Day 1023: Bohemian Rhapsody

I happened to be searching YouTube yesterday looking for nothing in particular and then I came across a video I just had to share. I think it's safe to say that I love the Muppets, and this was just too good to pass up:

Alright, so maybe I love everything with Beaker in it, because I just love how he goes "memememe" all day long. And then there's Sam Eagle just muttering "No" over and over again. Best version of Bohemian Rhapsody ever? I think yes. And, just for your viewing pleasure, here's another Muppet video for you!

If that doesn't make your day a bit brighter (or spookier) then I don't know what will! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 31).

Day 1010: The ABCs of ABC

It occurred to me recently that I watch a lot of ABC shows, which I realized somewhere in the middle of my second episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. when a commercial for How to Get Away With Murder came on, followed closely by an ad for OUAT. And we can't forget that The Muppets is thrown in there too. So instead of doing a "which shows you should watch" sort of post, I decided that instead I'll take my favorite ABC shows and do the ABCs of ABC!

A is for Annalise, and B is for Bonnie, two of my favorite characters on How to Get Away with Murder. I'm going to try super hard not to reveal spoilers in this article, but how about those reveals in the premiere of Season 2!?!

C is for CaptainSwan, because what else would it be for? It's become quickly apparent that the relationship between Emma Swan and Killian Jones will be playing a key part in the Fifth Season of Once Upon a Time, and I'm interested to see where it goes (as long as where it goes isn't death and destruction)...

D is for Daisy, aka Skye on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and E is for Emma Swan, two characters that have definitely gone through some intense changes in their respective shows recently! The ending of the last season of SHIELD had me on the edge of my seat, and the moments with Skye and her family broke my heart. However, seeing her called Daisy this season is pretty awesome. Meanwhile, the savior has, as I just mentioned, gone dark, and this season we're seeing a side to Emma I don't think any of us ever anticipated seeing.

F is for Fitz, who's been my favorite character on S.H.I.E.L.D. since the beginning. Everything going on with FitzSimmons breaks my heart, but seeing how determined he is to find his love is encouraging and refreshing...if not even more heartbreaking than ever.

G is for Grant Ward, who I guess was another of my favorite characters next to Fitz in Season 1 of S.H.I.E.L.D. But then he had to just go all rogue and ruin everything. Regardless, Ward is still super intriguing, even if he does seem bound and determined to reestablish Hydra.

H is for Hook, because did you really expect anything less? I don't even need to give you a description for this, but here's a GIF of him winking just for good measure:

I is for Inhuman, which is really coming into play on S.H.I.E.L.D. this season. My big question is about what kinds of powers can these people have? I mean, Lincoln has the whole electric thing going on, and Skye...I mean Daisy...can make the ground shake. But can I have like...the ability to teleport? Because that would be amazing.

J is for Jemma, who caused me so much pain at the end of the last season of S.H.I.E.L.D. You can't just go and get swallowed up by a weird piece of rock Jemma! That is not how things work!

K is for Kermit the Frog, who I'm absolutely excited to have back on TV. I do have one suggestion for the show though Mr. The Frog! Maybe get some Colin O'Donoghue going on the show? My OTP may be CaptainSwan, but you have to admit that CaptainKermit is one of the greatest things in the world:

L is for Lancelot, who is either apparently dead or not dead or something. You never really know on Once Upon A Time, but apparently we'll find out pretty soon what really happened to him. Maybe he's been in hiding, alive since Season 2! Maybe he's actually dead, killed by Cora! Either way, Lancelot will be returning to our screens this season, at least for flashbacks, so get ready for more adventures of the round table!

M is for Miss Piggy, because if I didn't include her on this list I may have to face a code red situation. I mean...why wouldn't I include her on this list? I really should have just found a way to make every single letter a picture of Miss Piggy. Gosh, what was I thinking!?! Hopefully this won't put any cake in my face or anything...

N is for Nate Lahey, an interesting side character on How to Get Away With Murder. Last season left him in jail for a crime that wasn't his own, and now he's in some weird in between zone that I honestly don't understand. Not my focus of study though, so I'll leave that to he lawyers.

O is for OutlawQueen, which has certainly had its fair share of problems over the course of the relationship. Robin and Regina certainly deserve to be together, especially after the whole really weird Zelena fiasco...

P is for Phil Coulson, the one character on S.H.I.E.L.D. that you just sort of have to love. Coulson keeps everything going, and to be completely honest, I'm really jealous of his Grumpy Cat mug...

Q is for Quinn, aka that one Once character no one ever remembers except for when you're trying to make an ABC list for ABC shows and no one else has a Q in their name much less starts with one. If you think back to Season 2, however, you might remember Quinn, one of the wolves that Ruby meets! If not, here's a picture refresher:

R is for Robin Hood, my second favorite guy on Once Upon A Time. How can you not love Sean though? I may have been strongly influenced by my Twitter friends, many of which are huge OutlawQueen shippers and Sean fans, but I can definitely see the appeal, and Sean has quickly worked his way towards the top of my want to meet list!

