Magic Kingdom Celebrate America Fireworks - July 3rd 2010

Madonna Music Monday - 08/30/2010

If there is one thing that I worship as much as Disney, if not more, its my love for Madonna. In the beginning, I loved EVERYTHING about Madonna: music, movies, videos, posters, toys, books, her history, her life style, you name it. I have tons of Madonna collectibles that I have obtained over the years. But over the years, I have slowed down in my collecting and concentrated more on the music, the most important aspect of Madonna's career. Every Monday, I only listen to Madonna music while I'm at work. Sometimes its a specific album, or a live recording or maybe its a play list of my favorite Madonna ballads. But I ALWAYS listen to Madonna on Mondays. That's why I call it Madonna Music Mondays.

People will ask me: "What's your FAVORITE Madonna song or video?" Well, that's like asking a parent which one of their children is their favorite. It depends on the mood I'm in. It changes all the time. Today, my favorite Madonna song is an "oldie but goodie". Today it's DRESS YOU UP, from the Like A Virgin album.

When I first heard this song, I fell in love with it instantly. The layered instruments at the beginning of the song, the great drum machine programming, the killer synthesizer, great pop lyrics and Madonna's singing complete the package. But what put this song over the edge for me was the live version as performed on Madonna's Virgin Tour of 1985.  This song opened Madonna's tour. The song was released at the height of 'Madonna Mania' in the summer of 1985. When I saw the video of this song, you can tell from Madonna's performance that she was determine to entertain the crowd and put on an amazing concert. Here for your viewing pleasure is the official live video of Dress You Up:

As you can tell, this is a very 80's video. Look at all the girls in the video. This is when every one wanted to dress and look like Madonna. You know, the "Wanna Be's". Do you remember that? But that's another reason why I love this song. It does take me back to that time. I was a sophomore in high school. My friend invited me to go with him to the concert in Chicago. However my very strict parents, well mostly my Father, thought I was too young to go to concerts. So my concert experience with Madonna would have to wait two more years.

So for today, Dress You Up is my favorite Madonna song. Check back next week and see what becomes my favorite Madonna song. And remember:

Gonna dress you up in my love, in my love

All over your body, all over your body

In my love

All over, all over

From your head down to your toes...

John

Walt Disney World Trip - July 2010 - Part Three

Well after a long day at Epcot, it was good to sleep in. For a bit. Today's agenda includes visiting the Magic Kingdom. We woke up at 7:30 and got to the bus line at 8:30am. For some reason, the buses to the Magic Kingdom were taking forever to arrive. We finally got to the Magic Kingdom and we head straight for Fantasyland. Here's a video clip of my niece entering the Magic Kingdom for the 1st time. I always film the reaction of 1st timers when they visit the Magic Kingdom.

As we enter Fantasyland, I check to see what the wait time is for Dumbo. It was only a 15 minute wait so we get in line. As we're standing in line I see how much of Fantasyland has been cleared out for the new expansion. There are construction walls everywhere. Right now it looks empty. I can only imagine what Fantasyland will look like once all the construction is done in 2012. As we ride Dumbo, I film our flight. At this point I can see over the walls and look into the area where all the construction is happening. I can see how much land has been cleared out. I can also see circus tents that have been built. Is this where Dumbo will be moved to? It sure looks like it. Here is the video I filmed while on Dumbo:

After Dumbo, we head over to Peter Pan. The wait is only 30 minutes so get in line. I love this ride. Its one of my favorite Disney films. After Peter Pan, its time for breakfast. We head to Main Street to see what we can find to eat. We head to the Main Street Bakery and grab two breakfast croissant sandwiches. We sit down to eat because its already hot outside. After breakfast, we head towards Splash Mountain to grab Fast Passes for later in the day. We go back to Fantasyland to see if we can catch the showing of Philharmagic. The next showing will start in 5 minutes. Perfect! My plan at this time is to see attractions that are indoors and air-conditioned. Oh, it felt so good to sit-down and get cooled off. After Philharmagic we ride Its A Small World since its basically a walk-on ride.

After Small World, we head into Liberty Square. We immediately head for the Haunted Mansion. In an effort to avoid any fears my niece might have, I explain to her that this is a 'ride'. I tell her not to worry about the ghosts or any of the noises. Then I remember that she actually loves the Haunted Mansion movie starring Eddie Murphy. I tell her the ride is like the movie: scary but with a lot of laughs. She seems ok with it. We go on in and enjoy the ride. I tell her we will ride it again at night. After that we head to the Hall of Presidents. This serves three purposes. One, I have not seen the latest version featuring President Barack Obama. Two, its a historical & educational attraction. And three, its another attraction that's air conditioned. While watching the presentation, I'm amazed at how well they have re-created Obama's likeness. After Hall of Presidents, we go to Splash Mountain to use our Fast Passes. It's gonna feel so good if we get soaking wet on Splash Mountain.

After Splash Mountain we did some walking around and took some pictures. I don't want us to ride everything now. We are scheduled to attend the Wishes Dessert Viewing Party later in the evening. Plus the Magic Kingdom is open until 1am, but I doubt that we will spend all night at the park. We then end up in Adventureland. We proceed to ride Pirates of the Caribbean and then the Jungle Cruise. I can ride the Jungle Cruise over and over. I love hearing those jokes over and over. Since the heat is really starting to climb, we decide to head back to the resort, maybe have a swim, get some lunch or maybe get a nap in before returning to the Magic Kingdom at night.

