CoasterRadio.com #627 - On the Set of "How I Met Your Mother"

 Mike, EB and Tris hanging out with the cast

As fun as it was to visit Disneyland and Disney California Adventure a few weeks ago, it wasn't the main reason for our trip to the west coast.

Neil Patrick Harris, (the official announcer for the CoasterRadio.com podcast), invited us to come out to Hollywood to be extras in an upcoming episode of the hit CBS sit-com, "How I Met Your Mother."

On this week's (very long) episode, we tell you the ENTIRE story.

We talk about what we saw, our interactions with the cast and crew and what it was like to be a "background extra" in MacLaren's Pub.

Here are some videos and photos from our visit to give you a visual reference as you listen to our stories!

 

This is an actual scene from the show. Watch the background!

 

EB and Mike are having an animated conversation in the background.

Mike, EB and Tris laugh about the "fake" beer and wine they are consuming.

We watched the action from chairs set up in the apartment set.

The directors, writers and script supervisors watch the action from these monitors.

We explain how this shot came to be during the show

You can see EB's head in this flashback scene.

Outside of Stage 22, where they shoot "How I Met Your Mother."

Make sure to set your DVRs to record "our" episode of HIMYM!  It airs Monday, April 16th at 8pm est on CBS!

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

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Click here for our podcast RSS Feed.

Or you can listen online by using the podcast player on the right hand side of this page. 

Talk about this episode by leaving a comment here on the blog.

CoasterRadio.com #601 - How We Met Neil Patrick Harris

Welcome to the Season Six Premiere of Coaster Radio!

EB and Mike are determined to make this season the best one ever!

So, to kick start things off right, the guys are joined by the one and only Neil Patrick Harris!

Neil is known throughout the world for his many roles in the movies, on television and on broadway.

But fans of Coaster Radio also know him as the familiar voice who introduces and ends each and every episode of the Original Theme Park Podcast.

On this week's show, Neil joins the guys for some excellent theme park talk.

He tells the guys about how he first became fascinated with the amusement industry.  He talks about his favorite rides and attractions and what he looks for in a good ride.

He also talks about his "behind the scenes" involvement in some attractions and shows that you have probably experienced yourself.

Neil looks back on the Halloween Yard Haunt that he built in his own backyard and turns to EB and Mike for advice on what rides he should experience with his twin babies.

Plus, there are a lot of other fun topics and surprises!

This is one episode of CoasterRadio.com that you absolutely don't want to miss!

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

Direct Podcast Link

Click here to subscribe through iTunes.

Click here for our podcast RSS Feed.

Or you can listen online by using the podcast player on the right hand side of this page. 

Talk about this episode by leaving a comment here on the blog.

CoasterRadio.com #535 - Our New Voiceover Artist - NPH!

For each individual season of Coaster Radio, EB and Mike like to have something called a "story arc."

Basically, it's a common theme and storyline that can carry over throughout an entire season of the show.

For season four, we followed Mike as he prepared for and ultimately triumphed at The American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

But in Season Five, the guys  unveiled their most ambitious "story arch" ever - The Neil Patrick Harris Project.

EB and Mike wanted to have a major celebrity (who happened to love theme parks) agree to become the voiceover artist that introduces each episode of the show.

They locked on film, television and stage star Neil Patrick Harris, who turned out to be a listener of the show already!

This week, after ten months of wacky contests, Towers of Treats and major charity events, Neil is ready to announce whether he will become a part of the Original Theme Park Podcast!

We also welcome back an old friend, Arthur Levine - the theme parks guide at about.com!

Arthur recently had a chance to ride Star Tours: The Adventures Continue at Disneyland and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure at Disney California Adventure.

He'll tell Mike and EB which ride made it to his list of Top Theme Park Attractions and which ride gave him a slight case of anticipointment.

We'll also hear from the CoasterRadio.com audience as they talk about their favorite water rides.  Which wet and wild rides are the best in the country?  The listeners have the scoop!

We'll also have a Live Trip Report from Dinosaurs Alive! at Kings Island and Mike will tell you about his upcoming trip to Hungary to ride one of the oldest coasters in the world!

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

Direct Podcast Link

Click here to subscribe through iTunes.

Click here for our podcast RSS Feed.

Or you can listen online by using the podcast player on the right hand side of this page. 

Talk about this episode by leaving a comment here on the blog.

The "Day at the Park with Neil" Contest - WINNER!

Throughout the past month, we have been accepting entries into our "Day at the Park with Neil" Contest which is part of our ongoing "Neil Patrick Harris Project."

