Events include ESPN Live Telecasts and Taping, ESPN Radio Live Broadcasts and the ESPN Sportszone.

Athletes at the ESPN Weekend include:

Tedy Bruschi
Jason Campbell
Joba Chamberlain
Dennis Eckersley
Donnie Edwards
John Franco
Matt Garza
Steven Jackson
Brandon Jacobs
Shawn Johnson
Jim Kelly
Rick Mahorn
Mist May-Treanor
Warren Moon
Jim Palmer
Aaron Rodgers
Charles Tillman
Hines Ward
Kurt Warner
Brian Westbrook
Roy E. Williams
Adam Vinatieri

There is also a host of ESPN Personalities at the weekend, including:

Skip Bayless
Colin Cowherd
Jay Crawford
Peter Gammons
Mike Golic
Mike Greenberg
Dana Jocobsen
Al Jaffe
John Kruk
Steve Phillips
Karl Ravech
Howie Schwab
Trey Wingo

ESPN The Weekend have their own website with more details about what is happening at the event.

For the more athletic visitor, you can sign up for the “ESPN The Weekend 5k”, a fun-run around Disney’s Hollywood Studios benifiting the V Foundation for Cancer Research. More details about signing up for the event can be found here.

News of the new show came via a notice for auditions for the new show.

“Disney Auditions is seeking male vocalists and comedic actors for a brand new show in the Magic Kingdom® Park at the Walt Disney World® Resort near Orlando, FL opening in April, 2009! Stitch’s SuperSonic Celebration will incorporate cutting edge technology, comedic improvisation, and dynamic choreography all set to energetic, stylized music that will make this party out of this world!”

Courtesy of thecrystalskull, flickr

As this is to be held in Tomorrowland, I guess the obvious venue would be the Galaxy Palace Theater, although it had been rumored that this would be replaced with cast member parking.

Who would be interested in the parks?

So, who would be interested in buying the Seaworld and Busch parks. It has been hinted that Merlin Entertainments Group from the UK would be interested. They have a clutch of parks in the UK including Alton Towers, as well as its Sealife Centres (which are aquariums not theme parks) dotted around Europe. They also own a number of Legoland parks in the US.

What about a counter-bid from the current management of the theme parks, or maybe a direct purchase from the Busch family? We can’t forget Disney and Universal in all of this, but is it likely that the two Orlando giants would be looking to expand at the start of an economic downturn?

From a personal perspective I guess that whoever takes over has a responsibility to maintain the high level of welfare that is shown to the animals in the parks, as well as maintaining the conservation work that is carried out by the Seaworld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund.

Christmas Events at Universal Studios

Macy’s Holiday Parade

Every night at dusk

Head to the New York streets of Universal Studios for Macy’s Holiday Parade! This seasonal favorite features authentic floats and balloons (including several brand new ones this year) direct from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® in New York City. You’ll also enjoy festive street performers and talented marching bands from around the country, and of course Santa Claus himself. Afterwards stay for a spectacular tree lighting ceremony with music and a dazzling display of lights.

KidZone Holiday Show

Join your character friends as they dance to holiday hits in this live show.

Barney’s Christmas Show

Join Barney and his friends for a magical sing-along, clap-along show at A Day In The Park With Barney™.

Blues Brothers Christmas Show

Add some rock and roll to your Christmas with the Blues Brothers! Catch them live, performing holiday favorites like “Santa Claus is Coming To Town” and “Blue Christmas” with snow on Delancey Street at the end of each show.

Universal 360 - A Cinesphere Spectacular

Dec 26 – Dec 31 • At the end of every night

Wrap up your day at Universal Studios with the big Hollywood finish of Universal 360–A Cinesphere Spectacular.

Through the unique “Cinesphere” technology you’ll experience the sights and sounds of some of Hollywood’s biggest films projected onto huge spheres in the Universal Studios lagoon, plus one of the largest laser displays in Florida, dazzling pyrotechnics and more.

It’s the most explosive, jaw-dropping cinematic adventure you’ve ever seen!

