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Sounds like the credit whores will be out in force for this one. "Brief Encounter: The Coaster that Makes You Feel Dirty!" or "Brief Encounter: The Naughty Coaster!"

Yep--an interesting little flick about a guy trying to finish a horror movie called "Coven" (which he pronounces "coh van"). What I liked about it is although the guy is quite a doofus, he seems to have some talent.

The current issue of Filmfax Plus (Oct./Dec. 2005, no. 108) features a nice little article about the development and demise of a classic Disney attraction: "Disneyland's Flying Saucers: The Amazing Hovercraft Ride that Came and Went Like UFOs in the Night!" by Jack Hagerty. Interesting stuff. Turns out that the Saucer ride was inspired by two things: 1) a proposal to replace one of DL's original attractions, the Phantom Boats, with a bumper boats ride (or "duck bumps") and 2) a one-man, gas-powered hovercraft that Bob Gurr (the man responsible for the Autopia and other DL vehicles) took for a thrilling test drive around the studio one day. While this vehicle was rejected as too dangerous for Disneyland, Walt Disney loved the idea of a flying saucers ride, which was opened to the public in 1961. I won't summarize the whole article here, but it does provide some great pictures of the ride in operation (including two of Walt taking a test spin himself) and of the ride's mechanics. Guests loved the saucers, but they were a maintenance nightmare and were removed in 1966. The author also debunks one myth about the ride's demise--that Disney had used leftover valves meant for Jupiter missiles to provide the cushion of air the saucers floated on. Check it out, if you can lay your hands on a copy of Filmfax.

55% (Right on the Mason-Dixon Line)--I attribute this to growing up in California's San Joaquin Valley (which is sort of like being in Oklahoma) and living for the last twenty years in Virginia. Here's a question they left off, I think: Do you call it a chicken-fried steak or a country-fried steak? I tried to order a "chicken-fried steak" in a coffee shop in Asheville, NC, a few years ago and got quite a lecture from a waitress on how "we call'em 'country-fried' down south, sugar." Chuck "Never put brown gravy on mashed potatoes when serving them with chicken-fried steak" Campbell

I concur, and add a :?

Good job. You're right about those Fearfest crowds--freakin' huge! I was there with my friends Gary and Linda on Oct. 23, and the lines for the mazes were pretty long by about 6:00 pm. (I actually waited an hour for the Headless Hollow maze--didn't get in it until after the park had officially "closed.") If it hadn't been for Linda being in a wheelchair, I don't think we would've seen much of Fearfest that night (disabled folks are hustled to the front, but Headless Hollow can't accomodate wheelchairs). I posted a trip report myself if you're curious. I've heard bad things about Six Flags America, but your pics make it look pretty good. Guess I'll have to see for myself. Thanks for sharing the pics. Chuck "Still have yet to enter a Six Flags park" Campbell[/i]

This gets my vote for the best looking round up EVER!!11!11!! Looks like something the Joker would use to hypnotize Gotham City. "Look into my Round Up! You are getting sleepy! Yes, you will do as I say! You will purchase $50,000 worth of funnel cakes. Yes, you also crave many of our corn dogs and plush dolls . . ."

I remember how he triedto get poor Lieutenant Reilly (pre-Chekov) to take up fencing. Yep--two shirtless guys with slender swords, lunging and parrying . . . Yep--I think Sulu was going for a warp-core breach here.

Looks pretty cool to me--I'm not a big fan of flat rides, but I'd check it out. The CP hard-core fans do seem to be a breed apart--kind of like the hard-core Disneyites. Over at Theme Park Insider last summer, there was one guy who kept trying to turn every thread into a "Cedar Point Rules, While Busch Gardens Sucks" thread. Most of the folks there, including me, simply ignored him. Chuck "I would never say your favorite park sucks" Campbell

I imagine that some version of "kocking (or rocking) socks off" goes back even further--"nothing new under the sun."