S  is for Sam the Eagle, our favorite American-loving Bald Eagle who develops grand tributes to all nations...but mostly America! And T is for Thompson, as in Lea Thompson, who recently guest starred on an episode of The Muppets. Definitely a great moment for us Back to the Future fans, even if Kermit didn't get as much time with her as he might have hoped.

U is for Ursula, whom I miss dearly on OUAT. Actually, I miss all of the Queens of Darkness, but probably Ursula and Cruella most of all. What a wonderful season it was with them around. I suppose, however, we have new characters this season too. V, for instance, is for Violet, a new character from Camelot who Henry seems to have developed a bit of a crush for. I hope it works out for them...or at least better than things seem to go for every other ship on the show.

W is for Wes, and I have to admit that I'm VERY curious to see where this season leads in regards to his character. I also must mention, however, that I'm a bit dissapointed with where the show may be heading, but I'll keep watching HTGAWM anyway. The plot twists definitely keep me hooked.

X is for X-Ray Eye Implant, and let me tell you, X was definitely the hardest letter on this list. Either way, on S.H.I.E.L.D. we've definitely seen a lot of technology regarding X-Ray vision! Actually just technology in general. Like really, what will they come up with next!?!

Y is for Yolanda Rat, and if you don't know who she is, just check out the picture below. I never really noticed Yolanda before the new series began, but for some reason she's just stood out to me in the few episodes we've gotten so far. She's definitely a sassy one, and I like that!

And finally, Z is for our favorite Wicked Witch of the West, Zelena. When she was around in Season 3, I quickly learned to love Rebecca Mader, and when it was announced that she would be returning for Season 5, I was absolutely thrilled! I do feel bad for all of the OutlawQueen fans who now have to deal with this whole Zelena's baby thing, but at the same time, I'm definitely sympathetic for Zelena too...and I love Bex way too much to let her go anyway.

So there you have it, the ABCs of ABC! Surprisingly, this list wasn't all that difficult, and I only referenced four of the many ABC shows you can find now! Unfortunately, as much as I want to watch and catch up on all of Castle, I don't have time for such things...so for the moment I'll just keep my energies focus on keeping up with the shows I do watch!

Let me know in the comments below which ABC show is your favorite!

Have a magical day!

Day 997: The Muppets

While I didn't have a chance to watch it live, I did indeed catch the pilot episode of the new Muppets show that's on ABC! It's always a struggle when you have class during your favorite TV shows (thank goodness OUAT is on a Sunday), but I manage to keep up with things fairly well!

Anyway, I thought this first episode was hilarious, and I love that they brought back the idea of having guest stars on the show, just like in the old days. I haven't seen the last couple of seasons of the original Muppet Show, but I have seen 1-3, and it was awesome to catch little references to those episodes. I think I was mostly just excited to see them all back on the screen again. I've really grown to love the Muppets over the past several years, and I look forward to watching them weekly!

Other than the guest star thing, they really brought the Muppets into the modern world, and while I know several people are upset about the more mature content of the show, I honestly think it's been there for a while. The Muppets were never just for kids, as they were just as much for adults, and that definitely rings true in this new show.

Also refreshing? To see all our favorite, and some lesser known, Muppets back in the game! Plus there were a few new characters thrown in there too! I happened to watch the episode while eatinng lunch and I honestly couldn't even stop laughing for a while. As a member of a different generation, some of the jokes in the old show really got lost on me, but I picked up on everything in this new one. I especially loved the Gonzo line about the cuts to interviews. Priceless.

You can catch The Muppets every Tuesday at 8/7c on ABC!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 26 due to a tight schedule).

Day 925: A Month Till D23

It's been four years since my last adventure to California, and two years since the last D23 Expo, so to say I'm excited to return for the 2015 D23 Expo this August would be an understatement. I attended my first expo back in 2011, a happy coincidence based on when we were scheduling our first ever trip to Disneyland. Since then I've had an increased appreciation for Disney, and I honestly think that D23 and Disneyland played a large part in really bringing me into the extremely large Disney Fandom. After all, I think many of us have that awkward stage somewhere in Middle or High School where Disney doesn't seem as important anymore...mostly because our friends are all falling out of the Disney love and it no longer seems like the cool thing, so we play it down. But D23 brought it all back out for me, and that's why I'm THRILLED to be returning this year!

If you've never attended a D23 Expo, just know that it's HUGE. Think of pretty much everything Disney related all in one place. I'm talking Lucasfilm, The Disney Parks, Marvel, ABC, Disney Movies, Pixar and on and on. Everything. All together. For one weekend. It's Comic Con but for Disney, and this year I know what to expect going into it, and definitely have a few stops planned out already!

