FREE New Year's Eve Concert!

"Feel It Again" (from the album pictured to the left) is one of my all-time favorite songs. And the 80's group that did it is not only still together, but they're also part of a free concert New Year's Eve in Niagara Falls.

Honeymoon Suite, along with Dennis DeYoung (the former lead singer of Styx) and Loverboy will perform Monday night at 8pm at Queen Victoria Park in Niagara Falls.

It's part of the Winter Festival of Lights and yes, it's totally free! Get all the details here.

Major Tom (Coming Home)...

The 80's are back on Star 102.5!

Every time I play this song by Peter Schilling, I get bombarded with questions about it.

It's a sequel to David Bowie's "Major Tom" and "Ashes To Ashes". We finally learn the fate of Major Tom here.

Check out the video on YouTube. And to buy the song, get "Living In Oblivion - Volume 5", one of the greatest collections of 80's music on CD. It's out of print, but should be easy to find either online or in the used section of most music stores.

Have a FUNKY Christmas!

This will scare you.

Check out this classic Christmas clip from the Arsenio Hall Show. Arsenio actually raps along with the New Kids On The Block on "Funky, Funky Christmas" from a 1989 episode of the show.

The reason I put this up - there's been one request I just couldn't find this year. "New Kids Got Run Over By A Reindeer", a parody that our station used to play in the late 80's and early 90's. I've got it on reel-to-reel tape, but the quality is terrible and can't be aired. Maybe by next Christmas I'll find a better copy.

Long before then, if you love stuff like this from the 80's, don't forget to listen to the all request 80's At 8. It returns Wednesday night on Star 102.5!!!

Dominick The Donkey in lights!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but I've been swamped with off-air work lately.

Anyways, MJ in our Traffic Department (one of the people who bring you the commercials you hear on some of our stations) told me about this YouTube video her and her daughter have been watching.

If you're a fan of the song "Dominick The Christmas Donkey", you're going to love this. It's holiday lights in sync to the song!

Julia Roberts vs. Paparazzi

The other day, Julia Roberts got a paparazzi to pull over and stop taping her.

Based on what's on film, she seemed to handle it well. And I'm thinking the guy taping her probably needed an underwear change after this encounter.

See the video here.

Toy Recall List

As you hit the stores searching for that perfect gift, here's a list that will definitely come in handy. It's a website that details all the toy recalls that have been happening lately.

The one that's drawn the most attention is Aqua Dots, a toy that was #1 on a lot of kids' Christmas wish lists. But that's far from the only toy being recalled.

Go through all the recalls at toyinfo.org and make sure none of the toys you've purchased or are about to purchase are listed. I was surprised at some of the stuff on there (especially the Baby Einstein one).

Centralia, Pennsylvania (again)...

Back in July, I posted a road trip idea about Centralia, Pennsylvania.

Annie, who listens to Star 102.5 all the time, was intrigued. Her and her husband Dean actually went out of their way to see the place. They had a blast just hiking around the town and she says the only disappointment was that they didn't get to spend a longer time there.

See a slideshow of their pictures on her October 13th blog entry.

Rising Star Concert Series

It's rare when a musician actually comes out to meet the crowd before or after a concert. And if they do, it's usually just for a brief two or three seconds while they quickly sign something and then continue through the line.

That definitely wasn't the case Saturday night. In fact, that's rarely the case when we do these intimate concerts. In addition to the amazing performances, the artists were so cool with meeting and talking to everyone.

Emerson Hart was just an all around nice guy, hanging out with everyone at the party before the show and posing for pictures. Not just for ten minutes either - he was there for over a half hour. And then on stage, as expected, he's a pro.

The same can be said for Ingrid Michaelson. Her performance was incredible - not just the singing, but also the banter between songs. You can tell she feels right at home on stage.

After that, she was out in the hallway where they were selling her CD's. At one point, there was a kid on her shoulders getting his picture taken with her. She was more than happy to meet and talk with anybody who came up to her.

If you liked her performance, visit her website and buy the CD or a T-shirt or something. She's an unsigned artist (not affiliated with any music label) and that's the best way you can show your support for her.

And I'm sure Emerson Hart would be happy if you bought his CD too. I'm already looking forward to playing the next single (after the Christmas music is done for the year of course).