People from all over the world have been sending in photos of themselves at the park with NPH magically added-in.  The winner receives a one-day one park ticket to any park in the United States.

As a grand finale to the contest, Neil Patrick Harris himself called-in to the show and crowned a winner and three finalists!  You can listen to the segment below and see the winners he chose!

Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to Neil for being such a good sport!

Listen to the segment with this flash player...

Fourth Place - Dave at Cedar Point

Third Place - Nick at The London Dungeon

Second Place - C-Pred at Six Flags Great America

First Place - Joel at Disney's Hollywood Studios

The "Day at the Park with Neil" Contest - Neil at Disneyland

Minion got his entry in just under the wire!  He also used some stereo photography technology to bring us this shot of Neil.  He writes:

"Here is a shot I found in my Disneyland archive, of Neil clowning around one day at the TikiRoom during the 50th Anniversary celebrations.

We were wearing our Tiki Shirts in the park (of course), and Neil knew the spiel (of course!!), so we bribed the CM with a Dole Whip to take over the show for awhile.

Fortunately, I was able to catch the moment in Stereo.  The viewing instructions are here!"

Now if we could only get an entry in 3-D!!!

If you want to participate in the fun, check out our blog post that explains everything you need to know about The Neil Patrick Harris Project and the "Day at the Park with Neil" contest!

Remember, the winner gets a one-day, one park pass to the theme park of their choice! The contest ends at 9:30pm est on Thursday, March 17th.

Weekend Theater - "The Smurfs" Trailer

The "Day at the Park with Neil Contest" - Denise & Family with NPH at Disney World

Denise sent in this series of photos from a recent family trip to Walt Disney World.  It looks like they picked up a new member of the family along the way...

If you want to participate in the fun, check out our blog post that explains everything you need to know about The Neil Patrick Harris Project and the "Day at the Park with Neil" contest!

Remember, the winner gets a one-day, one park pass to the theme park of their choice!

The contest ends Thursday, March 17th!

The "Day at the Park with Neil" Contest - Joel and Neil at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Joel from Hawaii sent in this entry from his most recent trip to Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida.

There are some Disney fans who dislike the gigantic Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey Hat that now sits at the end of Hollywood Boulevard.

But, Joel is so ecstatic about it that he picked up NPH, raised him high above his head and posed for this triumphant picture.

It even impressed the Photopass Photographer!

Neil however, looks a little confused.  But at least he has a GIn and Tonic to make the experience more bearable.

If you want to participate in the fun, check out our blog post that explains everything you need to know about The Neil Patrick Harris Project and the "Day at the Park with Neil" contest!

Remember, the winner gets a one-day, one park pass to the theme park of their choice!

The "Day at the Park with Neil" Contest - BJ and Neil at Islands of Adventure

BJ sent us this picture with an explanatory e-mail: 

"I was strolling through Marvel Super Hero Island - Islands of Adventure last October when who do I spot but the one and only NPH, the only guy there in a business suit!

Apparently he was there to promote the videogame “Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions”, in which he was a voice actor, as well as the upcoming videogame featuring Spider-Man, a character he voiced, called Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, which is out now.

He was offering to take guests’ pictures with him and Spider-Man, and there were a number of stupid families in the line in front of me, because the hourly parade on Marvel Super Hero Island started while I was in line to get my picture with NPH and Spider-Man, and several families jumped OUT of the line just so they could attempt to get a picture with just Spider-Man!  I, of course, stayed IN the line so I could get my picture with Spidey AND Neil Patrick Harris.

Sadly for me, this is the only picture I got from my iPhone 3G using the Camera+ app, and I’m unfortunately looking down as this pic is being taken."

Thanks BJ.  It's pretty cool you had your picture taken with two American heroes.

If you want to participate in the fun, check out our blog post that explains everything you need to know about The Neil Patrick Harris Project and the "Day at the Park with Neil" contest!

Remember, the winner gets a one-day, one park pass to the theme park of their choice!

The "Day at the Park with Neil" Contest - Nick and Neil at The London Dungeon

Today, we bring you our first international entry into our contest compliments of Nick Hutson.

Nick didn't send along a story, because he figures the picture speaks for itself.

But by looking at the expression on Neil's face, I think he had the same feeling that I did when visiting the famous London tourist attraction...

"What the heck am I doing here?!?!"

Thanks for the entry Nick!

By the way, if you would like to listen to Nick Hutson's masterpiece (inspired by characters from the CoasterRadio.com podcast), you need to check out COASTERBOY: The Musical!

If you want to participate in the fun, check out our blog post that explains everything you need to know about The Neil Patrick Harris Project and the "Day at the Park with Neil" contest!

