Archive: October, 2009

Jeff, Mike, Pat and Carrie review this week's news in the amusement industry.

• Blackstone guy says roller coasters are super awesome for the future of business. Mike makes the point that it's not like they're going anywhere.
• Kiddieland rides will be auctioned, not relocated as a unit. Some guy e-mailed Jeff asking if he could bid on one of the rides.
• Freestyle scores some investors, and gets sued some more. Gonch can't believe how bad they're screwing it up, especially in this case where the new owners got it cheap.
• Spielberg will keep getting his Universal money, so now they can continue to refinance their debt without fear of a big payout to the director.
• Mike shares some thoughts about doing Disneyland, particularly with really young kids.
• Kings Island lawsuit settled. The park will not be monetarily punished.
• Family booted from Busch Gardens Tampa for wearing costumes, and we can't figure out why this is a hot topic. Then we discuss it ourselves for a long time. Bottom line, there was attention whoring at play, and rules were broken. Why do we have to blame someone?
• Universal Singapore attraction lineup announced. Dueling coasters, one inverted, one not, part of the package. Inverted needs more front seats.
• Jeff and Mike reminisce about the CoasterBuzz Con at Great America way back in 2003 or something. We had stacks of line cutting passes and free drink coupons.
• Demon Drop moving to Knott's, and no one understands why. PointBuzz has a nice collection of photos from the 80's and now.
• Cedar Fair maintains distribution, but they can't be having a good year. Gonch talks about his indifference toward Kings Island.
• Alcohol in parks: Not good for every situation, but a nice feature in certain parks. Guest composition has a lot of impact on whether or not it's a good idea.
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Jeff, Pat and Carrie review this week's news in the amusement industry.

• Playland goes POP, and it doesn't go over very well.
• A guy from Disneyland Paris gets the California gig. This story isn't sexy.
• Jeff's getting a lot of advice about living on the left coast. Vegas isn't the same when it's all business. He's also gonna miss the easy access to Cedar Point.
• Knott's and Universal at war for Halloween? It's more an additive arrangement than versus. Gonch can't imagine it's better than what they do at Universal Orlando.
• Disney stores making a come back? Might be a Steve Jobs inspired experience. You've got to differentiate when everyone sells Disney crap.
• Raytheon opens shop at Epcot to encourage math and science studies for kids. It's PR, but it's a neat idea.
• Vivendi considering unloading its share of NBC Universal. Jeff is still troubled by the idea of Comcast owning a broadcast network. They really killed TechTV, which spawned all kinds of other independent new media projects.
• Son of Beast injury suit goes to trial, which is unusual. Jeff and Carrie share jury duty experiences.
• Jeff posts video from the CoasterBuzz Club Fall Affair at Holiday World. Carrie reviews the super wet ERT.
• Google tricycle captures Street View around various amusement parks. Online mapping is fun. We really dig the bird's eye view on Bing Maps.
• Thorpe Park suspends employees for trying to contact the dead. Allegedly.
• CoasterBuzz Club is $25 per year. You can join or renew today. Enjoy CoasterBuzz with no ads.

Jeff, Pat, Carrie and Mike review this week's news in the amusement industry.

• Once again we welcome Carrie to the show.
• Blackstone buys Busch Entertainment. Hooray! Right? Anybody?
• Disneyland's president bails in the middle of a massive re-do at California Adventure. Isn't that odd?
• Morons get busted at in the Great Adventure parking lot selling fake hand stamps. This happens annually. Gonch found a better deal on the Internet than the scam stamp.
• Libertyland carousel is going into storage, and the preservationists aren't happy about it. Want a carousel horse in your front window? Jeff likes the band organs. A discussion about brass rings ensues.
• Jeff is moving to the death valley of roller coasters, the Pacific Northwest.
• Phantom of the Coney Island, coming to a theatre near you! There's an arena Star Wars orchestra concert tour, Mike says.
• Walt Disney World wins in the let the disabled folks use Segways lawsuit. And by the way, if you've never been on one, do give it a shot. Epcot has a cheap bastard way for you to try it out.
• Six Flags gets its out for the New Orleans park. So what's next for the place?
• Carrie does the Phoenix Phall Phunfest, and likes the fiery bird. Just look out for the covered bridge people.
• Mike's kid is like a horror film.
• CoasterBuzz Club is $25 per year. You can join or renew today. Enjoy CoasterBuzz with no ads.

Jeff and Mike review this week's news in the amusement industry.

• Mike reviews a visit to Six Flags Great America with his daughter who enjoys "scary stuff." Park does a nice job, he says.
• Jeff gives a thumbs up to Cedar Point for their Halloween stuff, especially considering how far it has come along in the last several years.
• Six Flags Over Georgia opens after the flooding, and apparently no one came out.
• Kiddieland closure a big deal in Chicago. Mike says there is a slight possibility that someone will buy the rides and relocate elsewhere. Kid wood coasters feel like a bigger deal, especially to kids.
• Disney starts a blog (late to the party) and wants to bring the focus of discussion into their domain.
• Jeff says the Busch deal is still rolling, and there may be an announcement very soon.
• Disney tickets for charity work is a good deal for everyone. Who cares if it's somewhat self-serving if some good comes out of it?
• Another Six Flags reorganization plan. Why does tiny Six Flags take months to get through bankruptcy while big automakers can do it in a week?
• Michael Jackson rides being used all over the place on fair and carnival circuits.
• Comcast allegedly looking into buying NBC Universal. Jeff says there are all kinds of problems around a company that both creates and delivers the content, especially in a digital age. Long discussion ensues about television and such.
• Mike enjoys his time turning his nephew into a coaster nerd.
• CoasterBuzz will be temporarily down for a short period of time early Wednesday morning, between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.
• CoasterBuzz Club is $25 per year. You can join or renew today. Enjoy CoasterBuzz with no ads.