So in addition to the amazing concert, Saturday night proved that both Emerson Hart and Ingrid Michaelson are exactly what all stars should be like - both on and off stage.

See pictures from the concert here. And if you weren't there, another Rising Star Concert Series event isn't too far off. Hope to see you at the next one.

Writers' Strike - Day 5

As the Writers' Strike continues on, another website has come up with a list of shows and how many episodes have been produced. This one contains just about every show you can imagine. See it here.

And if you're a fan of The Office, check out this YouTube video. The writers of the show want people to see what's happening on the picket lines. After watching, I'm sure you'll agree that the writers need some writers themselves to make this a little more entertaining.

But I do think the video accomplishes what it was meant to - show the mood of the picket lines and show that the writers are not going to back down.

Countdown to TV reruns...

Due to the writers' strike, the season finales for a bunch of network shows will happen a lot sooner than usual.

A recent L.A. Times article details how many episodes each series has ready to air. Considering that five or six have already been shown for most shows, there's not many left.

Not mentioned in the article is the effect of the strike on Lost. According to TV Guide, the fourth season of Lost could be postponed until 2009!

Only eight of the fourth season's episodes have been produced so far. People were furious when Lost aired a split third season, so ABC is considering holding the eight episodes and running them with the fifth season. That would mean 24 new episodes back-to-back, starting in January 2009.

Hopefully, all of this will mean nothing in a few days. The writers deserve the extra money for their shows being put on DVD and online. With luck, the Hollywood studio big shots will realize this soon and come to a compromise with the Writers Guild so the strike could end.


** "LOST" UPDATE ** - ABC must have been bombarded with complaints after this story got out earlier. According to Broadcasting & Cable, an ABC spokesperson says they now plan to air the eight episodes of Lost that have been produced. The fourth season was scheduled to start in early February, so we'll see in three months which story is true.

On a related note, Fox has decided NOT to run a partial season of "24". Read the article for a few more details on this.

Black Friday ads

It's only 2-1/2 weeks away. Are you ready?

This might help. A bunch of websites have been leaking the Black Friday ads. Some of the stores are extremely unhappy about this, but it is nice to be able to plan what store you want to be waiting at when the doors open that Friday.

Here's the websites I've found so far...

http://bfads.net/

http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/

www.blackfriday.info/ads/

www.bargainshare.com/

Witchiepoo's website...

Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo (aka Billie Hayes) was featured on today's Who Said It game. And now she's online too!

Check out her website, where you can order amulets, personally autographed photos, and see what Witchiepoo looks like behind all the makeup.

I had lunch with her in Los Angeles about ten years ago. Unlike Witchiepoo, Billie Hayes is a really nice person to hang out with (the fact that she's donating the money from the amulets and autographed photos to charity should back that up). Not that her alter-ego Witchiepoo is mean or anything, but I'm thinking she could probably grate on your nerves after an hour or so - especially with Orson and Seymore around.

The holidays aren't that far off. This would make a cool present for anyone familiar with the worlds of Sid and Marty Krofft. Thanks to Billie, the shopping for some of my friends is now done.

Van Halen butchering "Jump"...

A few weeks back, Van Halen massacred "Jump" during a concert in Greensboro, NC.

Back in the 80's, nobody would have known this even happened. Now thanks to YouTube, the whole world can watch this train wreck go down.

See it here. If your ears can take it, stick it out until the end - amazingly, it keeps getting worse as the song goes on.

Coney Island's Astroland lives!

This has been a bad year for a bunch of amusement parks.

Geauga Lake's amusement park closed forever. Conneaut Lake Park south of Erie never opened. Williams Grove Park in Pennsylvania was auctioned off. The Chaos ride was removed from Fantasy Island (that really annoyed me). And it was looking like this would be the final year for Coney Island's Astroland too.

But today, Astroland was given one more year! Go here for the complete story.

It won't be goodbye to the Cyclone roller coaster - that'll be staying. But the dark rides, the crazy spin rides which I love so much, and the cool Coney Island atmosphere is what will be going away after 2008.

Even though some things are gone already (like the insanely-run Zipper), I'm already looking forward to going again - but unfortunately, next year really will be the last time.

Meet the "Amazing Race 12" contestants...

