3/4/11) I’m not sure how true this is, but according to one insider, IOA was going to attempt to reopen Ripsaw Falls earlier. I don’t know if they did or not, but even if they were unable to do it, it’s a good sign that the ride will reopen very soon.
(3/1/11) I’ve heard is said that Ripsaw Falls has started testing boats again, and if the rumors are true, the ride could reopen again in the very near future. Anyone have a more solid date?
(2/25/11) Don’t look now, but I’m told that Universal has signed a contract with a company to come in and finally repaint the Incredible Hulk. According to the new permit files sent my way, they have hired Baynum Painting to do it, a company well known for their ride painting at the Six Flags theme parks. They even have a special section on their website to list the over 135 roller coasters they have painted throughout the nation… though according to the list, they have never worked for Universal before.
The paperwork was just filed with the county on Feb. 23rd, and according to the description, it will include the Hulk’s”Track, Buildings and Launch Tube”.
(2/17/11) I’ve heard an interesting rumors this week, claiming that at some point in the next 8-10 months we will likely see Spiderman close for an extensive rehab. I’m told that the plan is to replace the projection systems with new current digital projection systems, which may also result in the new of an improved 3-D system. Of course the switch to an all digital system will only make any future possible transformations of the attraction (if they give up the rights to Spiderman) a little easier to handle.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
orlando attractions info
- Star sighting: Jennette McCurdy (of ?iCarly?) at Islands of Adventure
- Star sighting: Jon Stewart at Islands of Adventure
- Welcome to February: Time for exploration, elbow room at theme parks
- Flight of Hippogriff at Wizarding World of Harry Potter for adults, too
- Star sighting: Tom Felton (aka Draco Malfoy) at Universal?s Islands of Adventure
- Yearly attendance, sales and profits soar at Universal thanks to Potter
- Disney Parks chief says Wizarding World hasn?t been a ?dramatic negative? for Disney World
- Universal tweaks Harry Potter ride for fuller-figured fans
- Disney parks chief: Fantasyland expansion plans being redrawn
- Harry Potter beats Mickey Mouse ? but he also helps him
Star sighting: Jon Stewart at Islands of Adventure
Star sighting: Jon Stewart at Islands of Adventure
Talk-show host and comedian Jon Stewart visited Zonkos joke shop at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure on Tuesday. Clowning around with “The Daily Show” personality were his son Nate (front) and nephews Gavin (left) and Colin. (Photo by Roberto Gonzalez/Universal Orlando)
Talk-show host and comedian Jon Stewart visited Zonkos joke shop at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure on Tuesday. Clowning around with “The Daily Show” personality were his son Nate (front) and nephews Gavin (left) and Colin. (Photo by Roberto Gonzalez/Universal Orlando)
Jennette McCurdy, who plays Sam on Nickelodeon series ‘iCarly,’ visited Honeydukes,
sighting: Willie Nelson at SeaWorld Orlando »
Star sighting: Jennette McCurdy (of ‘iCarly’) at Islands of Adventure
Jennette McCurdy, who plays Sam on Nickelodeon series ‘iCarly,’ visited Honeydukes, the candy store at Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the newest section of Universal’s Islands of Adventure, this week. McCurdy was visiting Orlando with family and friends. (Photo by Kevin Kolczynski/Universal Orlando)
Jennette McCurdy, who plays Sam on Nickelodeon series ‘iCarly,’ visited Honeydukes, the candy store at Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the newest section of Universal’s Islands of Adventure, this week. McCurdy was visiting Orlando with family and friends. (Photo by Kevin Kolczynski/Universal Orlando)
Jennette McCurdy, who plays Sam on Nickelodeon series ‘iCarly,’ visited Honeydukes,
sighting: Willie Nelson at SeaWorld Orlando »
Star sighting: Jennette McCurdy (of ‘iCarly’) at Islands of Adventure
Jennette McCurdy, who plays Sam on Nickelodeon series ‘iCarly,’ visited Honeydukes, the candy store at Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the newest section of Universal’s Islands of Adventure, this week. McCurdy was visiting Orlando with family and friends. (Photo by Kevin Kolczynski/Universal Orlando)
Jennette McCurdy, who plays Sam on Nickelodeon series ‘iCarly,’ visited Honeydukes, the candy store at Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the newest section of Universal’s Islands of Adventure, this week. McCurdy was visiting Orlando with family and friends. (Photo by Kevin Kolczynski/Universal Orlando)
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Painting the Incredible Hulk at Universal Orlando!
Painting the Incredible Hulk at Universal Orlando!
February 26, 2011
Due to the Hulk’s unique layout (partially above water) and it’s proximity to surrounding attractions, the repaint will be completed entirely via brush and roll application. A combination of products from industrial paint manufacturers PPG and Color Wheel by Comex will be used on the ride and station house.