Christmas Events at Islands of Adventure

Grinchmas™

Join in the fun at Islands of Adventure as Seuss Landing™ is once again transformed into the wintry wonderland of Grinchmas™… featuring our incredibly popular live musical performance of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.” This hilarious and heart-warming live show stars The Grinch™ himself and features music recorded by Mannheim Steamroller, along with a whole town full of singing and dancing Whos. Then stroll around the Whoville Wonky Tree Lot and take in the whimsical Wholiday decorations.

Meet The Grinch

Get an autograph, shake his hand, or have your photo taken with the mean, green one himself for a one-of-a-kind holiday memento!

Mannheim Steamroller

Live in Concert at Universal Studios®
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008
Show times: 6:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Kick off the holiday season with the unmistakable sound of Mannheim Steamroller. On Saturday, December 6th, catch Mannheim Steamroller as they perform for the first time ever at Universal Studios®.

Enjoy a special LIVE concert of their world-renowned holiday music as Mannheim Steamroller celebrates the release of their newest CD, Christmasville. It’s all part of the one-of-a-kind holiday festivities your family can experience at Universal Orlando® Resort.

Mannheim Steamroller will have two bands touring the country this Holiday Season, but this will be Chip Davis’ only scheduled appearance.

City Walk also features its annual New Years celebration. This year ’70s group The Doobie Brothers will bidding so-long to 2008.

Click here for the official site for Christmas at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure Orlando Florida.

Disney and Verizon have also announced that they will be bringing further services to visitors to the park. Some examples have been delivery of up-to-minute news about what events are going on around the parks with updates sent direct to your cell. I guess one thing that would really excite me would be fastpass updates and ride wait times that I could check on the fly. Any other suggestions, then drop them in the comments.

November 12, 2008 - Marking a first in both the travel and mobile industries, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Verizon are teaming up for a multi-year relationship designed to enhance the guest experience – before, during and after guests arrive at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. This alignment allows guests to have a personal tour guide right in their wireless phones along with reliable new services at the parks. Early next year guests will also use Verizon Wireless’ technology when experiencing Disney’s Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, an ultra-interactive attraction coming to Epcot in Walt Disney World Resort.

“With more than 90 percent of families bringing a mobile phone into our Parks, our objective was to enhance the magical Disney experience through innovative wireless technology,” said Jay Rasulo, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “Imagine receiving up to the minute tips on special Park activities with just the touch of a button or receiving a call from Buzz Lightyear welcoming you to the Magic Kingdom.”

Beginning next year, guests will be able to access an array of features on their Verizon Wireless phones while at the Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort to help them make the most of their Disney experiences. Planned services include an exclusive mobile application that will give guests with Verizon Wireless service the ability to easily locate shows, restaurants and the Disney characters anywhere inside the Parks; get real-time attraction availability information; access mobile games; receive messages from characters and more. Verizon Wireless is also continuing to invest in its wireless network from coast to coast, and the relationship with Disney means the wireless users will benefit from further enhancements to the Verizon Wireless network in the Parks.

John Harrobin, senior vice president of digital media and marketing for Verizon, said, “All of our efforts focus on one goal: making the Disney experience even better for our customers. There are few life experiences that are more memorable than visiting a Disney Park, and now guests with Verizon Wireless service will unlock even more magic from their visit – by navigating the Parks easier and faster with instant access to key information such as ‘Where’s Mickey now?’ and other special features – even when they travel home and share their experiences with family and friends.”

In addition, guests visiting Epcot in Walt Disney World Resort in early 2009 will be among the first to experience Disney’s Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. An ultra-interactive attraction, Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure invites guests of all ages to team up with members of Team Possible to save the world from various comical villains and their mad inventions. Armed with an official Verizon Wireless “Kimmunicator,” guests will use these handheld devices to help maneuver through the mission. The interactive wireless theme park game was inspired by Disney Channel’s Emmy® Award-winning animated series, “Kim Possible.”

While Verizon Wireless customers will have exclusive access to an array of enhanced features, Disney and Verizon are also working to ensure that some mobile information such as dining locations, show times and locations will be available to all Parks visitors, regardless of their wireless company.