Thanks to the quick cancellation of Viva Laughlin, Amazing Race returns sooner than expected!

The new season starts Sunday, November 4th and features a lot of waiters, bartenders, actor wannabes, and a goth team from Kentucky (not too hard to spot that team in the picture).

Click on the photo for the official Amazing Race CBS website where you can learn more about each of the teams.

Celebrity Apprentice contestants revealed...

Over the past year, Donald Trump's reality show The Apprentice has become incredibly dull.

I'm not usually a fan of celebrity editions of reality shows, but in this case I think it's going to help. Especially after I heard who's going to be on it.

TMZ leaked a video the other day showing a group of celebrities selling hot dogs in New York City for charity. Security tried to stop the taping, but failed. This has got to be for Celebrity Apprentice.

See the video here. And get ready for Celebrity Apprentice early next year on NBC.

Cheating on Big Brother 8?

Looks like there was some cheating on this past season of Big Brother 8. And it was the producers of the show that did the cheating to keep Dick & Danielle in the game as long as possible (which in turn, kept the show's ratings up).

On the Reality TV Podcast #122, there's an interview with Jessica from this past season, where she reveals what happened.

If you'd rather read about it, check out a partial transcript at Silly Hamsters (a Big Brother blog).

A new creature and its song...

1999 was the year of Hampton The Hampster and the Hampster Dance.

2005 was the year the world was introduced to Crazy Frog and its Axel F remake.

Now, get ready for Gummy Bear! I'm warning you now - once you hear the song, you won't be able to get it out of your head.

The "I Am Your Gummy Bear" CD by Gummibar (including both the song and the full video) will be released November 13th. I'm sure it'll make a perfect Christmas present for all your friends.

Pre-order it at amazon.com now.

Remember "The Pitts"?

For some reason, whenever I like a sitcom - it fails. That was the case with The Pitts. It lasted only five episodes in 2003 on Fox.

It was a sitcom about the unluckiest family on Earth. It was all sight gags and slapstick comedy. And even though it was live action, it looked just like a cartoon.

Well, now it might end up as a cartoon. Fox has ordered two scripts and already started casting The Pitts cartoon. If all goes well, The Pitts will be back within a year!

For anyone unfamiliar with the show, here's some episode descriptions from the original series...

• The Pitts take the wrong bus and are held hostage by escaping prisoners.
• Faith gets a Volkswagen bug that falls in love with her and wants to marry her in Vegas.
• Bob and Liz become werewolves and wreak havoc at night.
• Faith loses her chance of being in a rock band after a lead pipe goes through her head.
  

And there was three others too - as I'm sure you can tell, it was television brilliance!

I'm sure you're just as excited as I am about this. I'll let you know the second I find out when the new show will be airing.

And who knows, maybe they'll even release the original series on DVD!!!

A new Wonderfalls...

Wonderfalls is one of my favorite TV series.

I'm still stunned that it was cancelled after only four episodes! And just before the best episode of the series had aired. That would be "Crime Dog", the episode with a talking cow creamer, a deported housekeeper, and a trip over the US / Canadian border. Get the DVD and watch it - you'll thank me.

Obviously, there's no chance it'll ever come back with new episodes. But something very similar has begun. My favorite TV show of the new season...

The fantasy look, the weird dialogue, the talented cast, and the insane situations eerily remind me of Wonderfalls. It helps that both were created by the same person and the main actor is from Wonderfalls.

What's Pushing Daisies about? It's described as a forensic fairy tale. Think, CSI & Wonderfalls smushed together into one show.

Critics already love it, which scares me. Usually, anything critics love is either terrible or gets cancelled quickly. This is anything but terrible and I'll be crushed if it's cancelled.

Did you miss the first episode? See it on the ABC website and DVR or tape new episodes Wednesday nights at 8pm on ABC.

It's Grimmy's 23rd birthday!

I always loved this cartoon (and the CBS Saturday morning show that was based on it). 23 years ago today was the first time Mother Goose & Grimm appeared in newspapers.

Check out the official website for an archive of cartoons and other fun stuff.

RIP Geauga Lake (1888 - 2007)

So after a rough night at work where the computers died, knocking all our stations either off-air or into manual mode, I come home and learn about this bad news.

