Originally Posted By Manfried This is what Al Lutz posted: "Tony is also working on a quick revamp and freshening of the Main Street Cinema this winter..." What happened to your normally reliable sources Al? According to everything I've read the only thing they did to this opening day attraction was put in a new floor. How about a confession, I mean correction?
Originally Posted By jbkuchon A new floor would qualify as a quick revamp and freshening, so let's not start another I hate Al Lutz thread!
Originally Posted By Manfried This isn't I hate. This is about how patently misleading Mr. Lutz's posts are. He makes a lot of what he writes sound like a big deal when it is not. That sort of breathless hucksterism gives Miceage a bad name.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros From what I can tell, they replaced the linoleum flooring with something that looks like a dark hardwood floor (but probably isn't, so it can withstand more foot traffic without a ton of maintainence). The paintings of the audience in front of the screens may have been changed a little, or maybe I just don't remember them as well as I thought I had. The curtains on the inside may have had some changes made as well. They look nice and fresh, and I don't remember them having the gold trim on them before. It also looks like they repainted the walls in the entry area, from an off white color to a darker tan with some sort of fancy-ish finish on it. The frames around the posters appear to have been either painted or replaced, since they were dark before (wood?) and now they're bright red. Tilly also looks different, like she's had some work done. Facelift maybe? : ) Either way, it looks like she got a new outfit and is ready to take your tickets some more. Here are some pictures of it on Darkbeer's site: <a href="http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/Theme-Parks/Disneyland-Resort-12210/11025047_dn44v#771156975_3RQDB-A-LB" target="_blank">http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/Th...QDB-A-LB</a> No matter what actually changed and what I just don't remember correctly (the Cinema has never been on my must-do list so I don't see it very often), I think we can all agree that the changes to it have been pretty minor. There doesn't appear to be anything done to make Mickey more 'relevant' (unless red picture frames count), so I call BS on that one. The work done just seems to be a nice freshening of the space, and exactly what I would have expected in a 1-2 week refurb.
Originally Posted By Manfried If they want to make Mickey more relevant to today's audience, they need to start with Mickey on television, the Internet or in the movie theaters. Disney seems to be unable to make Mickey interesting because they are afraid to do anything fun with him any more. Send him off on an adventure in cyberspace!
Originally Posted By mousermerf It's meant to look like linen wallpaper - which i dont recall from before, but who knows? Never noticed the more ornate seating boxes on the sides and the frame around the films, but that might have always been there.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox I don't remember them, either, merf. But I haven't been inside the MS Cinema in over a decade.
Originally Posted By mousermerf I was in it about a month ago - which was the first time for a friend of mine, so we lingered. Perhaps they are new.
Originally Posted By believe The changes (or lack there of) to the MSC seems accurately described as a "quick revamp and freshing" to me. Although, we were all hoping for more since Tony Baxters's name was mentioned.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt It really was, and somewhat typical of his gossipy writing style.
Originally Posted By Manfried Yes it was, and I think I and many other true Disney fans are tiring of it.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I'm actually okay with Al's blog these days. I just read him with a grain of salt the same way I would TMZ or Perez Hilton. The only difference is that Al is talking about Disneyland instead of celebrities taking their kids to McDonald's or snowboarding in Aspen. Al has really calmed down since Cynthia Harriss left. Of course, with all the things still wrong with DLR, his bias towards the old DLR management seems even more obvious now.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I think his 'calming down' has more to do with him writing a single page piece every few weeks (it seems like they come out as often as every 3 weeks, or as rarely as every 8 weeks) instead of a 4-6 page piece every single week. He doesn't seem to feel the need to fill up as much space as frequently any more, which helps him just stick to the facts for the most part. There's always going to be editorial in his writing (my recent favorite was how he praised the Industrial Engineers at the beginning of the article and then bashed them 2 sections later), but I think we've all read it enough to know what to just ignore and form our own opinions about.