A look in the mirror.....

A really interesting thread has been developing in the Coaster Radio.com forums.

It's all about the past, present and future of the site and the podcast.

As many of you know, I have been guest hosting on In the Loop during the past few weeks. It's made me remember how much fun it was to do the old CoasterRadio.com podcast.

But it's also made me realize that this blog isn't enough to keep the website active, fun and worthwhile to read.

This site needs a shot in the arm, or a good kick in the ass.

So I'm very curious to hear your thoughts and ideas on how we can continue the evolution of this website. If you're reading this, you probably have an opinion... and I really want to hear it.

Visit the forum topic, check out what other listeners have to say and let us know what you think!

Happy Presidents Day Weekend!

"Fourscore and... seven minutes ago... we, your forefathers, were brought forth upon a most excellent adventure conceived by our new friends, Bill... and Ted. These two great gentlemen are dedicated to a proposition which was true in my time, just as it's true today. Be excellent to each other. And... PARTY ON, DUDES!"

I love having a blog, if, for no other reason than to post pictures like this!

It's An Angry World

We're living in a time where there are a lot of serious problems out there.

The world's economy is in the tank....

There are war-torn regions all over....

And some chick with a recording contract somehow made it though to American Idol.

So in my humble opinion, there are more important things to get upset about than changes to a children's boat ride.

As most of you have heard by now, Disneyland has just re-opened "It's A Small World," which has been undergoing a major refurbishment for the past year.

You can see some video of the new elements on YouTube, but basically they have added 29 characters from Disney and Disney-Pixar films.

For instance, Alice and the White Rabbit from "Alice in Wonderland" were added to England, Donald Duck from "The Three Caballeros" makes an appearance in South America and Woody and Jessie from "Toy Story" are seen in a new "Spirit of America" scene.

Now, I recall Walt Disney once saying that "Disneyland will never be completed; it will continue to grow as long as there is imagination in the world."

So you'd think that fans of Disney Parks would take a cue from their leader and go along with the changes. But after the ride opened with its new additions, hardcore Disney fans around the world were extremely angry.

I read a bunch of Disney forums to check out the reaction and I saw words like....

Disgusting... Shameful... Disrespectful... Ridiculous.

What was really amazing to me was how passionate and angry some of the comments were. Some of the things I read bordered on fanatical. Seriously, some comments sounded like things we normally hear from religious fanatics.

Now, I think it's fun to discuss and debate rides, attractions, shows and polices at our theme parks. Heck, we built an entire podcast around that type of thing. But I've never been angry about a decision that a park has made.

Is getting angry about such things a distraction from the problems of everyday life? Maybe.

But I'd like to see people put that same passion and energy into something positive. I'd like to see them put that passion and energy into something that can actually change.

Because last I checked, online petitions and angry letters about what "Walt would want" aren't going to change any minds at Disney Headquarters in Burbank. Sorry.

What's your opinion? Talk about it in the CoasterRadio.com forums.

My "Calling"

I had a "calling" this week..... and it has led me back on the air.

Actually, the "calling" came from Clint Novak, Will Holder and Pat McCabe from In The Loop. They called me on Monday and asked me to fill in on their podcast for a few weeks while one of their co-hosts takes an extended break.

It was kind of funny that they called when they did, because I have really been missing podcasting lately.

Over the past few weeks, I have been listening to some of my favorite old episodes of CoasterRadio.com and wondering if it's time to start up something new.... or resurrect something old.

For now, helping out on the new live version of "In The Loop" is a good way to get back into the swing of things.

For those of you who don't know, Clint and the gang have taken their long-running podcast and turned it into a live show. It airs every Monday night at 8:00 PM Eastern time. (You can link to the live show at coastercrew.com.

The amazing thing about the show is that listeners can call in and take part in the show live! Listeners can also participate in a live chat room that is active while the show is taking place.

Back when we did CoasterRadio.com, the technology was not advanced enough to handle live broadcasts. But now, In The Loop has taken the whole podcasting genre to a new level of interactivity.

Hopefully some of you guys from this site will take a listen and perhaps even call in! I'd love to hear from some of the old CR.com fans!

Talk about this in the CoasterRadio.com Forums

It's Easy Being Green

Kermit the Frog once sang that it's not easy "Being Green".

But it looks like theme parks are getting into the "green" spirit by taking on eco-friendly opportunities.

Six Flags Great Adventure recently announced that their 15-story park icon - The Big Wheel, is being completely refurbished for the 2009 season with 7, 824 new energy saving LED bulbs.

After these bulbs are installed, it will reduce approximately 8.5 million pounds of carbon emissions from the atmosphere.

It's amazing when you realize that this is equivalent to removing 72 cars from the road or planting more than 2,850 trees!

The new LED lights will also be part of an animated lighting display which includes chasing rim lights and the blooming of the ferris wheel's iconic flower petals.

Should be a sight to see! Kermit would be proud.