For those of you who might not know, I'm a HUGE fan of OUAT, although if you've read my blog for any amount of time that shouldn't be hard to figure out. That's why I've been waiting for MONTHS, actually more like over a year, for ABC to announce anything Once Upon A Time related, and let me tell you, they didn't let me down! I'm absolutely excited to announce that, for the first time ever, I'll be there for the Once Upon A Time panel at a convention, and I fully plan on waiting to get autographs from Lana Parrilla and Ginnifer Goodwin! I'm also hoping to attend the Muppets Panel on Friday morning, so be sure to keep an eye out for me at both events if you're attending the EXPO as well! For more information on these panels, you can find it HERE on the official D23 Website!

As for the rest of the EXPO, I'm saddened that due to conflicts with the OUAT Panel and Autographs I won't be able to attend the Disney Parks Presentation, which is the one big presentation I'm usually excited to attend. It seems that the chance to meet Lana, Ginny, Adam & Eddy won out this time. That's alright though, as my parents will still be at the presentation, so I'll get caught up on everything via them! I will, however, be hopefully attending the Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios Upcoming Films presentation on Friday in Hall D23, and I'll definitely be around the show floor and grounds the entirty of the three days! Keep an eye on my Twitter and Instagram for more information as we get closer to the event!

I do believe I get more excited for the D23 EXPO every single day, with chances to meet some of my favorite actors and actresses as well as get the inside scoop on everything Disney and meet many of my fellow Disney YouTubers and Bloggers!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on July 20 due to technical difficulties).

Day 862: The Muppets Are Back!

I already watch a lot of various TV Shows...sort of. I try to keep up, and while generally I only watch one or two live (Once Upon A Time always!), it seems that this season I'm going to kick things up a notch and add only a few more shows to my list that hasn't change. Thanks to the fact that I apparently pick the right shows, they've all been renewed for another season. It's going to be an interesting fall season, that's for sure, but there is one show I'm particularly excited about...

A few years ago I watched the First Three Seasons of the original Muppet Show and loved every second of it, so for the entire gang to be coming back to television this fall is like a dream come true, and I'm already in love with the show! So here's a few reasons why in the form of my top 5 favorite Muppet characters! 

5. Zoot

Maybe it's because I'm a saxophone player and maybe it's because Zoot reminds me of my Saxophone Professor, but Zoot just has to be on this list. Not only does he always get the last note in the theme song, but he's got some wicked hair and check out those sunglasses!

4. Swedish Chef

Bork! Bork! Bork! Need I say more? 

3. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew & Beaker

Why I love these two so much is beyond me, but they're definitely on this list, Beaker especially. But you can't have one without the other, and to be compeltely honest, someday if I end up adopting a cat it'll probably be two instead of just one. Their names? Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker! 

2. Miss Piggy

I debated putting her as number one because otherwise I risk dealing with a very obnox...wonderful pig, but I just love my Number 1 Muppet a bit more. In reality, I do love Miss Piggy, as crazy as she can be sometimes. I do have one question though: who does her hair? Because her hair looks better than mine and that just doesn't seem fair. 

1. Kermit 

If Kermit isn't your favorite Muppet, what's wrong with you? He's been the head of the gang since forever and is pretty wise himself (check out my Blog Post on his TED Talk), so there's really no other option. Do I aspire to meet Kermit in person someday? Yes, yes I do. Wait...why isn't he on my list of Famous People I'd Like to Meet? 

Who's your favorite Muppet!?! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on May 23 due to finals).

Day 827: Stars and Stripes Forever

Brace yourselves everyone! Within the next few blog posts there's not one, not two, but THREE Music focused topics, and this is just the first one. You see, this week has been an absolutely stressful week filled to the brim with performances, saxophone playing, auditions and regular work. When I spend a significant amount of my time on stage or in the practice room, you can bet that my Disney references for each day probably come from a similar location, hence post after post about Disney and music. I do, however, promise that each of them will be a little different than the last, so get ready, because here we go.

The other night, in the first performance of my week, I played with that SNC Saxophone Quartet as part of the Chamber Music Concert, filled with performances by other small ensembles, including a Bell Choir, Flute Choir, Brass Trio and Piano Ensembles. I happened to be recruited to turn pages for the Piano Quartet, specifically for their arrangement of Stars and Stripes Forever. Now, this is pretty much the quintessential American March, and in yet another upset in the Marine Band March March Madness Competition, apparently it was beaten out yet again this year by the Valders March. At Disney, however, Stars and Stripes Forever appears in full force, and if you've forgotten what the original piece sounds like, here's a recording to refresh your memory before we continue forward. That way you'll have it fresh in your mind to understand where the references come into play.

The Carousel of Progress: 

You can bet that while I was sitting on stage turning pages for the Piano Quartet, there was definitely one Disney attraction that came to mind: The Carousel of Progress. I know this show pretty well, so of course I instantly thought of the portion that takes place around Fourth of July, when the music James (the son) picks for the fireworks show that evening happens to be Stars and Stripes Forever. Now I'm pretty sure that the next time I go to see The Carousel of Progress I'll think of my SNC Piano playing friends, but is that really a bad thing? 

