Jew

^Because he was directly involved with the project.

^I think that is the look they were going for. Full resolution 1080p video, blue skies, etc. sort of takes away from the "Holy sh*t, Kong just destroyed USH!!!" IMO. They were most likely going for the "Cloverfield look" (for lack of a better term). ^^The video Adam posted cuts off the end of the teaser. Here's the full version: http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/attraction_king_kong.html

So after having season tickets since the Galen Center opened, I figured I would finally do a photo TR of the place and revive this thread. For those of you who didn't realize USC had a basketball team, they finally got an on-campus arena to call their own in 2006. Prior to that they played in the AWFUL L.A. Memorial Sports Arena, which I am still waiting to be turned into a parking lot. My dad and I refused to get season tickets prior to the Galen Center opening because of how much we hated that place. Anyways...onward to the photos. Galen Exterior. Right next door to Galen is "The Lab"...best place for a pre-game snack and beer! The arena level concourse. The concourse features replicas of all of USC's NCAA titles (The real ones are on display @ Heritage Hall)... A timeline of USC's national titles... ...And all the times USC athletes have been featured on the cover of SI. Going up to the seating level, you are greeted with this... Peeve: the seating level concourses look so boring and unfinished...which they would match it to the arena concourse! Arena Interior. View from those windows at the end of the arena. Too bad it has to be covered up for TV broadcasts. The view from the top of our section. We're in row 6. There's not a bad seat in the house. The suite level hallway. Suites have only been completed on one side of the arena. I have to find my pictures of the suite interior and unfinished suites on the other side.

They really just don't want to let this story die...geez

Yes, they do. Also there are sensors on each lapbar that tell the computer whether or not it's down far enough. Perhaps on the hypers (not sure about that though), but that's definitely not the case on the inverts and stand-ups.

^^My favorite bar @ Mandalay is Mix at the top of THE Hotel. Amazing view of the strip! Rum Jungle is a fun club w/ no cover. They also have an ice bar as well...$30 bucks to get in. Burger Bar has awesome burgers and good beer on tap! That walk isn't nearly as fun when you're drunk

I share the same opinion as Wes...the patent system is getting completely out of hand. Patent's get granted for things that are so vague, and there are companies out there making millions of dollars of years doing nothing more than "squatting" on vague patents suing all the major companies that "stole" their patent they don't even have enough money to develop on their own. The same BS that Apple is suing HTC for happens to all the giant electronic companies a few times a year...I'm fairly certain Apple has even been the target of these before over the iPhone as well.

Great hotel, bad location. I love the casino there. The pool area also has a lazy river, in addition to the wave pool/beach area. The tram to Excalibur doesn't run 24/7 like it used to anymore, so expect lots of walking if you go anywhere else on the strip at night.

^^My understanding is that the testing should be at no additional cost. The park already has to pay for certain tests under ASTM (stuff like reach envelopes, g-forces, cycle the ride enough to prove its reliable/safe, and some other random stuff I can't remember off the top of my head) to get the state's approval to begin with... The costs involved are probably all the lawyers/managers/etc. it takes to write all the changes to the SOP.

What is there to work on? It's quite a simple process...SOP gets amended, manufacturer/park/state both sign off on it, then they just have to prove to the state that the modification/change is safe when the ride is built. Problem solved.

^^It definitely won't be like Murphy...at least they could still run the show without Murphy. What's the backup plan if the platforms can't operate? My point with all the stuff being old technology was that the show (from what we've seen so far) lacks that "OMG wow!!!" Moment because there's nothing that exciting about simply combining whats already out there into a more presentable package. However, behind the scenes...I am sure that the hardware/software/programming/etc. to combine all these elements we've seen before is probably extremely impressive and high-tech.

^The beauty of Vegas is that there really is something for everyone. Food, shows, art galleries, clubs, strip clubs, gambling, architecture, guns (there's a shooting range right off the strip that lets you shoot automatic weapons), and even a zip line through the desert.

^^While I am not 100% sure, I believe that only the nozzles raise up, while the base remains submerged. Maintenance on the Bellagio is definitely done in the water by divers. This appears to be the first big fountain show where the mechanics are going to be raised so far out of the water. IMO, I think that is going to end up being more trouble than it is worth. Adding a major variable like the platforms to what already promises to be a very high tech show just seems like it is asking for trouble. Bite the bullet, pay the extra money for a yearly draining of the lagoon for maintenance, and stick to what has proven to work so well with Fantasmic/Bellagio/Dubai. But then again, the producers of this show are the same ones who snapped a animatronic dragons neck last year, whom also think it's a good idea to shut down California Screamin' for the show...

"I know you guys just spent almost $3 billion buying this parks...but due to one unfortunate accident, I think it's best you close these parks down immediately." I really hate celebrities.

^What else is he going to say? The board wants the deal to be approved. That letter only presents the worst case scenario as a way to justify the sale. A sale in which Kinzel will pocket almost $4 million from selling his shares AND still be able to keep his job (or get himself a "golden parachute" if he gets fired).

^None of those shows are dependent upon giant mechanical platforms moving up and down every night to function. In addition to all the other technical aspects. I get the feeling the first summer is going to end up being a giant "technical preview."

"We screwed you over once, and we're begging you to accept this buyout so we no longer have to face public scrutiny for our horrible management of the company"

I will die of laughter if this group hires that Steve Baker dude...

Everyone remember what happened last year after Robb mentioned there was only 100 tickets left?...They sold out within 2 weeks IIRC. I actually missed out from waiting too long. Don't let that happen to you this year!

It's a general rule of thumb that the more complex you make something, the more likely it is something will go wrong. The combination of all those electronics, moving items, and water is sure to cause problems. Too much going on.

Why do I get the feeling that this show is going to be a technical disaster?

Awesome update Larry! I'll second Elissa's comments that I'm glad you survived that walk from downtown to the strip. Just walking from Stratosphere to Sahara was scary enough for me.

^^Vdara is an all suite condo/hotel tower. The standard room is definitely bigger. But it's somewhat disconnected from everything else @ city center and the strip. There's just one bar and one cafe as part of the tower, and you have to walk to everything else. If that doesn't bother you...definitely go for Vdara!

^That wasn't media day. That was a special event to promote the new ride. KROQ has hosted all sorts of events at the park over the years, such as free concerts included with admission, park ERT nights, and park ERT+private concerts...so there's really no telling what (if any) event will happen this year.

^I'm the same way... I didn't really feel like there was a need to add a sappy story to the show to begin with. So once I have seen the show once, I have no interest what-so-ever in seeing it again unless I am playing tour guide for someone who hasn't been to Sea World before.