Additional details will be available next year as the companies expect to add a suite of services and functionalities to help guests at Disney Parks have the most magical experience. For more information about Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, visit www.disney.com. For more information about Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

Disney Parks and Resorts – Taking Guests to New Frontiers

The agreement between Disney and Verizon is another step in a series of new initiatives that highlight the latest technologies from Disney Parks and Resorts with a continued focus on improving guest experience and providing immersive entertainment. Disney Parks and Resorts continue to exemplify how technologies can be used to build new connections and redefine how guests plan and enjoy their vacations. From the time guests begin planning their vacation using Walt Disney World Resort in 3D on Google Earth or tuning into Disney Travel on Demand, the experience is designed to make their lives easier. Guests can take their vacation experience to a new level with Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, an interactive wireless theme park game for families, and by personalizing and sharing their Disney experiences when they return home, using DisneyLink, a desktop application.

Top of the tree at the moment appears to be the “Buy 4 Get 3 Free” deal, where you pay for four days room and tickets at a Disney World Resort hotel, and you’ll get another 3 free.

Not suprisingly, this is a limited offer that runs between between 1/4 - 1/9, 1/19 - 3/26 and 4/24 - 6/2. So if you can be super-flexible about the resort you’d like to stay in and when you can visit, you’ll likely grab a bargain.

See the deal here…

The mischevious fairy is visiting Mickey’s Toontown Fair at Magic Kingdom with four of her fairy friends doing Meet n Greet sessions helping to promote the new Disney animated movie called…. “Tinker Bell”.

From the Disney site.

To celebrate the animated film “Tinker Bell,” Disney’s most famous fairy and four of her best friends are featured in a meet-and-greet experience in Mickey’s Toontown Fair at Magic Kingdom. To meet Tinker Bell and her fairy friends, guests enter a magical forest called “Pixie Hollow,” a special place deep in the heart of Never Land. Tinker Bell, made famous in the 1953 Disney animated classic “Peter Pan,” for her “hostess” role in Disney television specials and for “flying” above the Disney theme parks, is joined inside Pixie Hollow by four fairy friends: Fawn, an animal fairy; Iridessa, a light fairy; Rosetta, a garden fairy; and Silvermist, a water fairy.

Also to return is the Shamu show, “Shamu Christmas… Miracles”. Guests can join Shamu for the holidays during “Shamu Christmas…Miracles.” This captivating show helps guests celebrate the holiday season as a time filled with hope and peace and just possibly, miracles. The 22-minute production comes to life daily from Nov. 12 through Dec. 25 at Shamu Stadium.

The Polar Express Experience and “Shamu Christmas… Miracles” are included in the regular park admission.

SeaWorld’s Makahiki Christmas Luau will be available from Nov. 12 to Jan. 4 (with the exception of Dec. 25). It features island cuisine and ancient Pacific Island traditions. It’s $46 general, $29 for ages 3-9. Theme park admission is not required for the Luau.

Over on the Orlando Visiting forum, someone has gone to the effort to contact the manager of the T-Rex Cafe and got the following response.

Thank you for your inquiry into the new T-REX Orlando! We are proud to announce that our restaurant is open today!

We will be on a walk-in basis only until 2009. You may check our website at anytime or call 407-828-TREX (reservations are currently not being taken). We will be accepting the Premium, Platinum and Wine and Dine Disney Dining Programs for those on Disney Dining.

Have a T-REXcellent day!

So, for the time-being, just pitch up and hope the wait isn’t too long. To read the thread, click here.

In what seems to have been an age in construction, it’s recently been announced that the T-Rex Cafe will be opening on the 16th of October. The food looks like standard fare, but with groovy dinosauresque names such as the “Bronto Burger”. I’m guessing that most people will be drawn not by the food but the dinosaur theming and other entertainment such as the Paleo Zone, an set of interactive games where you can pan for gems and fossils in Discovery Creek.

To look at the full menu, visit the official T-Rex Cafe site here.