Though Baynum Painting has been coating roller coasters for over 25 years, this is their first project for Universal Studios. “We’re incredibly happy to be able to showcase our work on such a marquis coaster like Hulk, in a park that sees over 5 million visitors annually” says owner Chris Baynum.
While the color concept isn’t changing, the new coats of Hulk Green in an incredibly durable urethane from PPG are sure to WOW park visitors for years to come. Stop by Islands of Adventure soon to see our work in progress, and be sure to take Hulk for a ride – it takes off so fast you won’t see much more than a blur of green around you, but rest assured Baynum Painting is making sure that the blur will be bright and shiny!
Check back soon for regular work-in-progress photos and updates.
Photo: It takes a 135 ft boom lift, a pressure washer, and tons of nerve to prep this ride!
Photo: painters Darin and Doug spend the night prepping the station house outside of the launch tube.
Visit Baynum Painting online for more info about the company.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Universal Orlando saw it’s attendance rise 20% in 2010, just by having the Wizarding World of Harry Potter open
(2/16/11) According to the Orlando Sentinel, Universal Orlando saw it’s attendance rise 20% in 2010, just by having the Wizarding World of Harry Potter open for the last six months. All said and done, Universal Orlando had 11.2 million visitors in 2010.
(2/2/11) Now that Comcast has taken over NBC Universal it seems this change of ownership triggers a contract clause that would give Blackstone the rights to sell their 50% stake in Universal Orlando. Of course, according to this other article, Blackstone has raised $15 billion in funds, ripe for use as “a war chest for acquisitions”. After successfully spinning off the former Anheuser Busch owned theme parks into their own company, I do have to wonder if they are thinking about offering to take the rest of Universal Orlando off Comcast’s hands, as the theme park business is unknown territory for Comcast.
(1/21/11) Quick update for the Mardi Gras schedule… the Thirty Seconds to Mars concert has been moved to April 23.
(1/18/11) I forgot to mention that Universal Orlando has confirmed their concert lineup for Mardi Gras. I’ve posted the lineup here (see sidebar) or you can see it over at the official site.
(1/13/11) According to the official Frankie Valli website, a tour date has been set at “Universal Studios Orlando” on February 12th. Could this be the opening act for Mardi Gras 2011?
(1/6/11) Universal Orlando has raised prices and added new blackout dates to their annual passes for 2011. The changes do include a ton of summertime blackout dates for Islands of Adventure due to the popularity of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Read more here.
(12/30/10) If your staying at the Universal Orlando Resort keep and eye open for a brand new ship sailing the waterways between the resorts and Citywalk. I’ve been told that Santa delivered a brand new water taxi to the resort this year dubbed, “Take Two”. I’m told that this is to help replace two other vessels that were retired earlier this year.
(12/28/10) I’m not sure if there is anything to this or not, but one reader claims to have heard about a mystery new slide project that may have been in development for Wet ‘n Wild, somewhere near the lake. Anyone know more?
(12/20/10) It’s just an estimate, but near the end of this article, an analyst with Moody’s Investors Service predicts that Universal Orlando will spend about $80 million on construction in 2011, down from the $105 million average it was pulling in from 2007 to 2010 when they built The Simpsons, Hollywood Rockit and the Wizarding World.
Of course to someone like me who tries to follow and predict the future of the parks, the next few years are somewhat cloudy right now. After finally coming to the end of an intense period of expansion, we see Universal taking a break for 2011. This is much like what happened 10 years ago, when Universal had finished up Islands of Adventure, Men In Black and some other minor additions and tweaks in 2001, Universal just kind of shut itself down from adding anything new for a couple of years until Shrek 4-D opened in 2003 and Revenge of the Mummy in 2004.
So if Universal Orlando is going dark for 2011, do they really have an $80 million project waiting in the wings for 2012, or was that purely blind speculation on the park of Moody’s?
(11/30/10) Few details are given, but it seems a Universal Orlando VP (Jan Stratton) died from a self inflicted gunshot wound over the holiday weekend. The death has been ruled as a suicide from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Jan was the VP of Community and Diversity Relations, responsible for many charitable programs and community events.
(10/21/10) Orlando Parks News has info on an interesting survey Universal was giving to passholders this week, asking how they feel about the idea of adding any number of special new benefits to the annual passes, such as Ride It Again options, free hotel suite upgrades, after-hours park access, free tickets to HHN or Rock The Universe and many other options.
(2/2/11) Now that Comcast has taken over NBC Universal it seems this change of ownership triggers a contract clause that would give Blackstone the rights to sell their 50% stake in Universal Orlando. Of course, according to this other article, Blackstone has raised $15 billion in funds, ripe for use as “a war chest for acquisitions”. After successfully spinning off the former Anheuser Busch owned theme parks into their own company, I do have to wonder if they are thinking about offering to take the rest of Universal Orlando off Comcast’s hands, as the theme park business is unknown territory for Comcast.