Cedar Fair (the company that owns Cedar Point, King's Island, Canada's Wonderland, and many other parks) has decided to close Geauga Lake's amusement park (just three hours west of Buffalo) and change it over to waterpark only. You can read the announcement about the closing here.

Want to go visit Geauga Lake one last time before its rides are either demolished or moved? Nope, you can't - Cedar Fair didn't want to give anyone that opportunity. The park is already closed for the season and the rides portion will no longer exist starting next year.

Cedar Fair can't be blamed completely though - Six Flags owned the park up until recently and ran the park into the ground. When Cedar Fair bought it, it was a serious uphill battle to get the park back to being worth visiting. And with Cedar Fair already owning the other two major Ohio amusement parks, I guess it wasn't worth the trouble.

This is what could have happened to Darien Lake had it not been purchased by PARC, a company that actually cares about our park. All the more reason to definitely visit Darien Lake weekends through October 7th and support this new company.

Darien Lake has FREE admission during its Fall Family Fun Fest. It'll be pay-per-ride or you can buy a wristband for $15 to ride everything. There's a haunted house, corn maze, lots of family entertainment, and Deep Fried Twinkies!

As for Geauga Lake, I'm sure the spin rides will find homes at other Cedar Fair parks. But I'm wondering if they're going to attempt to move "Villain", an excellent wooden roller coaster. Same goes for "Big Dipper", a classic (and still good) wooden coaster from 1925.

I have a lot of great memories of visiting Geauga Lake. The ultimate being the time me and a bunch of friends roadtripped out to the park and met up with my brother for a freezing cold, rainy October night riding all the rides and drinking lots of hot chocolate. Even with the miserable weather that night, we all still had an awesome time and stayed right until the park closed.

Visit this website to see Geauga Lake as it was.

Survivor backstage!

Ever wonder what preparation goes on behind the cameras for a reality show?

Survivor's Jeff Probst shows you in a series of behind the scenes videos. Check them out at the CBS website.

As for the current season - after just one episode, I've already picked out who I'm rooting for to win and the ones I hope don't last long.

So far, I'm rooting for James (the gravedigger guy) and Amanda (the hiking guide). Amanda wasn't shown much yet, but some early comments by her already prove that she totally understands the game.

The most annoying to me was definitely the NYC waitress (just an unpleasant person), the whiny woman wrestler, the full-of-himself poker player, and Sherea (who seemed to be stunned that Survivor was taking place outdoors).

A lot of them weren't shown much, so I'm sure the list will change next week. Plus, most of their names don't sink in until a few episodes in.

It does look like a fun season though. See it online or Thursday nights on CBS.

The Chenbot!

Julie Chen is "The Chenbot" - see the Chenbot clip here. And check out the Chenbot fan page while you're at it (proof there really is a website for everything).

According to recent interviews Julie Chen has done, even she thinks this clip is funny. Which makes her even more likable as a reality show host.

Two new game shows!

I used to watch game shows all the time - Press Your Luck, Tic Tac Dough, Pitfall, Scrabble, The Joker's Wild, Monopoly, and Classic Concentration were favorites of mine.

Now, it seems the classic type game show is all but gone except for the tired Wheel Of Fortune, Jeopardy, and Family Feud. But two new shows debuted this week and will hopefully revive the genre.

Temptation is a new version of Sale Of The Century. It airs weekdays at 12:30pm on CW-23 (cable channel 16 in Buffalo). It's like a cross between a game show and the home shopping channel (there's quite a few home shopping deals featured in the show).

If you liked Sale Of The Century, you'll probably like this. I didn't, so I wasn't too thrilled with this show. There just seemed to be more prize descriptions than actual gameplay.


Crosswords is a new Merv Griffin created game show. It airs weekdays at 2:00pm on WGRZ (channel 2 in Buffalo).

I love this show. The set is very cool and there's a lot of strategy involved in the game. So while I'm not good at crossword puzzles, that didn't matter. The "spoiler" rounds, where other contestants can take the place of a current contestant, makes for a great addition to an already good show. And those rounds more than make up for the hard-to-see bonus round, the only negative I have about the show.

While it's not an instant classic like the old 80's game shows, it's a fast-paced, fun half-hour. Definitely check this one out!

Who Wants To Be A Superhero winner...