The Main Street Electrical Parade: 

While the Electrical Parade is filled with all sorts of music, including the main theme based on Baroque Hoedown, something I'm definitely going to look into more as time goes on simply because I'm a music major and it seems like an interesting topic to take a look at, Stars and Stripes Forever does indeed make an appearance in the parade towards the end in the "Salute to America" section. If you listen to the audio, which I've included below for your to listen to, you can hear the song mixed in with the other patriotic pieces in the finale. 

The Muppets: 

Now, while Stars and Stripes Forever probably appears many more times throughout the parks (I'm looking at you, American Adventure Pavilion), I couldn't end this post without mentioning everyone's favorite Eagle, Sam, and his crazy awesome love of America. So here, to round things out, is a Muppet Rendition of Stars and Stripes Forever: 

Now...try getting that out of your head! Good luck! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on April 12 due to a busy week).

Day 676: Kermit meets TED

TED talks are one of the best things ever created, if you ask me. There are talks on just about everything in the world, and there's certainly one for every moment of your life. You can use TED talks in the classroom or to boost your mood at the end of a long day or to get inspired for a project. Especially in high school, I loved watching these talks, especially since they worked really well for learning about stuff in Psychology. When I saw that Kermit the Frog had done a TED talk though? Boy was I excited.

It took me a while to find a recording, but I did eventually track one down, and you can watch it too!

The TED talk was pretty darn good if you ask me, and was certainly inspiring when it comes to the basis of creativity. Being creative is one of the most difficult things to do, and honestly, it's really tiring sometimes. I'll decorate a part of our dorm room or something and everyone will comment on how absolutely creative I am and how naturally it comes to me and I'll be like "Thanks but it's really not that easy." Alright, I guess part of it comes sort of naturally...the fact that I can see certain things in my head just at will. The hard part is getting to that picture and then actually completing the project you're working on. 

I loved Kermit's talk though because it incorporating all those inspiring things while still staying true to what he (the character is), bringing in references from The Muppets and making wonderful jokes about everything from Miss Piggy to those who had a hand in his performance. 

It's also great to see the internet respond to the talk, since after his talk happened, Twitter pretty much went wild. That's how I actually found out about it, and I couldn't wait to watch it, which I have now done, obviously. 

Let's hope we get more TED talks like this in the future, simply because the fact that Kermit being on the TED talk was pretty creative in itself. You can't beat Kermit the Frog, after all. 

Have a magical day!

Day 459: On the Road

My family tends to travel a lot. That may have already been obvious by the simple fact of how often I've been to Walt Disney World, but either way we do like to go to places closer to home too. My Godfather actually lives in Chicago, which is about a four hour drive from us, and we've visited him a ton of times throughout my life. A little closer, about two and a half hours away, is Milwaukee, where we love to go to the museums and such. We've been other places too, all over the state, and sometimes out of Wisconsin.

So it should be no surprise to you that we have a distinct few songs we tend to listen to on these long drives. In fact, when we drove down to Milwaukee to catch our flight to Orlando a few weeks ago, we had a similar playlist of songs...all of which were Disney of course. I figured I would share a couple of my personal favorites.

Once Upon A Time

Now, I only put this on the list because it tends to be what I listen to when everyone else is asleep. I LOVE to listen to music while I'm driving, even if it's just really quietly in the background. And since I have the music of both Season 1 and 2 on my phone, I might as well use it! Actually, considering that lately it's become my reading playlist too, I think I got my money's worth out of it. The music by Mark Isham is beautiful, and in case you were wondering, my favorite tracks are as follow: Cinderella (S1), The Road to True Love (S1), The Clock Moves (S1 - This is my absolute favorite!), True Love (S2),We Are Both (S2), The Duelists (S2), Tallahassee (S2), and The Adventure Begins (S2).

The Muppets

It seems to me that one of my Brother's favorite CDs is the soundtrack from The Muppets. I'm talking the newer Muppets movie from a few years ago. Granted, with the awesome songs in that movie how could you not love it? Although I do get a little irritated when he continuously plays "The Answer is No" over and over and over and over and over....

Star Wars

Or any John Williams music really. Indy most certainly falls into this category too. I think our favorite time to play any Star Wars song is when we're driving on this one road near home, and if we time it just right and we're in The Falcon (that's my car, remember?), then it's basically like I'm Han Solo because my brother will be playing "The Asteroid Field" which is what I call "Han Solo is the best Pilot ever" song. It's a good time, and did we escape the Empire? You bet we did.

Disney/Pixar Greatest

My brother also likes to play this game (have you figured out who's generally in charge of the music yet?) where we have to guess what movie the song is from, and his favorite CD to do this with is the Disney/Pixar Greatest CD. It has tracks from most of the Pixar movies (obviously not the newest ones) and he'll just go through them and be like "WHAT MOVIE!?!" and then we have to figure it out and he gets angry when we get it wrong. Although at this point we've played it so many times it's hard to get it wrong.

