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I don't like how the numbers don't match up. 7 team conferences from the east, while western teams have 1 extra team per conference to compete with for a playoff spot...

From what I understand this wasn't the case, really. If anything, people just stayed one day more to do Universal. Even with Harry Potter, I have to imagine that for most people, the difference between $8 per person to stay an extra day at Disney on your "Magic Your Way" ticket is a lot more inviting than about $90 per person for Universal. That might be true, but I just don't think you can explain such a HUGE jump in attendance at Universal without it having some impact on the amount of time people spend on WDW property. Both positively and negatively. I would imagine that you are correct in saying that there are people who are extending their stay at a WDW hotel for an extra night to go to Universal, but I also have to imagine that there are people who cut a day out of their WDW stay to make sure they can see Harry Potter and keep to their budget. And everything else in-between. But going back to what you said earlier, whatever minor dent WWoHP might have made in WDW's massive footprint will all be for naught if they don't stay committed to improving the resort. All the people who visited WWoHP will need a reason to come back. It's definitely not sustainable on its own like WDW. Regarding the staying power of Harry Potter...there's no question it will be a popular franchise for years to come, but it is probably nearing the peak of its earnings potential. It will always be lucrative, but is probably nearing its peak in terms of $$$...

Disney is always going to be the tog dog in Orlando, but Harry Potter had to have been a "chink in the armor" so to speak. I would imagine that Universal's huge boost in attendance had to include guests who chose to stay 1 less day at Disney parks to make time for Potter. But that boost definitely won't last forever. I agree with Robb...it will take sustained growth to REALLY make a dent in the Orlando market. The Potter boost won't last forever.

Whatever your thoughts are on Potter, this will be good for the entire region. Potter will force the other parks to step up their game in a big way to stay competitive. In particular, imagine that after seeing the results from Orlando, Disney won't stand by idly this time and let Harry Potter steal their thunder.

^We could go back and forth all night on this making great arguments as to why one team was more deserving than the other. No doubt Bama's one loss is far better, but IMO Oklahoma State's overall better body of work offsets that (no FCS teams on the schedule, 3 wins over top-15 teams, more quality wins [7 wins over FBS teams above .500 vs 3 for Bama]. The good news in all of this is that is brings us one step closer to a playoff system. ^^Maybe it was buried at the bottom of the schedule, kind of like how I could barely make out Georgia Tech in the "other receiving votes" category at the bottom of the AP Poll.

^Considering some of the movies they are releasing, Comcast's always quality service, and NBC's dominance in the ratings...I think you're much better off taking the dollar for the questions.

^^^Speed always negates speed. "Huh, we can't just keep running the option and out run everyone with our star players?" BTW... Oklahoma State: wins over No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 11 Kansas State, No. 17 Baylor, at No. 22 Texas, at No. 25 Missouri Alabama: wins over No. 8 Arkansas, at No. 21 Penn State (I thought the SEC was amazing and tough and every game is a huge win in conference?)

^^College football is all about offense with the option/spread/etc...unless you have a bad game in the SEC, then is it because the defenses are so "tough."

It's not like they would be filling in a natural lake and dealing with Florida's low water tables...drain the water and its just a giant cement hole.

Most college football games are sure to be more exciting than the BCS title game if we get a Bama/LSU rematch.

Lane Kiffin for coach of the year!

Speaking of that...the shuttle loop at Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park is seriously terrifying. Not a good sound to hear the upstops crashing against the track to keep you in place.

Looks like a great time was had! Bummed I missed it. Glad Kristin's nerf guns are still getting some good use. What about her chicken?

They can always create a backstory to make it work. That's what they did for the wand shop, which is apparently in a different part of the Potterverse.

^Tram loading was where the ATV shuttle is now. You can still see some of the paint on the ground. Queue area was the land that became JP.

They literally just remodeled the entire tram plaza/queue. I don't see it moving. Not to mention the road on which they loaded the kong express is the main around the front lot. They only were able to load trams down there because there was no studio traffic due to it being after business hours.

^I hope whatever replaces Jaws uses all the available space, which is the only reason I can think of that would justify taking out Jaws before those other two "classic" attractions.

That's the thing though...a line doesn't automatically signify it is popular. People can wait an hour and then still give it low scores on the surveys. I'm totally with you though...I probably won't get excited for this expansion unless it is a kick ass credit, as I enjoyed Jaws with a good skipper. I would always ride it w/ express passes or a short wait. Your comparison to Jungle Cruise/Pirates is spot on. By taking out Jaws, the studios park loses a big part of its original identity.

One thing I've learned about ride/show removals: nobody gets upset until it is too late. I imagine Universal has done lots of surveys on the matter, and Jaws probably polled pretty low (it may have always had a longer line...but what did the guests think after they waited an hour for it?) for them to remove it. But now that it will be leaving, everyone will suddenly start to miss it and want it to stay. And then still complain that Universal has "old. And stupid." attractions. So either way UO can't win! I'm personally sad to see it go...it was always fun when you got a good skipper. But I too am guilty of not wanting to wait a long time for it, which means my mindset probably contributed to its demise.

Tokyo is #1 for sure! Other places I enjoy: -LA Coliseum for USC Football -San Diego Gaslamp District -Vegas

^^If you think about it, the Tram Tour is already set up quite well for a SyFy re-theme. Earthquake, Jaws, Flash Flood, Kong...

^Sharktopus can replace Jaws!!! From what I have heard secondhand, WB/JK Rowling are very protective of the brand (understandably so). I'm sure it will eventually work itself out, but I have to imagine they will be in talks for quite awhile to make sure a USJ version of WWoHP meets their standards. Hearing stories like Universal having to talk JK Rowling out of insisting that WWoHP be staffed entirely by British people to keep the theme makes me think the logistics of getting this deal done for USH and any future parks isn't as simple as just a monetary thing. But this report really came out of nowhere (aside from the hint Ron Meyer dropped), so who know for sure! I'm definitely just speculating on my part.

One attraction at a time! We're getting way ahead of ourselves talking about a JP or Mummy replacement to "balance out crowds" 3 years before this land/attraction/whatever it turns out to be is even supposed to open. What I find most interesting is that Disney wanted the rights to Harry Potter on the west coast....

http://boxofficemojo.com/studio/chart/?studio=universal.htm Universal doesn't exactly have much to choose from that they haven't already developed into an attraction...so why not another Potterland?

^The "Harry Potter is just a fad" thing has been beaten to death on this forum already... Tomorrowland is not even a fair comparison. Our vision of "tomorrow" is rapidly evolving, so any land themed to the future will naturally always need to be updated to be current.