Remember, the winner gets a one-day, one park pass to the theme park of their choice!

The "Day at the Park with Neil" Contest - Dave and Neil at Cedar Point

We're not exactly sure what to make of this next entry into our contest, so we'd better just let Dave explain.

"I was at Cedar Point one day, and my friends were too chicken to join me on Power Tower.  So I was anticipating flying solo on this one.

But then out of nowhere, NPH shows up... Shirtless and with a sword no less???

Believe me I'm as puzzled as anyone, but let's be honest: There are few things more awesome than riding a drop ride with a sword.

Needless to say, it was a great ride with NPH."


We're surprised the ride ops let NPH on-board without a shirt AND with a loose article.  But it did make for a good picture.

If you want to participate in the fun, check out our blog post that explains everything you need to know about The Neil Patrick Harris Project and the "Day at the Park with Neil" contest!

Remember, the winner gets a one-day, one park pass to the theme park of their choice!

The "Day at the Park with Neil" Contest - Heather and Neil at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

We were wondering if Neil Patrick Harris has going to make a stop at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter on his worldwide tour of parks.

Heather has sent in this photo that proved he was there.  She says:

"This is a photo is of myself (taken by my husband John) this past November at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Islands of Adventure.

Lost on his way to the Quidditch field, NPH stopped by Hogsmeade for a refreshing Butterbeer."

This one made us laugh out loud.  Thanks Heather!

If you want to participate in the fun, check out our blog post that explains everything you need to know about The Neil Patrick Harris Project and the "Day at the Park with Neil" contest!

Remember, the winner gets a one-day, one park pass to the theme park of their choice!

The "Day at the Park with Neil" Contest - Doug and Neil at Islands of Adventure

Doug from Chicago is the latest listener to throw his hat in the ring for our contest. He writes:

"My family visited Universal Studios Islands of Adventure Marvel SuperHero Island last April.

We made it a point to take a photo with each superhero and didn't realize that we'd been "Photo-Bombed" by Dr. Horrible until we unloaded the photos on our home computer.

I wasn't aware that Dr. Horrible was licensed by Universal for their theme parks, did you?"

We weren't aware that he was on-site at IOA either.  But maybe now that Disney has acquired Marvel Comics, Universal is hedging their bets by bringing in some new characters.

Way to go Doug!

If you want to participate in the fun, check out our blog post that explains everything you need to know about The Neil Patrick Harris Project and the "Day at the Park with Neil" contest!

Remember, the winner gets a one-day, one park pass to the theme park of their choice!

The "Day at the Park with Neil" Contest - Minion and Neil at Disney California Adventure

Minion kicks off this new week of contest entries with this photo of a dashing young couple taken at Disney California Adventure.  He writes:

You know, I never would have entered this contest, because it is just a stupid waste of time.

Why spend a bunch of time Photoshopping something, with the amazing resources of the internet at one's fingertips?
 
A quick Google search found this image ready-to-go on someone's Flickr account.
 
Interestingly, it also has a bit of Disney History involved.

Before he became the ubiquitous NPH, he was a starving artist like everyone else in LA. To make ends meet, he was forced to find temp work as a product placement hand model. 

This eventually led to his first big break in Hollywood:

You guessed it, California Screamin' Carny Barker, Voice Over Artist!"

If you want to participate in the fun, check out our blog post that explains everything you need to know about The Neil Patrick Harris Project and the "Day at the Park with Neil" contest!

"The Neil Patrick Harris Project"

Throughout the fifth season of the podcast, we worked on something called "The Neil Patrick Harris Project."

Everyone knows NPH!

He's the star of the hit series "How I Met Your Mother" on CBS.  He's been in big movies, on broadway and even showed that online content can be wildly successful with "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog."

He also happens to be a big fan of theme parks!  Living out in California, he's a regular visitor to Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm.  He often posts about the parks on his Twitter feed http://www.twitter.com/actuallynph and has even hosted events for Disney.

So, our goal with "The NPH Project" was to make him aware of of our show and to convince him that he should record the opening voiceover for our podcast.

We are happy to report that the project was a complete success!  Neil can now be heard weekly on CoasterRadio.com, opening and closing the show.

Here is a list of the highlights from the project...

September 15, 2010
We announce the "NPH Project" as we kick off the fifth season of CoasterRadio.com. We spend the next few weeks discussing plans to improve upon what we did with "The David Arquette Project." We also talk about Neil's involvement with the California Screamin' Coaster at Disney California Adventure.

October 29, 2010
We receive word that Neil visited "The House at Haunted Hill," a Los Angeles based Halloween display/show.  The creator tells us that Neil said he heard about it on CoasterRadio.com.

