CoasterBuzz Podcast #178 - May 17, 2010

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

• Nashville flooding prompts auctioning of the Holiday World staff. Gonch is counting his pennies to "own" Paula.
• Cedar Fair is offering free admission for military folks, but only on certain days. Feels like a half-assed gesture intended to get more butts in the parks, especially compared to the SeaWorld parks' offer.
• Shoot the Rapids didn't open in time for Cedar Point's opening because the boats don't fit. Another win for Intamin!
• Mark Shapiro is out as CEO of Six Flags. He will be missed for changing the company culture to one of rational capital expenditures and new territory for marketing revenue. The group discusses where in-park marketing starts to cross a line.
• The Walt Disney World Resort will add another 2,000 rooms with the Art of Animation, located on the grounds of what was going to be the other half of Pop Century. Check out the Bing map from bird's eye view of the unfinished buildings. Imagine what this means for off-property hotels, when Disney adds that many.
• Q Investments wants Cedar Fair to pay out .50 a unit per year.
• Sony Pictures wants to do an animated Rollercoaster Tycoon movie, and we're pretty sure it'll suck. Gonch neglected his kids to play that game and won a pinball machine.
• Sea lion moves in at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom after some douchebag shoots him in the face.
• Yet another thread erupts in the forums about virtual queues. Jeff believes the haters either don't understand it or are just unwilling to participate. FastPass rules.
• The short seat belt conspiracy seems to have returned at Cedar Point's Millennium Force.
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