Disney In General

When we did drive down to Chicago this weekend, we happened to listen to a playlist of Disney. I have it for when I'm at home doing chores or something and feel like singing. So I'll put it on and it has the classic Disney songs on it. Ok, not all of them, but a bunch of them, and I'll just go around the house singing these songs while I work. They have always said that it goes faster when you're having fun, right?

In the end, I guess it kind of changes depending on where we're going, but overall I think the general theme for us is Disney music. But really, that shouldn't surprise you at this point. I do write a blog about Disney in my everyday life, don't I?

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on April 8 due to Travel).

Day 432: The Muppets Go To Disney

After a week and a half off of it, I finally went back on Tumblr, although I still haven't logged on via my phone...only on my laptop to prevent myself from spending too much time there. But you see, one of the things I love about Tumblr is that it is like this random wealth of info that involves everything you love (I mean, you follow the blogs, so it's all tailored to you). Mine, of course, is mostly Disney, with a bunch of Once Upon A Time and Star Wars stuck in there, and then all the randomness that usually comes along with the website.

So today when I was going through Tumblr I came across a couple of GIFs from a video I have never seen before...one that I'm amazed I haven't because it's seriously one of my favorites now. I'm only 16 minutes into it (it's 47 minutes long) and I'm like dying of laughter.

What, exactly is this video? Well, The Muppets At Walt Disney World, of course!

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So, basically, the Muppets break into Walt Disney World after leaving their trip to Kermit's Swamp (apparently they're not fans of fried flies). Of course, when you put the Muppets together with Walt Disney World, hilarity ensues. 

So here's a few of my favorite parts: 

1. Gonzo

Ok, seriously, the part where they're sitting at Epcot and he's like "What do you want to see first? The Wonders of Life Exhibit? The Ocean thing over there? Ah! What's that? Woah! It's a used paper cup exhibit! These Disney people are always on the cutting edge! Look at those bent drinking straws!" I died. HE PUT HIS HEAD IN A TRASHCAN AND THOUGHT IT WAS AN EXHIBIT! 

Actually, it would be really awesome to take pictures of all the different trash cans throughout Walt Disney World. That would be seriously awesome. 

2. Miss Piggy on Big Thunder Mountain

Does this need any other explanation? 

3. Rock & Rollin' Around the World

Seriously, this song is awesome, and Zoot keeps changing clothes. Seriously I might just have to find this song and listen to it when I'm walking around World Showcase sometime. It would be awesome. And then they just go from country to country and play the song and then the Small World Dolls come in and oh gosh. I love it. 

4. Statler & Waldorf

Ok, everyone just has to love these two, and here they keep riding around on the trolley in the Magic Kingdom. Every single time they come on they just complain about how perfect it is and how they have nothing to complain about, and then they're singing a song about an old lady that joins them on the trolley. 

5. Miss Piggy on Star Tours

Yes, it got even better. Still no words needed. 

6. The Dwarves

Disney Security has stepped it up...with the 7 dwarves. That's right, we've got Agent Happy and Agent Dopey and Agent Sleepy and...you get the idea. They're trying to catch the Muppets loose all over Walt Disney World. Not that that's going so well...but points for trying. 

7. Miss Piggy on The Tea Cups

Thought I was done with Piggy? Yeah no...she's still spinning. And then she knocks down that light post. 

8. Animal Meeting Snow White

Kind of. Poor Animal. All he wanted to do was meet Snow White. 

9. Walt Disney's LaundryLand

I just can't anymore with this video. It's the definition of perfection. 

Gonzo and LaundryLand = Love at First Cycle

10. Miss Piggy at the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular

Kermit the Frog as Indiana Jones = THE BEST. I don't believe in violence. I don't believe in violence. I don't believe in violence. Cue Machine Guns. 

"Miss Piggy? How're we gonna explain this to Big Bird?" 

"Nothing exciting happening up here Camilla, let's go back to the Laundry!" 

11. FASA! Fictional Animal Stars of America!

And then they casually meet Mickey Mouse. I just love how he's got a giant picture of Walt Disney on his wall, and Minnie on his desk. 

Oh, and that part when Miss Piggy Enters the office. Too much to handle. 

12. The Chinese Theater

IT'S OFFICIAL! THEY'RE A PART OF THE FAMILY! I love it. And then they put their handprints down in front of the theater...funny, I've seen those! Right near Harrison Ford! 

And Animal finally meets Snow White! And everyone's singing and it's great. Seriously though, this video is the definition of perfection. It's really up there in my favorite Disney World parodies. 

13. Miss Piggy...well...

She finally got to see the Chinese Theater...kind of. Any suggestions on how to get a pig out of cement? 

If you have 45 minutes or so and want a good laugh, I do suggest this video...obviously. It's hilarious. Beyond hilarious. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on March 11 due to midterms).

Day 399: Everyday Fairy Tales

I'm working my way backwards to catch up on my blog posts, so that means that although it's still February 4th for me, it's February 3rd on this blog post! So that's your FYI on what day I'm actually writing this.

