Hello Dear Readers! Do you have your tickets for the D23 Expo yet? I’m hoping that much like Comic-Con, D23 Expo-goers will come in costume. While I loved seeing photos of all the fabulous Comic-Con costumes (I even spotted a marvelous MiceChatter dressed as Toy Story's Jessie), nothing would be more enjoyable than seeing the Anaheim Convention Center filled with folks dressed up as their favorite Disney character.
Enough of that! Next thing you know, this’ll be an entire column about costuming so before I get going on a costume tangent, let’s talk about today’s subjects:
The Fleet’s In • Dark Knight • Shore At The Farm • Fun At The Expo • September And The Walt Disney Family Museum
It’s Navy Week in Los Angeles and that means you have the opportunity to see what America’s sailors are riding around in these days. Yes, that’s right, this week, the Navy opens its ships for public tours at the World Cruise Center at the Port of Los Angeles:
• July 28th from 10 AM to 4 PM the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Champion are open
• July 29th from 10 AM to 5 PM the USS Princeton, the USS Chaffee, and the USS Champion are open
USS Abraham Lincoln
• July 30th from 10 AM to 5 PM the USS Abraham Lincoln, the USS Princeton, and the USS Champion are open
• July 31st from 10 AM to 4 PM the USS Abraham Lincoln is open
The World Cruise Center at the Port of Los Angeles is located at 600 N Harbor Blvd in San Pedro, California.
In addition to the ship tours, there are a lot more Navy Week activities. For a complete list, visit this link and click on “Schedule of Events” for a downloadable PDF of all the Navy Week festivities.
Hey Batman fans, here’s a fun screening happening soon — plan on heading to Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre the first Friday in August for a special double feature of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight:
MEMENTO director Christopher Nolan and BLADE scribe David S. Goyer reinvent the BATMAN franchise, with the help of the best cast ever assembled for a comic book film. Christian Bale infuses the Caped Crusader with emotional gravity, an approach that’s underscored by Nolan’s effectively realistic approach to the material. Michael Caine, Tom Wilkinson and many other noteworthy character actors provide solid support in this adventure film that’s as smart as it is rousing.
The screening takes place on Friday, August 5 at 7:30pm at the Egyptian Theatre at 6712 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, California. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit this link.
Among the best bargains (price-wise) in collectible figurines that you’ll find at the Disneyland resort, are the figures done by Jim Shore. They’re not only pretty and nicely done, but usually, they’re, well ... cheap. Disneyland doesn’t have the market cornered on Jim Shore pieces; they’re at Knott’s Berry Farm too. They have a pretty nice selection of Jim Shore’s work, including some Disney pieces. Jim Shore will be signing his figurines at Knott’s this Saturday — and the event takes place outside the park so you don’t even have to pay admission to see him:
Award-winning artist Jim Shore will be at the Knott's Market Place Emporium Saturday, July 30th from 1 to 4 PM signing any piece of his art collection purchased that day. Jim's designs can be found in more than 25,000 stores world wide including the Knott's Market Place Emporium.
For more information, visit this link or call: 714-220-5275. Knott’s Berry Farm is located at 8039 Beach Blvd in Buena Park, California.
Every week there’s more and more info released about what we can expect to see at the upcoming D23 Expo (August 19th — 21st). A couple of days ago Disney announced the addition of the Interactive Media pavilion to the lineup. They will feature:
• The Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension video game where fans will be able to play as their favorite Phineas and Ferb characters as they journey through new dimensions to battle the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz.
• Cars 2: The Video Game — allows players to dive into the Cars 2 universe alongside some of their favorite Cars personalities in exotic locations spanning the globe.
• Disney Epic Mickey will be featured in the pavilion and the game's creator, legendary game designer Warren Spector, will be on hand on August 19th and 20th to meet guests and sign autographs.
• Online gamers will be able to try out Disney's latest social games, including Gardens of Time and Club Penguin.
• The latest mobile games available for iPhone, iPad and Android, such as Cars 2 and Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty will be on hand.
