Hello Dear Readers! Here’s what we’ll be discussing today:
• Titanic • The Academy Presents • Planes • Sam & the Book Tour • Taste of OC
• Not So Scary WDW • Fantasmic & the APs • Willy Wonka •
The ship sank 100 years ago last month and it seems it’s still on everyone’s mind. We never appear to tire of the story of the sinking of the Titanic. If you’re as fascinated with the tale of the ill-fated ship as I am, you need to get yourself to San Diego’s Natural History Museum to see Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition:
On April 15, 1912, Titanic, the world’s largest ship of its time, sank after colliding with an iceberg, claiming more than 1,500 lives and shaking the world’s confidence in the infallibility of modern technology. One hundred years later, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, which showcases 200 artifacts retrieved from the wreck site of Titanic. Experience Titanic's fateful 1912 maiden voyage and take on the identity of a real passenger onboard Titanic as you explore magnificent re-creations of the Ship's interior. Discover how the 'unsinkable' Ship met its tragic end and connect with the passengers and crew, as you view haunting artifacts recovered from the wreck during the eight research and recovery expeditions conducted by RMS Titanic, Inc. since the Ship’s discovery in 1985. Educational, emotional, and appropriate for all ages, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the life of Titanic. Along the way, visitors will learn countless stories of heroism and humanity that pay honor to the indomitable force of the human spirit in the face of tragedy.
The Exhibition has been created with a focus on Titanic’s compelling human stories told through authentic artifacts and exacting re-creations of the Ship’s interior. Delicate bottles of perfume, china bearing the logo of the White Star Line, and many other objects collected from the wreck site offer poignant connections to the lives abruptly ended or forever changed by one of the world’s greatest maritime tragedies. Touching on every important aspect of Titanic’s story—from construction, launching, and life on board to the tragic sinking and dramatic rescue of more than 700 people—The Exhibition concludes with the amazing discovery of the ship 73 years after the sinking and the innovative recovery and conservation efforts made during the last 25 years.
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is at the San Diego Natural History Museum now through September 9th, 2012. Ticket prices for the exhibit vary and are separate from museum admission. Due to the popularity of the exhibit, the museum recommends purchasing tickets in advance — visit this link. The San Diego Natural History Museum is located at 1788 El Prado, San Diego, CA — in Balboa Park, near the intersection of Park Boulevard and Village Place, just south of the San Diego Zoo. For more information, visit this link.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (the organization behind the Oscars) has an upcoming program of particular interest to Disney fans — The Development of the Digital Animator:
When "Toy Story" burst onto the scene in 1995, its computer-generated imagery was, for many, a bold new technique in animation. However, the development of computer-generated motion picture animation was a lengthy and meticulous process that had its first public exposure with the mesmerizing swirls of the opening titles for "Vertigo" (1958). Of equal importance to the technical developments were the influential animators and designers who devised artistic uses for engineering advances. Join our panel of some of the pioneers of digital animation as they revisit the long path from laboratory to cineplex.
The program consists of a panel moderated by animator and historian Tom Sito. Scheduled panelists include a few familiar names:
• Rebecca Allen — an experimental filmmaker who collaborated on "The Catherine Wheel" with Twyla Tharp and made landmark music videos for Kraftwerk, Mark Mothersbaugh and Peter Gabriel.
• Philippe Bergeron — a CG animator and landscape designer who teamed up with Daniel Langlois and two other directors to create one of the first CG characters in the 1985 short "Tony de Peltrie."
• David Em — began producing digital art in the 1970s. He is the first digital artist to have his papers collected and preserved by the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Art.
• Tim Johnson — a director and animator who began his career at Chicago's Post Effects and in the 1980s, he animated the first digital Pillsbury Doughboy. His feature directing credits include "Antz," "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas" and "Over the Hedge."
• Jeff Kleiser — the co-founder of Digital Effects, New York's first CG house whose credits include "Tron," "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid," "Stargate" and "X-Men: The Last Stand."
• Bill Kroyer — an animator and director whose credits include "Tron," "FernGully: The Last Rainforest" and "Scooby-Doo." He received an Academy Award nomination for his 1988 short film "Technological Threat."
• John Lasseter — Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Feature Animation and Pixar Studios. His directing credits include Pixar's first short, the Academy Award-winning "Luxo Jr.," and the feature films "Toy Story," "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story 2," "Cars" and "Cars 2."
• Tom Sito — a veteran Hollywood animator and historian. His screen credits include "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," "The Lion King," "Shrek" and "Hop."
• Phil Tippett — is an Academy Award-winning visual effects animation director whose credits include “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” “Jurassic Park,” “The Spiderwick Chronicles” and several of the films in the “Twilight Saga.”
• Diana Walczak — is a CG animator and director whose credits include the digital opera "Monsters of Grace" and the feature films "X-Men" and "Surrogates."