But that doesn't mean that I'm not writing about something that DID happen to be on February 3rd, because I am. I've been talking about my Classic and Contemporary Fairy Tales Class a lot, and you had better get used to it, because I'm pretty sure it's only going to continue. I mean, it's kind of awesome to be able to talk about the fairy tales that Disney bases so much of its media off of!

Speaking of Disney though, and cultural references to Fairy Tales, my class just started a semester long contest to see who could find the most references to fairy tales in media such as television (there were quite a few commercials during the superbowl that had references!), movies, music and so on and so forth.

Of course, he briefly mentioned this last week, so I took it upon myself as a challenge before he even issued the actual challenge to find different references. I mean, that's basically what I'm doing with this blog, right? Just a bit more narrowed down. Here I look for Disney in general, any reference to a park or attraction or movie works. But now I'm looking only for Fairy tales. Doesn't sound too hard...and honestly, it's not!

Here's a list of some of the stuff that I found this weekend already:

1. Psych

Megan's roommate, Katie, has us watch Psych sometimes, and I genuinely enjoy the show. It's funny and everything, and since I only catch an episode here and there I'm pretty sure I'll eventually pull it up on Netflix and watch it there. But we were watching an episode the other day from the end of Season 2 called Black and Tan: A Crime of Fashion. In the episode, Shawn and Gus go to this Fashion party (sneak in) cause it's their night off and then there's a murder but Gus is like "No! I'm not working tonight!" and then there's this whole big deal about Cinderella, and how until Midnight it's their night off and they're not investigating the murder until the clock strikes twelve. I laughed and wrote it down as a Fairy Tale reference.

2. The Monster

I'm sure a lot of people have heard this one, especially if you listen to the radio as much as I do (ok, I really don't listen to it very often...only when I'm in my car and don't feel like singing Frozen). The song The Monster by Eminem featuring Rihanna comes on all the time, and honestly I only remember it because it mentions a fairy tale: Rumpelstiltskin! FYI, Rumpelstiltskin is really difficult to spell I've discovered.

It's near the end of the song, when he's like "Make that, straw into gold chump, I will spin, Rumpelstiltskin in a haystack." Made me laugh honestly, the first time I heard it. And then I think Megan was with me a later time and I was like "LISTEN!"

Yeah...I find Once references EVERYWHERE.

3. FBLA

The other day when I went to the FBLA competition, we spent the day at Kewaunee High School, and of course I was able to find some Fairytale references there too. The first one isn't totally a huge thing, but they do say "Magical Kingdom" and "Once Upon A Time." I figured that counted. I'm sure if you look closer at some of the little people the kids made you would find some fairy tale references too.

And then walking through the hallways I found this poster for this show they're doing: Sleeping Beauty and The Beast. Again, I'm not too sure how much this really counts, but I figure that it must count for something, right? I took a picture of it either way!

4. King Midas

This plays more into Greek Mythology, but there is a character on Once Upon A Time called King Midas, and Yes, he DOES turn stuff into Gold. Again, I figure this reference counted. My roommate facetimes her boyfriend who goes to a different college just about every night, and while I generally don't listen to what they're talking about, my ears generally automatically pick up on any Once or Disney reference that there may be. It just happens.

Well, I honestly don't know where the conversation started, but somewhere along the line they go to talking about King Midas and I think Prince Charming was mentioned in there too if I remember correctly. I just am positive they said King Midas.

And so, since I searched King Midas on Google to find the actual original story, I found this. Figured I would share it:

I just love the Muppets. Huh...I should rewatch some of those. I'm positive there are plenty of Fairy Tale references stuck in there. I mean, aside from the King Midas part of that video, Goldilocks was also mentioned! Either way, I AM GOING TO WIN THIS CONTEST! I WILL BE THE ULTIMATE FAIRY TALE SPOTTER! 

I'm excited. 

Have a magical day!

Day 398: The SuperBowl

Let's start out with this: I did not actually watch the SuperBowl.

I'm not kidding. A bunch of people here on Campus DID watch the Superbowl, but instead I sat at my desk and worked on homework the whole time. That's college for you (especially when you spent a bunch of time doing other stuff on the weekend so you didn't get your homework done until Sunday).

But that's ok. Honestly I generally only watch the Superbowl for the commercials anyways. So it's time for the yearly superbowl commercial review! And there were a few that I really loved this year!

Seriously, I LOVE the Budweiser commercials. They get cuter every single year. I mean, PUPPIES AND HORSES!?! Absolutely adorable. Although I loved last year's too! Gosh, can we just have cuteness like this all the time? 

THERE WAS A FULL HOUSE REUNION AND OF COURSE I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT! 

Seriously, I LOVE Full House, so this officially gets my pick as favorite SuperBowl ad of the year. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. 

This Microsoft Commercial is simply beautiful. 

Ok, how can you not love the Muppets? I saw this and was like "MUPPETS!" Here's the extended song, because it's awesome. 