We decide to grab some lunch when we get back to Pop Century. As I look around the food court to see what looks good, I notice that there is a daily special. These daily specials are served in cute TV-dinner like aluminum trays. Today's special was turkey and veggies, but I was not hungry for that. As I look at the over-head menu screen I see that they have Shrimp Lo Mein. Now we're talking.

As you can see, the Lo Mein costs $8.49. But since I was on the free counter-service dining plan, in the picture on the right you can see what else comes with the entree. I have to admit I was not sure if I was gonna enjoy being in this dining plan. But it was more than enough food. Every time I got food and went to the register to use my plan, I was always told to go back for more snacks and drinks. I only paid for two meals thru-out the weekend: once for Sci-Fi Dine Inn at Disney Hollywood Studios and for Angel San Miguel in Epcot. At one point, I thought maybe I had gotten too many credits on my dining plan and that I would end up not using all my credits. But that was not the case. Well as soon as we got our food and found a booth to eat in, I look outside and guess what I see: RAIN! Yes, its pouring again. And I mean POURING. Well we then take our time eating our lunch.

After lunch, we head back to our room to rest. We are not due back at the Magic Kingdom till around 8pm to attend the fireworks dessert viewing party. Its about 3pm, so I set up a wake-up call for 6pm. I quickly end up snoozing. At 6pm, the phone rings for my wake-up call. I get up and take a quick shower and get dressed. I look out the window and its still raining lightly. At this point I get worried that the dessert party might get cancelled because of the rain. So from the hotel room, I called Disney Dining to ask my question. If the fireworks are cancelled due to the rain, will the party be cancelled and will I get a refund? It turns out NO. Since the dessert viewing party is held under a covered terrace at the Tommorowland Terrace, there is no need to cancel. So with that news, we get ready to head back to the Magic Kingdom.

So as we head back, its slightly misting. Not too bad. We make our way to the Terrace and sign in. We get wristbands and we get escorted to our assigned table. Our table is close to the edge of the balcony, so if we sit at out table we should have a clear view of the Castle and the fireworks. Of course that's not gonna happen.

So we start eating. OMG! There are desserts EVERYWHERE! Everything looks good. Everything taste good. Here is what you can look forward to if you sign up for the dessert party:

As it gets closer to 9pm, I see people start to stand against the railing's edge to watch the fireworks. I get my video camera and we do the same. Two people grab their umbrella's to stand at the railing, which is not covered by the Terrace roof. Their umbrella's are HUGE, like golf course size umbrella's. Well some people get upset because this now blocks the view of those who are seated at their tables. I guess someone must have told a Cast Member that their view was being blocked by the umbrellas. A Cast Member went up to the the 'umbrella people' and told them they would have to put their umbrellas away and that if they did not want to get wet from the rain, they should were ponchos or sit at a table. I thought this was awesome. I'm glad a CM took charge of the situation. The fireworks start. They are just wonderful. The fireworks we watched were the Celebrate America fireworks for the July 4th holiday. I did not get to see the fireworks finale because 10 minutes into the show, my niece tells me that she has to go to the bathroom. NOW. So I take her right away. I guess I should have asked before the fireworks started. I mean, we did eat tons of desserts for an hour before the fireworks. Lesson learned.

After the fireworks, its time to find Mickey Mouse to get our picture taken with him. We head to Toon Town and go to Mickey's Judge's Tent. There we find Mickey and Minnie!! We get our pics taken and now I feel our trip is complete. After taking the pictures, we ride some attractions. We ride Buzz Lightyear, Big Thunder Mountain (3 times!), the Tomorrowland Speedway, the Mad Tea Cups and Stitch's Great Escape. We tried to ride Space Mountain, but the wait was way over an hour. By then we knew it was time to call it a day and night. So we head back to Pop Century, with snacks in hand. We start packing up our things because we leave the next day. I always hate this part. Oh well, all great things must come to an end. Time to get some sleep. The next day, Sunday July 4th, will be our Animal Kingdom day.

John

Walt Disney World Trip - July 2010 - Part Two

So today is July 2nd and we are up early. Today is EPCOT day. Plus today is day that Captain EO is returning to the Imagination Pavilion. As a fan of Michael Jackson, I think bringing back this classic attraction to the Disney parks is a great tribute to the musical legacy of Jackson. Also on our agenda: buy every Pokemon toy that can be found in the Mitsukoshi store in the Japanese pavilion. My niece is a HUGE fan of Pokemon, Japanese cartoons and 80's video games. She's anxious to visit the store. She wants to shop like she's really shopping in Japan. Kids these days. You just never know what is gonna spark a child's interest.