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer What are "true Disney fans"? Are they apologists that think that Disney can do no wrong? Are they those who hold Disney to a higher standard than most other companies, and state their displeasure when Disney delivers a sub-par offering? To me, it is more of the second, where you state what you LIKE and what you are looking forward to, but also make comments about your Dis-Likes, such as the "tooning" of the parks, etc. MiceAge/MiceChat is clearly in the "second" camp, so much so that Disney isn't happy with much of our coverage... but then, the Media loves us, as they can get a different viewpoint from the always positive spin that comes from Disney Marketing/PR. I happen to be a Theme/Amusement Park lover, with a main emphasis on Roller Coasters. And Disneyland is one of the best Theme Parks around, so yes, I am a Disneyland fan. I am not sure if I am a "Disney" fan, not a big fan of movies in general, much prefer watching sports, news, and things like the Discovery Channel, Science Channel, Travel Channel, History Channel, Food Network and NatGeo instead of crap like Hannah Montana and most ABC shows. (But don't get rid of ESPN and ESPN on ABC... well, you can get rid of most of the NBA coverage... just keep the NBA Finals). And bring back Wipeout! Don't go to many Disney movies, though I enjoyed the Christmas Carol in IMAX and 3-D very much. But to me a fan, no matter what they are a fan of, needs to care about the product delivered, and most fans will give a LOT of grief when the "object" of the fandom screws up, especially in the Sports world, which I can relate to due to my personal likes. What I don't like is when some folks think their opinion is more important than others. Yes, I state my opinions on a regular basis, and have a few outlets where my opinions are "featured", but that doesn't make my opinions any better than others. I actually like hearing opposing views, such as the recent GCH thread. IMHO, there is no way I will stay at the GCH again unless Disney comps me a stay. Now, I did get invited by a DVC owner to check out the new DVC units in the next few days, and I will be there to take photos and check it out. But I wouldn't buy a Time Share, whether it is Disney or some other company. Went to a couple of presentations due to the bribes we were offered, but I want VARIETY in my life, and like to plan my vacations on a very flexible schedule. Have been working on our Honeymoon in June, and a bit shocked to see it more than likely will be more expensive than our wedding! (But it is over 3 weeks in length, instead of one day)... we are trying to keep it under 5 digits!!!! And not one dollar of that budget will be spent on Disney stuff.....
Originally Posted By Manfried Well gee Darkbeer, you write for Miceage. So are you a fan? Or just a defender of Miceage? Seems like a long-winded post trying to defend writing errors, or some awfully thin skin.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer >>I think his 'calming down' has more to do with him writing a single page piece every few weeks (it seems like they come out as often as every 3 weeks, or as rarely as every 8 weeks) instead of a 4-6 page piece every single week. He doesn't seem to feel the need to fill up as much space as frequently any more, which helps him just stick to the facts for the most part.<< Things always change, I know that Al was trying to get me to come to MiceAge when it opened, but I straddled the fence, working for multiple websites at the time. I am now the "short term" news and rumors person, while Al tends to cover the longer length news items. Also sad to state, Al is having some serious health issues (Parkinson's) for those who went to my wedding (Al was my best man) could tell he had some issues. I am just glad he made it through the day and got to stand up for the entire ceremony. (There was a reserved seat for him in the front pew if he needed it). He is still the senior editor, though some of that work is being passed on to others... (And I am lucky enough to have a couple of folks who take my ramblings at MiceAge and do some clean up every week!) But it is amazing how much "original" material we produce every week, and how some of it makes it to the Main Street Media on a regular basis. I have to love a certain website (that happens to be banned for direct links here at LP) and what they posted in their Monday's DLR update. Upset that MiceAge broke the Jewel of Orleans story, that they had some things wrong in refurbs (but to be fair, every one was scheduled, but 3 weeks after the scheduled closures, they were still open, but didn't correct themselves). Each and every Disney/Theme/Amusement Park website is different and is valued in its own way, including Laughing Place! I just sometime don't understand the hatred that some folks have to certain sites/authors. I have worked for a lot of them, many of which I wish were still around, such as DCA Central. There was a post about Air America closing down this week. While I am not a regular listener of the channel, as my political leanings are more libertarian/less government, I am glad to know that others will offer the "left" viewpoint on the air, as a diverse variety is a GOOD thing, just like having places OTHER than Disney offer Theme/Amusement parks. You CAN like more than just one choice!
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "I think his 'calming down' has more to do with him writing a single page piece every few weeks (it seems like they come out as often as every 3 weeks, or as rarely as every 8 weeks) instead of a 4-6 page piece every single week." When I say calmed down I mean that he isn't as critical of management and doesn't nit-pick over details the way he used to.