• Disney.com's Create will offer its newest collection of online creativity tools for making digital paintings, comic books, animated pets, photo mashups, music slideshows and animations.
• Disney Epic Mickey Digital Painter will be featured in the booth and guests will be invited to participate in daily art contests judged by Warren Spector for the chance to win exclusive D23 Disney Interactive Media Group prize packages.
Sounds like a lot to look forward to, no?
Writing about the Expo makes me think about week’s edition of the Disney Geek because among many other things, Jeffrey offers details about what’s being offered at the D23 Expo’s Live Auction and he also takes you on a little tour of the Disneyland Resort’s very popular Trader Sam’s Tiki Bar. If you haven’t had a chance to visit Trader Sam’s yet, you’re in for a treat. It’s kind of like Walt Disney World’s much-missed Adventurer’s Club, and it’s a whole lot of fun. Have a look:
Okay, we have just one more item to discuss. We’re going to wind up today’s Pressing Matters with a list of activities planned at the Walt Disney Family Museum in September because you know — it never hurts to plan ahead.
• September’s Film of the Month is So Dear To My Heart, a sweet little movie that, if you’ve never seen it, I’d like to recommend: It's about a boy named Jeremiah who grows up on his Grandmother’s farm and trains his baby lamb, Danny, to compete in a county fair. Will Jeremiah and Danny succeed? You’ll have to head up to the museum to find out. It stars Bobby Driscoll and Burl Ives and screens from September 1st through the 31st (except Tuesdays, September 17th, and 24th) at 1 and 4 PM.
• On Saturday September 17th at 3 PM, join the museum for something that sounds kind of magical to me — Our Grandpa, Walt Disney: Five of Walt’s grandchildren, Walter, Joanna, Jenny, Tamara, and Chris talk about what it was like to grow up with Walt as their grandpa!
The original Disneyland apartment furniture is now on display at the musuem.
The Miller kids will share their childhood stories and memories, including visiting the Disneyland apartment, spending Christmas with Walt and Lilly, and much more. The program will include family photos and video clips. Tickets go on sale to museum members first, August 1 through August 10. On August 11, limited tickets will go on sale to the general public for $25.
• September’s Look Closer is: Walt as a Grandfather: Family Photos and it takes place on Friday September 23rd, Saturday the 24th, and Sunday the 25th at 1 & 3 PM in Gallery 9 (free with paid museum admission).
• Saturday September 10th and Sunday the 18th: What is dear to your heart? Keep those memories for years to come, use a variety of materials to create and decorate your very own scrapbook! Disney Discoveries takes place from 1 to 3 PM in the Learning Center Art Studio.
• Moving Pictures: Intro 2-D Hand-Drawn Animation Workshop: Do you like to draw? Would you like to learn to animate? This class will teach you the basic principles of traditional hand-drawn animation as well as how to continue this discipline at home. The workshop is for adults 18 and over and takes place on Saturday September 17th from 1 PM to 4 pm in the Learning Center Media Studio. The price for members is $35 and $40 for non-members. Registration is required. Email [email protected] or call (415) 345-6814 for more information.
The Walt Disney Family Museum is located at 104 Montgomery Street, in The Presidio of San Francisco. For more information about any of the programs or to purchase tickets, visit this link or call (415) 345-6800
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If you'd like to submit something to be considered for the column, please send it to both Sue and Al at the following email addresses: [email protected] and [email protected] with the words "Pressing Matters" in the subject line. Due to our already extensive email loads we won't be able to acknowledge each submission, but those under consideration may get a note from us asking for more details. Representatives from the items chosen are invited to answer questions from readers at the forum linked at the end of each column.
FTC-Mandated Disclosure: As of December 2009, bloggers are required by the Federal Trade Commission to disclose payments and freebies. Sue Kruse and Al Lutz did not receive any payments, free items, or free services from any of the parties discussed in this article. They pay for their own admission to theme parks and their associated events, unless otherwise explicitly noted.