Speaking of the Muppets...they also had a new ad for their new movie! Gosh March 21...MARCH CANNOT COME FAST ENOUGH! 

GoldieBlox won the ad competition for a free ad on the superbowl...and awesome enough, the Midwest launch of the toy was RIGHT HERE at SNC! Plus, it's one of those Fairy Tale references, since the name is obviously inspired by Goldilocks! 

And finally, we have to have a little bit of Ellen on this post. She did a Beats Commercial that also had a Goldilocks spin. Plus we get to see Ellen dancing...which is just awesome. Probably my second favorite commercial of the day that I've seen. It's hilarious. 

So now that you've spent a bunch of time watching all of those videos (if you watched them all that is), I'll let you go. I have plenty of other blog posts I need to get done yet! 

Have a magical day!

Day 345: Christmas at Walt Disney World

I talk about it all the time, how I miss Walt Disney World and so on and so forth, but honestly I'm pretty sure there isn't a time that I miss it more than when I'm not there at Christmas. My family tends to travel to WDW at the same time of year, every year, occasionally alternating between the months of November and January (along with December every so often). So this means that I head to Disney during the Christmas season A LOT. Recently though, it's been less of a Christmas thing. I mean, this past summer I was there in June, and I'll be going in March (for the first time), and again in June...none of which are times for the Christmas trees to be up for for the special holiday tag on Illuminations to be playing.

Yeah, I missed the addition of Disney this Christmas. In fact, it hardly felt like a real Christmas WITHOUT being at Disney for at least Thanksgiving. But I tried to make the best of it. I guess it's just hard to get in the Christmas mood without my Disney Christmas. So here's a few things I did to get into the Christmas mood...Disney Style.

Watch Disney Christmas Movies

Well, there are plenty to choose from, after all. There's Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, and the Twice Upon a Christmas. The Disney Christmas Carol, The Christmas Carol from a few years ago, The Muppet Christmas Carol, and of course, The Santa Clause movies. Plus there's all those TV shows that are Christmas Specials that feature Walt Disney World. I've got one saved on my satellite from like a year or two ago...not that I watched it this year, but still, it's there!

 Disney Christmas Music

It may seem somewhat strange, but I actually have several various Christmas CD's specifically from Disney. Some of them are just like general Christmas music, sometimes with Characters singing and sometimes not. There's also the Candlelight Processional CD, which is always a good thing to listen to when you're missing Epcot at Christmas.

Other Christmas Music

Honestly it was kind of difficult to come up with a title for this one because the real title should be "Listen to the Christmas Music that they use around Walt Disney World, specifically at the Osborne Lights because it reminds you of Disney." Yeah, much too long of a title, but it's true. I find that my favorite Christmas songs are the ones that you hear constantly there. So, for example, Feliz Navidad, Carol of the Bells, Sleigh Ride and Christmas is starting now are all on my popular playlist for Christmas.

Watch Video

It seems this list is made up of music and video, but oh well. The last time I was at Disney for Christmas was actually only a year ago, and I have plenty of video from that trip, including a ton from the Osborne Lights and of the Illuminations Holiday Tag, along with Holiday Wishes of course. So I've got plenty of video I can watch whenever I need a but of a Disney Christmas Fix.

And that's what I did this holiday season to bring a little bit of the Magic of Disney World at Christmas Time into my everyday Christmas Life. Works well for me. Yay for Christmas!

Here's today's Disney History: 1992: Walt Disney Pictures releases The Muppet Christmas Carol - the fourth feature film to star The Muppets, the first distributed by Disney, and the first produced after the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson. The film is directed by Henson's son, Brian, and stars Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 29 due to finals week).

Day 165: Carsland? Star Wars Land? What?

So this morning I've heard a lot of rumors about a possible soon to be official announcement about Disney's Hollywood Studios. There's two portions, but first let's review a few things.

A year ago now (tomorrow), Carsland opened at Disney California Adventure at Disneyland, and it was a huge expansion to the park. I was lucky enough to see it under construction, but haven't been able to get back there to see it. I went to D23 back in 2011, and I attended some of the discussions about it and I got to see a lot that was going into it, and honestly I think it is an amazing addition to California.

Then, not even a year ago, Fantasyland received one of it's expansions. Back in December the Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid sections of the area opened, with Storybook Circus opening previously. All that's left now is the 2014 opening of the Snow White area. With a little more luck than California, I was able to see everything under construction multiple times, and then visited during the preview time period before the official opening (which I missed by only a few days). The addition of New Fantasyland is probably one of my favorites of all time, and I can't wait to go back and see the Rapunzel/Tangled bathroom area (or rest area? I'm not sure what to call it) in July. Everything is themed very well, and I'm sure that when it is all completed, it will be a very worthy edition to the park.

And a couple years ago, it was announced that over at Animal Kingdom there would be the addition of an Avatar area. Now, I am not in any way a fan of that movie, I mean it's a nice movie, but I honestly feel that it isn't going to fit in at Animal Kingdom. There's multiple ways they can do it, but I have always loved Animal Kingdom, with and without Everest and certainly without this new expansion, currently scheduled for an opening in several years.

