The Other Orlando Blog

From the press release:

Celebrate the sounds of space exploration with music from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s during the 2008 Fall Concert Series at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The concerts kick-off Saturday, October 18 with 80’s rock band Survivor, followed by The Guess Who and Rick Springfield. Backed by the iconic Rocket Garden, the live, festival style outdoor concert happens every Saturday for three weeks, October 18, 25, and November 1 as part of the NASA 50th anniversary celebration.

Headlining opening weekend on Saturday, October 18 is Survivor, the Grammy Award winning signature American rock band. The band achieved its greatest success in the 1980s with its album-oriented rock, which garnered many charting singles, especially in the United States. The band is best known for its 1982 hit “Eye of the Tiger,” the theme song for the motion picture Rocky III. Other hits include “I Can’t Hold Back,” “High On You,” “The Search Is Over,” “American Heartbeat,” “Burning Heart,” and “Is This Love.” Survivor includes members Frankie Sullivan (guitar/vocals), Marc Droubay (drums), Chris Grove (guitar/keyboards), Billy Ozzello (bass) and the current addition; Robin McAuley (vocals).

The Guess Who, the band that became Canada’s first international rock music superstars, will take the Rocket Garden stage on Saturday, October 25. The band began in 1962 as Chad Allen & The Reflections. The group’s first single and album, Shakin’ All Over, was released in a plain white record jacket with only the question “Guess Who?” written on it. After selling two million copies the band had its trademark name: The Guess Who. Hit single, “These Eyes,” reached #1 in Canada, and earned the band a U.S. contract in 1968. Ironically it was “American Woman,” from March of 1970, which gave The Guess Who a #1 single in the U.S. and unseated The Beatles for three weeks straight. Other singles include “Hand Me Down World,” “Share the Land,” “Bus Rider,” and “Rain Dance.” Current band members include Jim Kale (bass and vocals), Garry Peterson (drums and vocals), Carl Dixon (vocals and guitars), Leonard Shaw (keyboards, flute, sax and vocals) and Laurie MacKenzie (guitars and vocals).

The outdoor concert on Saturday, November 1, will feature Rick Springfield, most famous for the 1981 #1 single “Jessie’s Girl,” which became a Grammy Award-winning landmark of 1980s pop-rock and helped establish the emerging music video age. Also an actor, Springfield’s best known role is that of the character Dr. Noah Drake on the daytime drama General Hospital. Springfield has sold over 19 million records worldwide and holds 17 top-40 hits to date, including more than five in the Top 10. Hit songs include “Affair of the Heart,” “Don’t Walk Away,” “I’ve Done Everything for You” and “Don’t Talk to Strangers.” In July 2008, Springfield released his latest album Venus In Overdrive, his first album of original material since 2003.

Concert Schedule:

* October 18, 2008 - Survivor
* October 25, 2008 - The Guess Who
* November 1, 2008 - Rick Springfield

Labels: guess who, Kennedy Space Center, KSC, rick springfield

The recent price increase for Passports (annual passes) to the Worlds of Discovery Parks (a.k.a. the "Busch" parks) has made the 2-year Platinum Passport an even better deal than it was.

The incremental difference between the price of a Platinum Passport and the four-park, two-year Passport (SeaWorld, Busch Garden Africa, Aquatica, and Adventure Island) is now just $43, as opposed to $75 before the recent round of price hikes.

So if you're considering that four-park option, consider this: $43 extra gets you unlimited entry to all ten Worlds of Discovery parks! Not too shabby.

Labels: anheuser busch seaworld orlando, aquatica, Busch Gardens Africa, worlds of discovery

Allen Huffman, of DisneyFans.com, probes, examines, deconstructs, and psychoanalyzes Lou Mongello's 2009 Walt Disney World Calendar in a great podcast that proves that he's the ultimate Disney geek.

Allen calls Lou's page-a-day calendar "a great way to get a daily Disney fix" and "something every fan should have." And he really liked the flip animation.

Lou Mongello's 2009 Walt Disney World Trivia Calendar is brand new and is currently being offered at a discount.

Labels: calendar, lou mongello, trivia, walt disney world

Here's the skinny on how the theme parks are dealing with the arrival of Tropical Storm Fay, the eye which looks like it will pass just to the southeast of Orlando.

Cypress Gardens is closing. They've had especially bad luck with hurricanes in the past, so this announcement comes as no surprise.

Disney opened early today with no plans to close when Fay hits. The idea is to give folks more of a chance to enjoy the parks before the weather gets really bad.

SeaWorld, aside from moving some of its animals indoors for their protection, has announced "business as usual."

Universal said yesterday it had no plans to alter hours, but said that could change as the situation warrants.

The Holy Land Experience is sending a staff member dressed as Moses out into the storm with a staff to part the waters. (Just kidding.)

Labels: tropical storm fay

Universal Orlando has posted "conceptual art" that gives an idea of what The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will look like.

The "owl's eye view" suggests that the entrance will be about where Sinbad's village is now.

Love the cursor!

Labels: harry potter, universal orlando

My sentiments, exactly.

I kept hoping that Universal would leave the Enchanted Oak Tavern building pretty much as is and simple "re-theme" it. Alas, it is not to be. The entire building has been razed to make way for . . . what?

Orlando Attractions Magazine has the photographic evidence.

Labels: enchanted oak tavern, islands of adventure, universal orlando