CoasterBuzz Podcast #105 - February 25, 2008

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

• Gonch is the micro-celebrity of the roller coaster enthusiast community.
• Disney's Hollywood Studios will be home to a live American Idol show. Seems like a good fit for that show. Heck, the Indiana Jones show there has been around now for almost 20 years.
• Off topic: What's up with all the foreign films in the Oscars?
• Pennsylvania bill is designed to exempt amusement parks from taxes that are specific to the business. What makes amusement parks a target for these? Gonch says it's because they can't pick up and move.
• Strange accident in New Zealand involving death of a worker, but follow up details seem to be unknown.
• Locals in Michigan want the sale of public land for this amusement park project. Jeff is still skeptical.
• Another movie studio wants to put a theme park outside of Seoul. Asia is still hot. Is there ever potential for a tourism reversal, with Americans going overseas? Jeff really wants to see Japan and is fascinated by its culture.
• Indiana Beach is sold, enthusiasts predictably freak out.
• Six Flags New England gets busted for building without a permit. How does this even happen? It's not like the park doesn't know the protocol, and it's not like the town of Agawam doesn't see the cranes.
• New indoor water park for South Jersey prompts hilarious comments from a local about it being like an "inappropriate bath house."
• Six Flags Over Georgia strikes a deal to be more efficient with water, will be permitted to open water rides. It's interesting the way construction standards have changed just in the past decade or so.
• Mark Shapiro has a press conference at Six Flags Magic Mountain for a little attention, a year after they were interested in selling it. Another coaster is in store for 2009, he says. We wonder if that's going to have any impact on it.
• New ride introductions don't seem to have the impact they did a decade ago. People barely noticed Griffon at Busch in Williamsburg. But speaking of which, how does that park get away with not constantly building new rides. Is it the historical area? Jeff doesn't think so.
• Jeff wraps up a week at Disney World, and observed that people are willing to pay for a great experience if they can deliver on it. Disney seems to deliver on it consistently.
• When will Disney do a 24-hour day? Last weekend Magic Kingdom was open until 3 a.m.