November 15, 2010
Exactly two months after starting the project, we receive our first voicemail call from NPH.

November 22, 2010

Encouraged by our "First Contact" with Neil, we launch our "Holiday Wishes" video campaign! We ask listeners to send in video of their children and grandparents begging NPH to be our voiceover artist.

December 1, 2010
Because Neil asks for a "Tower of Treats" in his first voicemail, we schedule it to be delivered to his dressing room on Thursday, December 9, 2010 - a day we know "How I Met Your Mother" is in production in Hollywood.

December 9, 2010
On the day the package is scheduled to arrive, NPH calls our voicemail line and leaves this message.

December 24, 2010
We release the NPH Holiday Wishes Video, featuring actual CoasterRadio.com Listeners.

January 11, 2011

NPH responds to the video with this voicemail.

February 18, 2011

We unveil the "Day at the Park with Neil" Photoshop Contest! Listeners from all over the world send in creative entries showing what it would be like if they hung out with Neil for a day at their favorite theme park.

March 31, 2011

Neil Patrick Harris leaves a voicemail to announce a winner in the "Day at the Park with Neil" Photoshop Contest.  He also crowns three runners-up.   

April 1, 2011

The launch date for Theme Park Change... a nationwide charity event benefiting Project Angel Food.  It is one of the most ambitious projects even taken on by the CoasterRadio.com podcast.  NPH himself stars in the promotional video.

May 4, 2011

The listeners of CoasterRadio.com, along with readers of 30 different participating websites and park fans around the world raise over $5,000 for Project Angel Food. This money is used by the charity to purchase ingredients to make 1,000 nutritious meals for people in the Los Angeles area who  suffering from life threatening illnesses.

July 7, 2011

Neil Patrick Harris calls in to the show to congratulate everyone on the money raised for Project Angel Food through Theme Park Change.  He also says that he is impressed by everything done throughout the "NPH Project" and agrees to be the voiceover artist for CoasterRadio.com.

He even professionally records the voiceover tracks on a soundstage in Hollywood.  Neil asks to come on the show in the Fall of 2011 to talk about his involvement with Knotts Scary Farm, Disney California Adventure and EPCOT's Candlelight Processional.

October 6, 2011

NPH joins us on the show to talk about his favorite parks and attractions.  He also talks about his involvement in several projects at Disney and Knotts' Berry Farm.  Neil also reveals that he has set up a backyard Halloween Haunt at his Hollywood home.

March 15, 2012

We travel to Hollywood to be extras on the set of "How I Met Your Mother." Check out photos of our trip!

Thanks to everyone who has participated in the Neil Patrick Harris project!

The "Day at the Park with Neil" Contest - C.Pred and Neil at Six Flags Great America

C. Pred wrote in with today's entry into our contest.  He said:

I was excited when you announced the "Day at the Park with Neil" contest.  It just so happens that Neil Patrick Harris visited my home park of Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, IL.

I know previous entries that are on the blog only feature one photo, but I decided to make a trip report of Neil's visit to the greatest theme park in the Midwest." 

As you'll see, Neil had quite a day with C. Pred and his friends.

If you want to participate in the fun, check out our blog post that explains everything you need to know about The Neil Patrick Harris Project and the "Day at the Park with Neil" contest!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The "Day at the Park with Neil" Contest - JumboShrmp and Neil at Boomers in Dania Beach

Man, Neil sure does get around.

In the past week, we've seen him at parks posing with Coaster Radio fans in Indiana, California, Ohio and Pennsylvania!

Today, Neil has made it down to Florida and is hanging out with someone almost as famous as himself.

(At least to listeners of Coaster Radio.)

Here is Neil and the infamous JumboShrmp in front of the Dania Beach Hurricane at Boomers.

If you want to participate in the fun, check out our blog post that explains everything you need to know about The Neil Patrick Harris Project and the "Day at the Park with Neil" contest!

The "Day at the Park with Neil" Contest - RC_Mayer and Neil at California's Great America

RC_Mayer wrote in and had this to say about his contest entry:

"So I'm at California's Great America one day. I'm waiting in line for the gates to open and I hear a familiar voice walking up behind me.

I turn around and low and behold, it's Neil Patrick Harris!

I didn't realize his head was so large...

I notice he's being let into the park early and I just happen to catch his attention.

He decides to ask if he can bring a friend with him, as he points to me.

They let us in and we were some of the first people to ride Drop Tower Scream Zone that day!

We had a great day!"

If you want to participate in the fun, check out our blog post that explains everything you need to know about The Neil Patrick Harris Project and the "Day at the Park with Neil" contest!