So we're up at 6:30am and we're on the bus by 7:45am. We get to Epcot by 8am. As we walked up to the park entrance I was expecting to see a line of people waiting to get in for the day. There were only two other guests. A young man and a woman. They were cast members who wanted to see the 1st showing of Capt EO. Since it was only us four, I didn't think that would be a problem. So for the next 45 minutes we all talk, mainly about Michael Jackson. As time goes by, I notice more guests arriving. By 8:30 a good line had formed. As it gets closer to 8:45am, we are told by a cast member that they will be opening the turnstiles soon. They ask if we are in line to see Capt EO and we all say yes. The cast member tells us that when they open the turnstiles, we are to make our way to the Innovation Fountains where there will be a rope drop line waiting for us. As we get to the rope drop, we meet another cast member. He is talking to another cast member who is about 20 feet away. The cast member tells us that we can walk on thru to the Imagination Pavilion and go into the Capt EO building. At this point, we start walking at a faster pace to Capt EO. In the following video clip, you can see us walking to Capt EO:

As you can see in the video, Epcot was going to have a red-ribbon ceremony to re-open Capt EO. They had a television crew and photographers. All of a sudden there was excitement in the air. In the following clip, you can watch the entire red-ribbon cutting ceremony:

After the ribbon-cutting, we walked into the waiting area. In this area, they have various tv screens that showed  the original pre-show queue video from 1986. Here is the complete pre-show video from Capt EO:

After the pre-show video ended, we enter the auditorium and sat down. We pretty much sit in the very center of the auditorium. Everyone is excited to see Capt EO. I can't believe this video is from 1986, it seems so LONG AGO! LOL!  After the film, I buy my Capt EO souvenirs that are located at a stand outside of the attraction building. I buy a t-shirt, baseball cap, a button and 3 pins. I like to thank my friend Nik G. for the Disney Gift Card that helped pay for the souvenirs. Thanks Nik!!!

So after Capt EO, it was time for breakfast. So we head over to Sunshine Seasons at The Land. I had the adult breakfast platter while my niece had the bacon, cheese and egg croissant. The platter was plentiful and tasty and my niece loved her croissant. After breakfast, we rode Living with the Land which was only a 5 minute wait. After that, we headed over to Finding Nemo which was a 10 minute wait. Here is the video of the ride thru for Finding Nemo:

After riding Finding Nemo, we checked how long the wait was for Spaceship Earth. It was only 15 minutes, so we got in line. I love this attraction. In addition to Judi Dench's narration, I love the cartoon that is made while you ride. It always makes me laugh. 

After Spaceship Earth, we decided what to ride next. We got Fast Passes for Soarin to use later in the day. So we walked over to Test Track and the wait was 30 minutes. We went for it. As we walked thru the queue, I can tell my niece has gotten quiet for some reason. Then we go into the waiting area to see the Test Track pre-show video. After watching the video, my niece tells me that she does not want to ride Test Track. I ask why. She says that she does not want to be in the car when it crashes like she saw in the pre-show video. She then starts crying a bit. I quickly calm her and tell that the video is fake and that we are NOT gonna crash in the ride. I then show her the cars that are coming back from taking their spin. After she sees that people are laughing, she calms down and is ok to ride Test Track. Here is the video of us on Test Rack:

After Test Track, its time to head into the World Showcase. Especially, its time to shop in the Japan Pavilion. My niece has been so anxious to see the Japanese department store and all the Pokemon toys they might have. As we enter the store, my niece's eyes grow HUGE. She runs from counter to counter. She eyes all the Hello Kitty dolls. She sees all the cartoon books. And then she finds THEM. All the Pokemon toys one can find. Well she starts grabbing one of each and fills up a basket with Pokemon toys. Pink ones, blue ones, green ones, red ones, brown ones, you name it. I think after she was done figuring out which Pokemon toys she wanted, she had bought some 25 stuffed toys. Thank god I told her to pack an extra empty duffel bag so that way she could carry these back home. I think my niece is kinda crazy. But that's ok with me!

After buying every Pokemon in the store, my nice is intrigued by the Pearl station. She wants to get one, so I said go ahead. Some background info: my niece made her 1st Communion earlier this year. We had a party to celebrate. She pretty much got cash from all her relatives. She had over $300 to spend on this trip. She was doing well for herself. LOL!

Now that we have bags of stuffed toys and that its very, very hot, I decide we should head back to POP to put away our purchases and hopefully take a much needed swim. Thank god there is no rain now. We jump into the Computer Pool and swim for about a hour. IT FELT SO GOOD! My niece has fun swimming. I just lay down by the steps that go into the pool. Only my head is barely above the water level. It felt so good just being in the pool. Well its now close to 5pm and its time to head back to Epcot for our 6pm dinner in Mexico.

We head into the Mexico pavilion and go to the counter at the San Angel Inn restaurant to check in. As we wait to be seated, many people are coming up to the counter to ask if there are any available seating. The hostess tells them they are booked solid for the holiday weekend. Lucky I planned my meals and got my reservations! After 5 minutes, we get seated. Right away I order some Tortilla soup to start my meal. As I'm sitting at the table, I start texting on my phone. I'm Twitting. I'm texting my sister back home. I'm posting updates to Facebook. As I'm doing this, the waitress brings my soup and places it in front of me. I'm still texting and sending messages back home. All of a sudden, my phone slips out pf my hands and falls into the soup!!! All I do is stare at my phone in my soup. There's nothing I can do but stare. I'm sure all the spices and oils are getting into my phone and killing it. My phone is now dead. All I can think now is do I need to phone anyone while I'm at Disney World. I was phoning my sister a couple times a day to let her know that her daughter is doing fine. Well either I gotta find a pay phone, make expensive calls from the hotel room or find a place to buy a pre-paid phone card. I'll decide what to do later. I take the phone out of my soup and I try to dry it off. The waitress comes back and asks if everything is fine. I tell her yes, everything is fine. I order the Chicken Mole for dinner and my niece orders the Quesadilla de Pollo. Oh yea, I also order a Margarita because I really need it now.