Mmm--sign me up for some schnitzel. I'm an ex-pat northern Californian, myself--grew up in Patterson, which is on Highway 33 between Westley and Crows Landing (that ought to pinpoint it for you). My older brother lives in Sac, and he and his family used to go up to Apple Hill every year.

Hmm--is your screenname, by any chance, a play on Magic Mountain's old tagline for the Revolution, back when it first opened?: "It'll knock your socks flat off." If so, impressive, because it was a bit before your time, I think.

Amen to that, Saturday. Bill has always been a equal-opportunity offender, and a little Disneyland every now and then never did a body any harm.

Arghh! This be me Halloween desktop from this year's Howl-o-Scream at BGW. No ticket, no soul, mate!

Don't know about Bill and acid, Brent, but he does admit to smoking a lot of weed.

Actually, this quote from a somewhat larger topic than just Disney. "Scary-atrics" was the title, and he started by ripping into adults who dress up on Halloween, a "day for kids," in his opinion. So, there's more than just Disneyland here. He was actually commenting on how our culture celebrates the juvenile side in general, and Disney has always been a handy (if, perhaps, overused) shorthand for that. Put me in the "disagree slightly" category; however, if I lived closer to a Disney park, I'd probably be a fairly laid back annual-pass holder (which would put me in the "disagree somewhat" category). Chuck "Remember that satire always involves a degree of exaggeration" Campbell

You know, I always wondered about him and Chekov. . .

This joke was part of Bill Maher's "New Rules" segment on Real Time on Friday, October 28. Don't get me wrong--I love Disneyland, but this really cracked me up. Your thoughts? Now back to nursing this annoying head cold . . .

Pretty bizarre concept, but it's no Superstar Limo, at least (which could've used some sort of target-shooting feature). You know, I've lived in the mid-Atlantic area for years, but still haven't ventured into Pennsylvania theme-part territory. Maybe next season . . .

Good job--I'm looking forward to checking this place out in June 2006 (especially Nemesis). I'm not big on flat rides, either (especially if they resemble spinning tea cups), but Rush looks like fun, and I actually survived Tomb Raider: Firefall at PKD with only slight queasiness. BGW has the same music problem in their Canadian section (Fort New France)--lots of banjo pickin' coming over the PA. I'm convinced that they built this section because 1) every park needs its "Frontierland" and 2) they needed an excuse for a log ride. But I believe it's justified for the Three Rivers Smokehouse (last day of the season for baby back ribs is tomorrow, folks--I'll be there, if I can shake this head cold that's been bugging me all week).

Is That What I sound like?? :? Hmm--couldn't say. Just my bad impression of Alan Young as Scrooge McDuck, as filtered by Mike Meyer's as Fat Bastard.

Well, I'm no Alan Young, an Englishman with a Scotsman for a father, who voiced Scrooge McDuck for Disney on TV (in cartoons that were probably animated in Australia or South Korea). Young also played second-fiddle to a talking horse on Mr. Ed. Besides, I have a cold, which also affects my typing . . . :?

Mr. Duck was the nephew of Scrooge McDuck, rich industrialist. McDuck issued the following statement through his press office: "Awk! when I first saw this picture, I thought me nephew was joost passed oout droonk agin. But now I noo the sad truth of it all! And to think he shuffled off this mortal coil owin' his oown ooncle 50 bucks! Aye, I'll be collectin' that debt from ye in hell, laddie!"

What's interesting about this to me is that most of the real "touristy" attractions in the Williamsburg area aren't actually in the city of Williamsburg; for example, Busch Gardens and Water Country are in York County, and the Pottery and outlet malls are in James City County. The Richmond Road corridor is a mass of motels and restaurants, but no real "attractions," per se, with the exception of one mini-golf course (and it's tucked away). The late Bob Denver did propose a "Gilligan's Island" mini-golf course, but that was shot down. Why has Ripley's suddenly become "acceptable"? Possibly because hotel occupancy has been down, I think, thanks to the decline of "historical tourism" (although tourism is looking up in the 'Burg this year). Time will tell.

Never slip the tongue to a Bud Ice--it'll get stuck, and the fire department will have help you out.