The Development of the Digital Animator takes place on Monday, May 21st at 7:30 PM at The Samuel Goldwyn Theater — 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, CA. Doors open at 6:30 PM, ticketed seating is unreserved. Tickets cost $5.00 general admission/$3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID (limit 2 at the discounted price). Tickets are on sale starting now, online or in person at the Academy Box Office, and also by mail. To buy tickets or for more information, visit this link.
Also at the Academy, there's a program featuring the Canine Stars of Hollywood:
More than any other four-legged actor, the dog has achieved a unique stardom with such long-lasting box office stars as Strongheart, Teddy, Lassie, Pete the Pup, Benji and particularly Rin Tin Tin. The original Rinty (there would be several over the years) was rescued in Germany during World War I by a U.S. soldier who would mold him for Hollywood stardom, resulting in his becoming one of the biggest box office draws of the late 1920s. The popularity of Rinty’s films would practically underwrite a struggling studio known as Warner Bros. and afford a young writer named Darryl F. Zanuck some of his earliest success. Join Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief and Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend, and animal trainers Sarah Clifford and Omar von Muller for an evening of photographs, film clips, behind-the-scenes secrets and surprises featuring more dogs than you can throw a stick for.
The event takes place on Wednesday, June 6 at 7:30 PM at The Samuel Goldwyn Theater — 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, CA. Doors open at 6:30 PM, ticketed seating is unreserved. Tickets cost $5.00 general admission/$3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID (limit 2 at the discounted price). Tickets are on sale starting now, online or in person at the Academy Box Office, and also by mail. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit this link.
Going up? The Lyon Air Museum has announced an opportunity to see and fly in some historic planes:
Tour the beautifully restored aircraft and even take to the skies yourself in an ultimate 30-minute flight experience aboard the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the Consolidated B-24 Liberator or get 30-minutes to one hour of "stick time" in the world's only dual control North American P-51C Mustang.
The event takes place May 11th from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, May 12th from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and May 13th from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The walk-through tours of the planes are included in Lyon Air Museum admission prices (flight prices are extra and must be scheduled). The Lyon Air Museum is located at 19300 Ike Jones Road in Santa Ana, CA General Admission is $12, Seniors and Veterans are $9, Ages 5-17 are $6 and under are 5 FREE. For more information, visit this link. For flight reservations, visit this link.
Walt Disney World fans, MiceChat’s very own Sam Gennawey will be in your neck of the woods promoting his book, Walt And The Promise Of Progress City, and you have a few opportunities to stop by and say hey howdy hey but first, let’s hear what a couple of folks who’ve read the book had to say:
Lee Cockerell, Retired WDW Executive said: “I thought I knew a lot about Walt Disney World and especially EPCOT until I read Walt and the Promise of Progress City. This book really details how Walt Disney thought, which I found fascinating. I will now view Walt Disney World in a whole new way.” And Len Testa, president of touringplans.com said, “Walt and the Promise of Progress City explains how the architecture and design of Disney theme parks is so successful. Far from being a lucky accident, Sam Gennawey shows that Walt’s interest in urban planning led Disney Imagineers to draw upon established architecture theory to build one of the most popular, successful urban landscapes of the 20th Century.”
Sam is scheduled to be at:
• The Winter Park Library, today, May 3rd from 10:30 AM to Noon.
The Winter Park Library is located at 460 East New England Avenue in Winter Park, FL.
• Today, May 3rd from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Orlando County Library in the Albertson Room,
located at 101 East Central Boulevard in Orlando, FL.
• On May 6th at 2:00 PM Sam will meet up with
Kevin Yee’s 30 X 30 Celebration at the Italy Pavilion at EPCOT
Sam will be appearing a little closer to home at Walt’s Barn later this month — I’ll be telling you about that next week. To keep up with the latest updates on Sam’s book appearances, follow Sam on Twitter @samlanddisney
Hungry? Let’s move on to a food event, then. It’s time for a Taste of the OC:
Prepare your palate for a collection of culinary delights as we bring together restaurants from all parts of Orange County for the Inaugural "OC Tastefest". This event will showcase the diversity of global cuisine from dozens of our favorite OC restaurants in the "Heart of OC," at the OC Fair and Event Center. The two-day food and wine festival will be held concurrent with the OC Marathon weekend and Cinco de Mayo, and will feature continuous live music on the "Tastefest Stage" located in the Hangar Building in the newly renovated Main Mall at the OC Fair and Event Center. The event will also feature a Family Friendly area with games and activities for the kids.
OC Tastefest takes place this weekend, Friday, May 4th from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM and Saturday, May 5th from 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM at the OC Fair and Event Center, 88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa, CA. For more information, visit this link.