After dinner, we go ride the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros. I love how they FINALLY incorporated the Three Caballeros into a ride at Disney World. This ride is one of my personal favorites. After Gran Fiesta, we make our way around World Showcase. We ride the Maelstrom in Norway. We take pictures in the various World Showcase countries. I finally decide I need to make two calls back home. Since I don't have any loose change on me I gotta use my credit card to make my calls.

WARNING: DON'T MAKE CREDIT CARD PHONE CALLS FROM EPCOT BECAUSE THEY ARE VERY VERY VERY EXPENSIVE!!!

I made two 5 minute calls from a pay phone to my sister and my partner to let them know my phone died and I will somehow make a daily call to check in. Each one of this calls ended up costing $21.26 a call!!! Well there's two t-shirts I didn't get to buy at Disney World!!

As we make our way around World Showcase, I see grey clouds forming. You know what that means: more rain. So we are gonna skip Illuminations (Yes...I hear the SCREAMS from fans all around the world saying 'How could you skip Illuminations!!!"). I have booked the Wishes Dessert Viewing Party for the next night, so at least we'll see ONE fireworks show on this trip and that should be enough for my niece. Plus we have been up since 6:30am, so we are a bit tired. Plus the heat has gotten to us. Plus swimming kinda relaxed us too. On the way out we ride Soarin' with the fast passes we got earlier in the day. What a great way to end a day at Epcot! So we head back to the resort, get some snacks, go back to the room, shower and change and get comfy in bed and watch some Phineas and Ferb on TV. I swear they MUST have a Phineas and Ferb channel at the resorts because that's all we watched on TV. My niece loves this show, so letting her stay up to watch the show is an special treat. Soon enough sleep takes over. Tomorrow's agenda: as much as we can at the Magic Kingdom, getting Mickey Ears, getting our photo taken with Mickey Mouse and watching the Celebrate America Fireworks with the Dessert Viewing Party. That's gonna be another long day!!!

John

Walt Disney World Trip - July 2010 - Part One

So as I have written before, I recently visited Disney World over the 4th of July weekend. I took my 9yo niece Bianca on her 1st Disney trip. I originally told my niece and nephews that when they turn 10 years old, I would take them to Disney World. Well what prompted to take my niece a year earlier to Disney World? Usually my family (Mom, Sis, her three children and I) take a weekend trip to Wisconsin Dells for the 4th of July. But back in December, my Mom took a nasty slip and fall on black ice and she has been recovering from ankle surgery and therapy. We decided to cancel the trip for this year. Well I started thinking if it was feasible to take my niece to Disney World instead. After spending a few hours on Disney.com, pricing some various options, it turns out that Disney was offering a 'Summer Kids Stay and Play Offer'. Well, that's all I need to book the trip. I added the quick service dining plan for the trip to give it a try. Our trip was for July 1st to 4th, Thursday to Sunday. We were booked at the Pop Century Resort. I always wanted to stay at this resort. Plus I wanted to stay at POP before they start any changes or rehabs to the resort when the new Art of Animation Resort is built next to POP.

So on July 1st, we head out to Chicago's Midway Airport, which is located 10 minutes away from where my mother and sister live. We are flying Southwest Airlines and our flight is at 6am. Yes I know, its gonna be a long day! We arrive in Orlando around 9:30am and we head directly to Disney's Magical Express ticket counter, located at the baggage level of the airport. After we check-in with Magical Express, we get corralled into the line that will take us to the POP Century resort. After a 20 minute wait we board a bus and we're on the way. After dropping off guests at Disney's Caribbean Resort, we arrive at POP. We then head into the lobby and look for the line designated for those who already registered on-line. I step-up to the counter and tell the Cast Member my info. He heads to a desk behind him and searches for a folder with all my resort info. He hands us our resort keys that have my park tickets and quick service dining plan on them. Since we arrived at the resort by 11am, the room is not ready. The Cast Member asks if I want a text message or phone call when the room is ready. I say text message might work best.

Now that we're at Disney World, what do we do? Well since we have been traveling all morning, I think lunch is in order. We go to the POP Century food court that's located in the main lobby of the resort and check out what's available. I love the food courts that are located in the Value Resorts, and the one in POP Century is awesome. From sandwich's, salads, personal pizzas and daily specials, the food court has plenty to offer. My niece gets the children's chicken tenders and I get the adult chicken breast nuggets. Both are very good and satisfies our hunger. Now its time to hit the parks. Today's park is Disney Hollywood Studios.

