other SeaWorld or Busch parks, you've seen it here.
1) Monster Stomp is NOT the same at every park. Completely different tone and song list. I watched a clip of the 2022 show at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and it is vastly different from the Sea World one. The only similarity is the show's title. I know this since I worked on the show.
2) Did you even see the Longshoremen or Drag shows? Hard to have a trip report if you didn't experience either of them. The drag show (which I did see) was GREAT. Adult humor but nothing worse than you'd hear at HHN. And the Longshoremen were hilarious.-
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See below for edited response since I cannot delete this post.
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17 hours ago, SharkTums said:
Exactly. I've always had the mantra "You can put more layers on, you can only take so many off!"
I'm sure it will be much more tolerable in the US than Japan. When we went to Fuji-Q Highland park in December 2003, they would not allow any loose articles on the coaster. And by loose articles they meant ski hats, scarves, and gloves. So we rode Dodonpa in 30 degree weather with NO hats or gloves. THAT was torture!
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As someone who worked at BGW for years, I know that Jan/Feb/March can be cold and rainy. I don't think it would be much fun visiting these parks when it's so cold outside.
When I lived in Japan in 2001, I'd often visit parks on the weekends when the temps were in the 30s and there was snow on the ground. Fun? Eh...not really.-
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The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread
in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
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$100 PER drink? Yeah, I don't buy that unless you have a picture of this so-called $100 drink.
As far as the lines go, it's EASTER week and crowds are everywhere. ROTR had a 3 hour wait this week.
You cannot blame the park for the insane crowds. Sorry you had a bad time, but I always tell friends and family to avoid the parks during holidays (spring break, Christmas) and don't expect to ride anything without shelling out money for FastLane or Genie+.