One thing I learned on my last trip to Walt Disney World is that you just can’t expect to pop in and be able to do things like we do here at Disneyland. You have to plan. You have to make reservations. And you have to do it way ahead of time. Months and months ahead of time. Me? I much prefer serendipity and hate planning my trips to death, so I’m glad Disneyland doesn’t force that kind of thing on us. In the interest of all that advance planning though, WDW has announced the dates for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Plan away and buy your tickets now:
Photo: Kevin Yee
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a Halloween-themed special event held on select evenings at Magic Kingdom Park. Purchase of an additional admission ticket is required to attend, and plenty of fun is in store, including trick-or-treating, performances of Mickey’s Boo-to-You Parade and Happy HalloWishes Fireworks, Disney characters in costume, themed décor and much more.
Parties will take place on:
• September 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, 28 and 30
• October 4, 5, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 26, 28, 30 and 31
• November 2
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is a special event that takes place on select nights at Magic Kingdom Park throughout the holiday season. Don’t miss Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade, a very special holiday fireworks display, live entertainment with your favorite characters, snow on Main Street, U.S.A., free hot cocoa and cookies, and so much more! Purchase of an additional event admission ticket is required to attend.
Parties will take place on:
• November 9, 12, 15, 16, 25, 27, 29 and 30
• December 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 21
For more information, visit this link.
Disneyland Annual Passholders, Disneyland has a special treat for you, you may have already heard about it, but just in case you haven’t — they’ve scheduled a special 20th anniversary of the show that’s still as thrilling now as it was on its debut — and there’s stuff!:
Calling all Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders! You may have already heard about the private performances of Fantasmic! being held just for you to celebrate its 20th anniversary this month. Did you also know about the commemorative “Fantasmic!” 20th Anniversary apparel for Annual Passholders that will be available at select locations in Disneyland park during these special events? In addition to the commemorative T-shirts and hoodies available for sale, Annual Passholders will also enjoy select attractions, shops and restaurants in Adventureland, Frontierland and New Orleans Square during these special events.
There are four dates to choose from, on which this special event will run. Monday, May 14 & Tuesday, May 15, also Monday, May 21 & Tuesday, May 22; scheduled from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., with a showing of “Fantasmic!” at 11:30 p.m. each night.
Space is limited, so RSVP now. To register yourself and up to three Annual Passholder guests — Visit any open ticket booth in the Disneyland Resort Main Entrance Esplanade and present your active Annual Passport and a valid, government-issued photo I.D. as verification of your eligibility to register for the event. Based on availability, select your desired event date. Upon completion of your RSVP, the cast member will give you a voucher, required for admission to the event. Limit one (1) voucher per eligible Annual Passholder; multiple vouchers will not be honored. Registration will close at 10 PM (PST) on Thursday, May 10, 2012, or as soon as event capacity is reached. You must be at least 18 years old to RSVP, and again, remember that space is limited. For more information, visit this link.
We’ll wind it up today with some news about one of my favorite films. It's a part of Profiles in History’s upcoming auction of the Dreier Collection, featuring items from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Wouldn’t it be grand to own Mr. Wonka’s jacket? Of course, you’ll need a sizable bank account to achieve that:
First up and most significantly is the Gene Wilder "Willy Wonka" signature costume. The costume consists of flamboyant purple velvet frock coat, wool & camelhair slacks, off-white shirt, distinctive purple & violet lamé vest with floral design and satin bow tie. Originally obtained from Michael D. Beinner, Director of Field Advertising and Publicity for Paramount Pictures who was gifted the costume following its promotional tour of several key cities around the U.S. Without doubt, one of the most iconic and instantly recognizable costumes in the history of film. It is estimated to fetch $80,000 – $120,000.
Also up for auction are three iconic items from the collection of Julie Dawn Cole, who played “Veruca Salt.” First is an original screen-used Everlasting Gobstopper, one of only two known to exist. It comes with a notarized copy of a letter from Ms. Cole stating (in part), “The Everlasting Gobstopper was used in the Inventing Room Scene. Mr. Wonka gives each of the children one Everlasting Gobstopper each. Typically Veruca tries to wangle another one, if only she had succeeded! But at least I was allowed to keep this one.” It is expected to fetch $20,000 – $30,000.
You can also own the Golden Egg, screen used by Julie Dawn Cole during the "I Want it Now," musical number. The egg comes with a notarized copy of a letter from Ms. Cole stating (in part), “The Filming of this [Golden Egg] scene and Veruca’s demise was actually filmed on my 13th birthday. The egg was presented to me at the end of the day’s shoot as a birthday present.” The egg is fashioned from polystyrene foam painted gold and is expected to fetch $20,000 – $30,000.
For more information on the auction, which is scheduled to take place in July, visit this link.
That’ll do it for another week, thanks for stopping by. Talking about Willy Wonka has got me to craving a bit of chocolate — in the words of the lovely Veruca Salt, “I want it and I want it now,” so I’ll leave you and say good-bye till next week. In the mean time, if you want to know what I’m up to, you need to follow Pressing Matters on Twitter. You never know what you’ll find there — chocolate, museums, shopping, Disneyland, Movies! Follow along as I search for the all the latest Pressing Matters & tweet about what I find:
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