Walt Disney World 2012: Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom
Friday, July 27th, 2012
The final day of the Florida leg of my trip came around on Thursday, April 19, 2012. My family and I had spent the last four days at the Disney resort – hitting the other three theme parks over the course of three of the days. Although my Mom, Bob, Denise and her kids, and Ashleigh and Silas would be hanging out at Walt Disney World (specifically at Disney’s Hollywood Studios) the following day, but that time I’d be on the other coast at Disneyland and California Adventure. Aaron would be leaving the area and meeting some friends elsewhere in Florida the next day as well. So this was our last shot at getting to the Hollywood Studios park. Read the rest of this entry »
She’s attractive, she’s funny, and yet she doesn’t seem to have starred in very much that I’m familiar with. However, she did have three key roles that had already elevated her into someone that I was anxious to meet. Dana Wheeler-Nicholson made her first personal appearance at an autograph show at the Chiller Theatre expo on April 28, 2012. Oddly enough, three years earlier as I was flying to Italy, I was certain that she was sitting behind me on 
But I’m not sure what blew my mind more: the fact that the ever-so-simplistic song Mickey lives on in our hearts and continues to conjure up images of valley girls in the early 1980’s, or the fact that thirty years after the fact, I was able to meet the performer of this classic song. It must evoke a rather mind-blowing experience for Toni Basil as well. Afterall, she didn’t write the song, nor does her performance of it stand out as anything that would blow the minds of the American Idol judges – and yet we are still willing to shell out $20 for an autographed photo, based solely on the success of this #1 Billboard song 30 years earlier. 
I had just one last little adventure to round out my trip that encompassed Disney World, Disneyland, a Hollywood Show, and Knotts Berry Farm. This would be the most low-key, but also the most unique of all of the experiences of the week. I only found out about this because I happen to be friends with Larry Hankin on Facebook. I had originally requested him as a friend because I was a fan of his work in Billy Madison (as Carl), Friends (as Mr. Heckles), Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (as Doobie the cab driver), Annie (as the dog catcher), and most notably – to me – as Tom Pepper, the actor who plays Kramer in the pseudo-sitcom Jerry on Seinfeld. He’s the one that stole the box of raisins during his audition. If you care to look him up, I’m sure you’ll be impressed that his credentials go on and on.