(1/21/11) Quick update for the Mardi Gras schedule… the Thirty Seconds to Mars concert has been moved to April 23.
(1/18/11) I forgot to mention that Universal Orlando has confirmed their concert lineup for Mardi Gras. I’ve posted the lineup here (see sidebar) or you can see it over at the official site.
(1/13/11) According to the official Frankie Valli website, a tour date has been set at “Universal Studios Orlando” on February 12th. Could this be the opening act for Mardi Gras 2011?
(1/6/11) Universal Orlando has raised prices and added new blackout dates to their annual passes for 2011. The changes do include a ton of summertime blackout dates for Islands of Adventure due to the popularity of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Read more here.
(12/30/10) If your staying at the Universal Orlando Resort keep and eye open for a brand new ship sailing the waterways between the resorts and Citywalk. I’ve been told that Santa delivered a brand new water taxi to the resort this year dubbed, “Take Two”. I’m told that this is to help replace two other vessels that were retired earlier this year.
(12/28/10) I’m not sure if there is anything to this or not, but one reader claims to have heard about a mystery new slide project that may have been in development for Wet ‘n Wild, somewhere near the lake. Anyone know more?
(12/20/10) It’s just an estimate, but near the end of this article, an analyst with Moody’s Investors Service predicts that Universal Orlando will spend about $80 million on construction in 2011, down from the $105 million average it was pulling in from 2007 to 2010 when they built The Simpsons, Hollywood Rockit and the Wizarding World.
Of course to someone like me who tries to follow and predict the future of the parks, the next few years are somewhat cloudy right now. After finally coming to the end of an intense period of expansion, we see Universal taking a break for 2011. This is much like what happened 10 years ago, when Universal had finished up Islands of Adventure, Men In Black and some other minor additions and tweaks in 2001, Universal just kind of shut itself down from adding anything new for a couple of years until Shrek 4-D opened in 2003 and Revenge of the Mummy in 2004.
So if Universal Orlando is going dark for 2011, do they really have an $80 million project waiting in the wings for 2012, or was that purely blind speculation on the park of Moody’s?
(11/30/10) Few details are given, but it seems a Universal Orlando VP (Jan Stratton) died from a self inflicted gunshot wound over the holiday weekend. The death has been ruled as a suicide from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Jan was the VP of Community and Diversity Relations, responsible for many charitable programs and community events.
(10/21/10) Orlando Parks News has info on an interesting survey Universal was giving to passholders this week, asking how they feel about the idea of adding any number of special new benefits to the annual passes, such as Ride It Again options, free hotel suite upgrades, after-hours park access, free tickets to HHN or Rock The Universe and many other options.
The Incredible Hulk’ Smashes Other Movie Standees
‘The Incredible Hulk’ Smashes Other Movie Standees
on May 13th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Theater lobbies littered with cardboard standees promoting Indiana Jones, Dark Knight, Hellboy II and other movies may be a familiar sight these days, but to paraphrase the Hulk, they’re just "puny banners!"
Selected theaters across the country recently received life-size maquettes to promote the release of The Incredible Hulk on June 13. And when we say "life-size," we mean it!
Measuring over 8-feet tall and as wide as a truck, simply standing next to one of the maquettes is enough to understand why that anonymous soldier in the classic Stan Lee/Jack Kirby origin issue called him a "hulking monster."
You have to wonder which movie theater employee gets to take this home.
Universal Studios Florida
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Universal Studios Florida
Orlando, FL
NBC Universal / Blackstone Group
Click to buy Universal Studios Tickets
Park News - (2/23/11) Over the past several days, many different reports regarding the use and status of the old original Hard Rock Café building at Universal Studios Florida have come in. These included several eye-witness reports of the building itself from over the years, most of which seem to confirm that while the building was never really used as office-space, it does seem like it was used as long-term storage for a period of time as well… though it seems it is no longer used for this purpose either.You may be wondering why, and the one common thread I’ve been told over and over is that the inside of the building is a disaster area. In fact some believe that the damage to the structure itself (possibly from Hurricane damage over the years) may have been significant enough that Universal may have lost their occupancy permit to use the building for anything at all. This story isn’t completely unheard of, as the long closed Murder She Wrote / Herc & Xena theater next to Shrek 4-D has also been closed for many years for a variety of reasons.
That said, the chances of the site being used for a new Haunt for HHN are slim to none at this point.
(2/21/11) There is an interesting rumor found here, claiming that Universal could be eyeballing the old original Hard Rock Café building behind the Woody Woodpecker Nuthouse Coaster as a site for a new haunt for HHN 2011. They even go so far as to suggest that it could be transformed a year-round haunt of some kind, possibly similar in concept to the one they have at the Hollywood park.
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