Also, very recently Downtown Disney was confirmed to be expanding, so in other words, there's a lot going on, especially at Disney World.

But like I said, there was some news this morning about how it's possible that a Carsland and Star Wars Land announcement could be coming, with the new additions making their home in Disney's Hollywood Studios. As excited as I would be for something like this to happen, I have a lot of doubts.

First, I would not like to see Carsland at Disney World. I think it fits perfectly at California Adventure, and I just can't see something like that working at the Studios. Does DHS need an update? I'd say yes, but is that where it should come from? No. If anything, a Monsters Inc. themed ride would be better, similar to the one at California Adventure, but different at the same time, if they want to go the Pixar Route. Beauty and the Beast could go, as could the Little Mermaid, because both are now very represented at Magic Kingdom. Having Princesses everywhere only encourages the mindset that it is a place for little children, specifically little girls. Now, this possible expansion could fix that, but there are still other things that need to be taken into account.

As for a Star Wars Land, I'm skeptical here as well. Star Tours is in the middle of the park, surrounded by Indiana Jones and the Muppets, and I certainly don't want to see either of those go. The original point of the park was to make it like Hollywood. They wanted guests to be emeresed in the making of movies. But what, really, is left of that original mindset? The Backlot Tour is there, but it's vastly different from the original, and honestly I feel like it hasn't been great ever since they took out the actual backlot area, like with Residential Street and so on and so forth. The addition of Lights, Motors, Action was a fair one...for like a year, and now it's vastly unpopular. Other than that, I supposed you might be able to count American Idol, but hardly, and there's Art of Animation, but that too has fallen to be less. The last thing that I could even remotely see as an original point of the park would be Indy, and while there have been rumors that it would leave, I, for one, can't see Star Wars land going there, that close to the front of the park. I also can't see Indy leaving because it does such a great job of showing the stunts that are in most movies. And which better movie to do it than Indy? It's entertaining, and generally has been popular. Maybe they could update this too, but with the new addition of both Indy and Star Wars to the family, I can't see it necessarily leaving. Finally, you have the Muppets, which could easily be updated, but I'd hate to see go. I feel a little like it's a tribute to Jim Hensen, and the Muppets were such an important part of TV history, or at least I feel like they are.

So where would either of these expansions go, if they came to Disney World. I think a Star Wars land is a great idea, but, it will require a lot of thought as how to place it. And Carsland would have to be different from California, but at the same time would, I think, just be a repeat. That's not what we're going for here, right? Disney needs to bring new and exciting experiences to the guests, not repeat from the other side of the country. Isn't that what Universal is doing with Harry Potter, after all? I mean, and if they want to win the Orlando Theme Park War, Disney is going to need to bring something that has never been done before to the table. Star Wars would easily do that. It's just a question of if it will actually work.

Here's today's Disney History: 1595: Three major attractions are christened at Disneyland on this day: The first urban monorail system in the U.S., the Disneyland-Alweg Monorail system, begins operation in California's Disneyland. The two Mark 1 trains run on a .8 mile track around Tomorrowland. The Matterhorn Mountain with its Matterhorn Bobsleds opens. Modeled after the Matterhorn, a real mount in the Swiss Alps, it is the first roller coaster to use cylindrical rails and urethane wheels (which will become standard in the roller coaster industry). The Submarine Voyage ride is official dedicated on this day as well in Tomorrowland. The Nautilus and 7 sister submarines - The Triton, Sea Wolf, Skate, Skipjack, George Washington, Patrick Henry and Ethan Allen, allowed 38 Disneyland guests at a time to take their own voyage to the North Pole. Also taking place at Disneyland is a special dedication parade specifically designed for this day's festivities. The parade, and all of the day's events, are filmed for a television special to be titled Kodak Presents Disneyland 59.

Have a magical day!

Day 58: Snow Day!

When I woke up this morning I was assulted with texts telling me we had, at first, a two hour delay, and then a Snow day. This was kind of a bittersweet moment because we love snow days, but at the same time it also meant that unless we wanted an extra day added to the end of the school year, it was our last snow day. I guess it's alright for us seniors because we wouldn't have an extra day anyways, but still.

On this lovely day I decided to watch a movie, and my cat suggested The Muppets (not really, we just pretends that's what she suggests). So I pulled out one of my new movies I got from my parents, "Muppets from Space."

I have to say that this movie is adorable, and probably ties for my favorite Muppet movie I've seen so far. I think my favorite part was the opening though, because watching how a house full of muppets functions in the morning is just entertaining. Despite the fact that the food was all burned and the bathroom had a line a mile long, I still think it'd be fun to live there. 

Here's today's Disney History: 1995: Michael Eisner and filmmaker George Lucas are on hand at Disneyland for the official dedication of the park's newest attraction, Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Although the attraction had its grand opening ceremonies the day before, Indiana Jones won't open to the public until March 3. 

Have a magical day!