Its now about noon as we take the bus from POP Century to DHS. The most important thing I want to get accomplished is to get Fast Passes for Toy Story Mania. With it being the holiday weekend, I'm afraid we might not get to ride Toy Story. When we arrive to DHS, we go to guest services and request a 1st Visit button for my niece. We get one and then head into the park. We head over to Pixar Place and see that all the Fast Pass machines are covered. My fear has been realized: all the Fast Passes for the day have been distributed. Its now about 12:30pm. We go check what the stand-by time is for Toy Story. Its listed at 110 minutes. And another thing: IT'S HOT AS HADES!!! So there's no way my niece and I are waiting three hours in line, in the heat, in the sun for Toy Story. I decide we will come back at night and hopefully the line is shorter then. You can see in the following video clip how long the line for Toy Story was:

Since its hot, we need an in-door attraction to cool off. We head over to MuppetVision3D. As we walked in, the next show was starting in 5 minutes. Perfect! I love the Muppets, you can never go wrong with the Muppets. After MuppetVision, we headed into The Great Movie Ride. This is one of my fave attractions. I love watching classic films on the big screen. Today's tour included the 'Cowboy' show. I've never seen this version of the attraction before and it was great. After the Movie Ride, we walked over to the Tower of Terror and Rock N' Roller Coaster to see how long the time waits were. For Rock N' Roller Coaster is was 20 minutes, so we got in line. While moving thru the line, you could tell how hot the day was. But as soon as we got into the building of the attraction, the AC was blowing full blast and it felt good. This was gonna be my niece's 1st ride on a major roller coaster. I was kinda nervous because this considered the most intense of the coasters at Disney World. My niece is tall for a 9 year old and she is pretty tom-boyish, so I thought she would be fine. As we got into the ride, all seemed fine. As we rode Roller N' Coaster, I was trying to hear if my niece was screaming. How could I with all the loud Aerosmith music playing in my ears. As the ride came to its end, I leaned over to see my niece's reaction. She asked if the ride was over. I said it was. Then she said 'Is that it?' That's when I knew she would be ok. As we stepped out of the ride building, it was close to 3pm and time for our reservation at Sci-Fi Dine In. As we checked in, the cast member said our reservation was actually for 3:30pm. But since it was only two of us, they could seat us sooner, and in 5 minutes they did.

For our meal, I had the Italian Grilled Chicken Sandwich with bruschetta topping served on a kaiser roll with french fries plus a vanilla flavored Coke. My niece just had a strawberry milkshake. She's on vacation, she can eat whatever she wants!  After our meal, I checked to see if Pop Century has texted me with my room info. They have! Since it has gotten very hot, we could use a break. Plus I wanna make sure that Magical Express has delivered our luggage. We take the 15 minute bus ride back to POP Century. As we arrive at POP, I notice some grey clouds are forming. Is a rain storm coming? We'll see. We are in room #7132 in the 80's section. When I did my on-line registration, I requested a ground floor room in the 80's section because my niece is a fan of 80's video games like Pacman and Pokemon. I was happy that my request was honored.

As we enter the room, we see our luggage. All is good! Since we wanna re-fresh, we decide to go for a quick swim in the nearby Computer Pool. So we change into our swim wear. As we approach the pool, I notice that the life-guards are telling guests to empty the pool. Well my niece is so excited, she just right into the pool before I can tell her no. Seems like a rain storm is rolling in and they need the pools empty. Oh well. So we head back to the room to shower and relax while it rains. I think we took a two hour nap. After our nap, we get up and I check if its still raining. It is. So what to do. The rain is more like a misting, so we decide to wear our rain-gear and head back to the Studios to at least ride Toy Story Mania. As we head into the park, I see there are less crowds than the afternoon. Hopefully this means there are fewer lines for rides. So we head directly to Toy Story and the wait is less than 30 minutes. So we jump right into line. The line actually moves fast. Here is a clip of us going thru the line in Toy Story Mania:

My niece and I had a blast on Toy Story. This is definitely one of the best rides at any Disney park. My niece wants to ride again, but the wait time is now back up to 60 minutes. Oh well, next time I tell her. Its still raining pretty good, so I think Fantasmic! is out of the question for this trip. We then head over to see how long the wait is for Tower of Terror. Its only 20 minutes so we head in. I explain to my niece what to expect so that she is not really scared by the ride. We get on and she LOVES Tower of Terror. I love the new enhancements to the ride. We get to ride Tower twice. After that, it was getting close to 9pm and we are pretty much tired since we have been up since 4am. So we head back to POP and get some late night snacks to take back to the room. We end up watching some TV before bed. But finally sleep takes over. Thus ends a great 1st day of our trip. We plan on getting up early on Friday because we want to get to Epcot real early because this is the day that Captain EO returns. Hopefully we can.

John

Madonna, I Love You...Always...

I know what your thinking: 'Gee John, how predictable is it that you LOVE MADONNA?' Well, my affection for Ms. Ciccone does go back to 1982, when I first heard Madonna singing on the radio. That was when I was 12 years old. I was starting high school. The 80's were in full swing. MTV was on the air for only a year. That was when music was FUN. That was when music had 'a good beat and you could dance to it.' Oh, the good old days! My love for Madonna goes beyond my love for her music. And its not as simple as 'she understands me thru her music.' There have been times in my life when things were not going well and I needed some encouragement that things were gonna be okay. And without warning, a Madonna song would come out that would put things in perspective. Yes I do believe that pop music is the soundtrack to one's life. But more importantly, I understand Madonna and her music.

In the beginning, I needed music to call my own. I needed to connect to an artist that was doing something new and different. My parents had Presley, the Beatles, Sinatra. In the 70's it was Donna Summers and Disco. Its no wonder I love dance music. So when I first heard EVERYBODY, it sounded familiar but I knew it was new. With this song I was intrigued. With her 3rd single HOLIDAY, I was hooked. A song that still sounds amazing. It is one of the best written pop songs. It has elements of Disco, Doo-Wop and classic R&B soul. It just sounds great. During the 80's we know Madonna was making a name for herself. First thru her music, and then thru her actions. With the release of her 2nd album, Like A Virgin, Madonna Mania was born. Dancing in a wedding dress on MTV. Releasing old nude pictures in Playboy AND Penthouse. Her relationship with Sean Penn. It was the beginning of Wanna-Be's. But for me, I was truly invested in the music. Like A Virgin was released when I was going thru puberty in high school. I was also questioning my sexuality. It was a scary time. I did feel like I was losing my mind. Somehow I was able to get thru another day. Somehow I survived and I was able to 'live to tell' my tale.

During the late 80's and 90's, Madonna's music changed. It was emotional. It was personal. It got deep. I started paying more attention to the lyrics. It was now about life and its challenges. It was about the choices we make and the consequences from them. It was about pain, remorse and growth. Two of my favorite Madonna songs are ballads: 1986's Live To Tell and 1994's Take A Bow. With Live To Tell, its not about the singing, its about the emotional pain expressed. At the time critics said that Madonna was not a great singer, but she knew how to sing a song and get the emotional heart of a song expressed. The version of Live To Tell  that I love is the live version from Madonna'a 1987 Who's That Girl World Tour. It is such an emotional and powerful performance. Madonna delivers every line from this song with such conviction and pain. The ending of this performance is so haunting. Take a look and listen to this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5dEzeZzob0&feature=related

In 1994, I was trying to fill the void that was created from a failed relationship. I meet this guy that was wrong on every level: he had no job, he was a pot-head, a drug dealer, was attached to another guy and was emotionally empty. But for what-ever reason, he wanted to be with me and I thought that was enough to maintain a relationship. Well, that quickly got tired and old. I needed to end the relationship, somehow, in a way that he would know why I was ending the relationship. I heard Take A Bow on the radio. I studied the lyrics to the song. It expressed exactly what I was feeling at the time. This is was my 'Dear John' song to my ex. I made a copy of the song onto a cassette tape (Back in the day we used to make 'mix-tapes'...a playlist of songs that expressed our feelings...how very 1994!) I went over to the guy's apartment and left the cassette in his mailbox. For five days he tried calling me. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Then he stopped calling. I think he finally got the clue. Whenever I hear this song I think about that time in my life. Nowadays I'm friends with 'the other guy'. Funny how things work out in the end. Take A Bow is not only a beautiful song, but it has a beautiful video for it. Take A Bow is considered Madonna's best charted song. Take a look at it here:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDeiovnCv1o

In the late 90's, Madonna started to get political in her music. She had something importat to say. Some of her fans listen, alot didn't. I did. I understood what she was saying: Stop the Violence, Stop the Fighting, Save Mother Earth, Rock The Vote, Love One Another, We Are All One. In 1998, she released her Ray of Light album. What was the 'Ray of Light'? Was it God? Hope? Faith? The Beginning? The End? For me, it was about taking responsibilty for my actions. It was about making a change in my life. I was now 30 years old. I was growing up. I'm still a kid at heart at times, but I know my limits now. I love how this soing has a pyschodelic sound to it. And when performed live, the song rocks! Here Madonna sings the song at the Live Earth concert from 2007:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmJTPe_MG1s

In 2003, Madonna released her most political album American Life. She was tired of war, she was tired of President Bush's policies. She was screaming for change. Again no one listened. But at that point she didn't care. It was more about making a statment and taking a stand instead of selling cd's and making a buck. I like that. I like that a lot. To this day, I think American Life is an under-rated and mis-understood album. Maybe in 20 years, people will understand it or maybe not. The important fact is that I understand it now.

In the past 5 years, Madonna has gone back to her dance roots and party vibe. Her last two albums, Confessions on a Dance Floor and Hard Candy, are all about the 'groove'. With a touch of personal interspect. On Confessions, she is on a dancing spritual journey, searching for her Nirvana. On Hard Candy, she accepts the failure of a long-distance celebrity marriage. Not what you expect when it comes to dance music, but that's Madonna.

Well as you can tell, I have deep respect and love for Madonna. Its not because she makes me dance and sing, its because she also makes me think. Some artists are meant to do the same thing over and over, without evolving and growing as an artist. Madonna has not 're-invented' herself over the years, she has evolved. She keeps pushing her artist mind and puts out music that's meant to be dance to and analized. Madonna has longed proven she is not a one-trick pony. And she is far from over. I think Madonna still has a lot to say. And I'll be here waiting to hear what she has to say and dancing to her beat. Which by the way is also my beat. Strike A Pose. Live To Tell. Holiday. Celebrate. Love Makes The World Go Round.

John

You're Going to Disney...AGAIN?...WHY???

I'm sure you've been in this situation: a friend, a family member or an acquaintance asks "So where are you going on your vacation?" To which you reply DISNEY. At this point, you get the LOOK. And you know what look I'm talking about. The look that says YOU ARE CRAZY. The LOOK is then followed by "AGAIN?" and "WHY?" Why would any person take repeated trips to Disneyland or Walt Disney World or to any of its international theme parks. What is it about Disney theme parks that requires repeated visits, year after year. Even multiple visits a year. And in my case, visits to Disney parks on BOTH coasts in the SAME YEAR! Why do I keep going back, time after time. Haven't I "done it all, seen it all?" Well maybe, but that's not the reason why I re-visit Disney. It goes much deeper than "I really love riding the spinning Mad Tea Cups!" It has more to do with why I feel 'connected' with Disney and what Disney represents to me over the course of my life. I'm not saying I have an obsession with Disney, thou others would. I'm just saying that for me its more than just animated films, happy songs and Mickey Mouse. And YES, I REALLY LOVE riding the spinning Mad Tea Cups!!!

So where did it start? What's my 1st connection with the 'Disney Magic'? Being born in 1969 might explain this. I was pretty much raised on classic Disney films: Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Dumbo, Mary Poppins and my personal favorites Peter Pan & Pinocchio. As I grew older, I watched more Disney films, was a regular viewer of The Wonderful World of Disney on TV and I liked to listen to songs from various Disney films and cartoons. I still have a Disney LP (you know a vinyl record) that has songs like Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf, Give A Little Whistle, The Un-Birthday Song and more. I used to play that record all the time. At least every weekend. But if I were to pin-point the 1st moment that something Disney connected with me, it had to be when I was 10 years ago and vacationing with my family in Mexico.

My parents are from Mexico. Every year we would take trips to Mexico to visit and stay with my father's family. This included an aunt, an uncle and a grandmother. Now my aunt was really sweet. She used to take my sister and I shopping all over Monterrey, Mexico. She would buy us toys, candy, books and other things. This particular year, we had taken the Greyhound bus to get to Mexico and back. On the day we were set to leave, my family and my aunt did some last minute shopping. There was an open market next to the bus station. As we were walking around, I found a ceramic Pinocchio money bank. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I wanted to get it so badly. But for some reason my mom did not want to buy it. At the bus station, we started to say bye to my aunt. As I said bye to her, she handed me a newspaper wrapped package. She told me to be careful with it. She had bought the Pinocchio bank for me. This is probably one of the most cherished things I own. 

When I look at this Pinocchio money bank now, I think about a lot of things. I think about my aunt who gave it to me. I think about Disney. I think about Mexico. I think about my youth. I think about my father, who has passed away. Who knew one item could hold so much baggage?

As I grew older, things changed. I think 'life' just happened and took over. The 80's happened. I realized I was gay. Madonna came into my life and became my other life's obsession. More about that on a later blog. I didn't stop loving Disney, it was just put on the back burner.

But then in 1989 something happened that made me re-connect with my love for Disney. The Little Mermaid film was released that year. Its fair to say that because of this film, Disney was given a new lease on life and it has become the "Disney" that we know today. The Little Mermaid reminded everyone what it takes to become a classic film: great story, great songs, great villains, humor and the triumph of good over evil. The fact the movie has the feel of a Broadway musical to it only makes it that much better. Not only was I interested in seeing the movie, but I was also interested in the elements that went into making the movie. Who directed the film? Who wrote the music for the film? Who was the singer singing Ariel's songs? Was the character of Ursula based on real-life drag queen singer Divine? These are the questions I wanted answers to. This is when I knew I became a 'Disney Dork'.

As much as I loved Disney, the idea of my parents taking my sister and I to Disney World was never an option. My father liked to travel, but not a big scale. No cross-country trips for us. My family only made two trips a year: the trip to Mexico to visit family and a summer trip to near-by Wisconsin Dells. A co-worker of my father's told him he should take us to 'The Dells' because they had water parks, shopping, carnivals, water shows and much more. I've been going to the Dells for 30 years.

In 1990, I made my first trip to Walt Disney World. It was only a matter of time that I would figure out how I would do it. It turned out two of my friends wanted to go to Orlando for a vacation. Disney World, Universal Studios and Bush Gardens were on the agenda. I didn't think visiting the Magic Kingdom was going to be such an emotional experience for me. Right before the trip I was having some relationship issues. The trip was going to serve as a distraction to what was going on in my life. No such luck.

I clearly remember the day we went to the Magic Kingdom. We picked up our tickets. We walked over to the turnstiles. We went thru them. And I stood in front of the Mickey Mouse flower bed. I read the sign that is located above the railroad station. THE MAGIC KINGDOM. Without thinking, I dropped to my knees and I kissed the ground. I stood up and started walking under the train tracks. In tears. I was finally HERE. I was at The Happiest Place on Earth. From that moment on, I entered into another level of Disney worship. I was finally seeing with my own eyes, hearing with my own ears and touching with my own hands what I had seen and heard on TV. The Disney Dork was at his dorkiest. From that moment on, my two friends will tell this story to anyone who has the time to listen. You gotta have friends like that.

From that trip I learned to yell on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I laughed on the Mad Tea Cups. I saw ghosts hitch a ride in the Haunted Mansion. I screamed LOUDLY on Space Mountain because I thought I was gonna lose my head. I went treasure hunting on the Pirates of the Caribbean. And I re-connected with my childhood friends: Peter Pan, Dumbo and Winnie the Pooh. From then on, I always wanted to be at The Happiest Place on Earth. And for awhile, I was.

So I did make a few more trips back to Disney World in the early 90's. But I only visited the Magic Kingdom and Disney-MGM Studios, as it was known back then. I visited Epcot once, and that was because I wanted to see Captain EO staring Michael Jackson. I was stupid about touring the parks back then. I've since learned my lesson.

Well by the mid 90's Life had taken over...again. I was not in a relationship, I was busy 'enjoying life' and another city with a major attraction had won my heart: New York City and Broadway. I used to visit New York two, maybe three times a year, just to see as many Broadway shows as I could. It was a crazy time for me. I seemed to be going no-where fast. I finally got my act together. I finally settled down into a steady relationship. I was finally happy again.

After some time, it was time to re-visit Disney World. My partner thought a trip to Walt Disney World would be good since he had never been and it had been awhile for me. We decided on a 5 day trip, staying at the All-Star Music resort visiting the week after Thanksgiving of 2004. We had done our homework this time. We were gonna visit all four parks. We were gonna attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. We were gonna attend the Candlelight Processional in Epcot. We were gonna see the Osbourne Festival of Lights. We were going to do some shopping at Downtown Disney. This is when I realized that Disney had changed a lot since my trips in the early 90's and that there was so much more to see and experience.

Walt Disney once said that "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world." This holds true for all the Disney parks. Its easy for me to tell people the reason I keep going back to Disney World, and now Disneyland, is because they do have new rides and attractions that weren't there on my previous trips. But the truth of the matter is that when I visit a Disney park, its like being at home. Disney has been a major part of my life. From the movies, the music, the TV shows and now its theme parks. And the fact that there's a place that is a physical extension of my memories and my feelings is truly amazing. Since 2004, I have been to Disney World seven times and I have been to Disneyland three times, with my fourth trip coming up in October. When I go on a Disney vacation, I do feel that I leave the real world behind and I'm going somewhere happy and magical. I won't say that it 'completes me'. My family, friends and love ones do that. But it does provide immense happiness and comfort when I'm there.

So exactly what point was I trying to make? That I'm a Disney Dork? I think that's very clear. That I could never get enough of Disney? Yea that too. The fact is, if something makes you happy time and time again, then so be it. People should not ask "Why?", they should just say "Good for YOU!" I do have friends and family members that wish me a good time on every trip I take. I visited Disney World this past July with my 9yo niece. It was hot and rainy most of the time. But we did a lot fun things together. Most importantly, we made some great memories together. That just made the whole experience so much rewarding. And for me, that's why I will continue to go on Disney trips, time and time again.

John

Ellen Degeneres: Thanks For Saying "No More" to Idol...

Well I guess the big entertainment news of the week was the announcement that Ellen Degeneres will not return to American Idol as a panel judge next year. (News also broke that Kara DioGuardi was fired from American Idol, but I really DON'T CARE about her!) All I can say about this is THANK GOD!!!

1st and foremost, I LOVE ELLEN! I think Ellen is a great comedian. I think her talk show is the best show on the air right now (my all-time fave talk-show: The Rosie O'Donnell Show because it featured Broadway actors & performances...yea, yea...I know, I know!). I think she has done amazing charity work and promotion in regards to animal causes. I think she, more than anyone, has kept New Orleans in the news and has done a lot to bring attention to the recovery efforts of the city after Hurricane Katrina's destruction. She is the gay role model I respect the most. And I love how she connects with people and is able to bring their stories to life. Ellen, to me, is REAL.

But the question that needs to be asked is 'Why is Ellen Quitting Idol?' The official answer that Ellen gave about her decision was this:

"It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for. I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings."

I do believe this explanation as to why Ellen was not a good choice to be a judge on American Idol from the get go. When Paula Abdul left American Idol, the producers thought that they could just replace Abdul with someone who had experience performing in front of an audience, could relate with people and be funny. While Ellen does perform in front of audiences, could relate to people and is very,very funny, she is not Abdul 'funny'. I think the Idol producers made a mistake thinking 'acting funny' was the same as 'being funny'.

When Ellen joined the Idol cast, I asked myself: "Is Ellen going to be Comedian Funny or Naturally Funny?" Was Ellen going to make funny remarks about the singers or was she gonna help liven-up the chatter among the judges and singers? As the week progressed on Idol, Ellen resorted to one-liner jokes, which were funny, but then did not really give the contestants the needed feed-back to help them improve their performances. Half-way thru the season, you can clearly tell that Ellen was not having fun judging the contestants. The funniest and the most 'real' moments that happened on Idol was when Harry Connick, Jr. guest mentored and performed on the show. Ellen was trading bards with Connick, was making fun of his talents and seemed to be at her most comfortable self. Maybe that's because she has a friendship with Connick.

I also think the idea of Ellen 'judging' people was a bad idea. Ellen is probably one of the most warm hearted and open minded persons on this earth. There's no way that Ellen would be able to pull off that part of being an Idol judge. Did I expect her to be mean and truthful like Simon Cowell? No. Did I expect her to share tips about performing on stage, relating to audiences and how to become a better performer? Maybe. In the end, what we got was Ellen not being truthful, to herself and the contestants. Hopefully Degeneres' exit, as well as DioGuardi's firing, will be signs that improvements are being made to the Idol show, because boy do they need it! I'm not happy with any of the names being thrown around for possible re-placements as judges, even for Harry Connick, Jr. Hopefully when all the dust settles, we'll have the Idol show we all once loved (Hint, Hint: BRING BACK PAULA ABDUL!!!).

As for Ellen, I'm sure she'll be fine. She's a funny lady, has a great talk-show and is a Covergirl. What more does she need? Oh yea, World Domination. Now that I can support. Go Ellen Go!!!

John