After watching a reality show start to finish, it’s annoying when the person you want to win doesn't.

In the case of Who Wants To Be A Superhero, I was stunned when The Defuser won. I thought that character has been done to death in comics. Apparently, Stan Lee thought differently - and since he’s the one writing the comic, I guess he’s right.

Although I would've rather read a comic book about Hyper-Strike or Hygena. Hyper-Strike was a comic character come to life and perfect for the job. And Hygena would have made a very different and fun superhero - but that might have been too big a challenge to pull off in a comic book.

As far as the people on the show goes, this reality series didn't go anywhere near the bottom of the barrel in picking contestants. All of them seemed like genuinely nice people, which is why I’m already looking forward to Who Wants To Be A Superhero 3 (if it's renewed).

On the flip side, there’s Big Brother. At this point, I’m rooting for certain contestants NOT to win - Evil Dick for being excruciatingly annoying, Daniele just for being related to Dick and going along with his plans in the game, and Zach for not seeming to have a clue what’s going on.

That would leave Jameka, who seems nice enough to win, as long as she doesn't continue going overboard with her “it’s already pre-determined” craziness.

Unfortunately, all the contestants I really wanted to win (Mike, Jen, and Carol) have already been sent out of the Big Brother house. Most of them early on in the game. I’ll still watch through to the end though (which will be September 18th on CBS).

As for the second season of Who Wants To Be A Superhero, that will be available on DVD October 18th according to scifi.com.

Road trip: The abandoned tunnels of I-70

This cool place is not close - it’s about a five-hour drive from Buffalo in fact. And it’s something I haven’t been to, but it’s definitely something I plan to see in the near future.

In 1968, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission decided to update I-70 by bypassing congested stretches of road. The result, a 13-mile stretch of highway including two of the highway tunnels which have been left abandoned.

The tunnels are no longer open for motor vehicles, but are open to the public. In fact, an organization called Pike2Bike is working on turning these tunnels and the abandoned highway into a bike trail. It’ll be a long time before the project is complete though. So for now, there’s no easy access to these tunnels.

The two tunnels are the Sideling Hill Tunnel and the Rays Hill Tunnel. The Sideling Hill Tunnel is the longest of the original tunnels on the turnpike. It’s 1.3 miles long! Because it’s unlit and on a strange angle, it’s pitch black in parts - you’ll definitely need a powerful flashlight here (from what I’ve read, ordinary flashlights are not good enough).

Here's two videos of the tunnels (from the rays-hill.com website). As you'll see, the roads haven't been repaired since the tunnels closed, so it’ll be rough going.

To get to the tunnels, it’s either a long walk or bike ride. Go here for directions.

Just FYI, there is one other tunnel and short stretch of highway that’s been abandoned. But that tunnel (the Laurel Hill Tunnel) and the separate abandoned stretch of highway that goes along with it are on private property and not open to the public. So do not go there (it’s even police patrolled). The other tunnels are the better ones to visit anyways based on online reports.

And if you visit the Sideling Hill & Rays Hill Tunnels, let me know what they’re like as I’m anxious to see them myself!

Who Wants To Be A Superhero?

This show and Big Brother have been the highlights of reality TV this summer. If you haven't seen it yet, this is bad TV at its best.

Even the prize is campy - the winning superhero will be immortalized in a Stan Lee comic book! They'll also be featured in an upcoming Sci Fi Channel movie and an action figure will be made of their superhero.

The second season is nearing its end with only three contestants remaining...

• Hyper-Strike: A circus performer & martial arts expert. One of his superpowers is he can use his sweat as a weapon. I'm sure he's going to win as he's like a cartoon come to life.
  



• Hygena: She fights grime and crime. She actually carries a feather duster around with her at all times. My guess is she'll be second place - she's a fun superhero and seems like a nice person, but I can't see a comic book about her doing well.
  



• The Defuser: A cop turned superhero. Reminds me of a less robotic android. The world doesn't need another robot-like superhero.

Hearing those descriptions, I know you just can't wait to see the show. The second season finale for Who Wants To Be A Superhero is Thursday (September 6th) on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Grocery shopping with 6 kids!

Just the thought of it is terrifying to me.

My cousin, Sharyn, passed along the link to the story. She's about to have her third kid, so this story hits close to home for her.

I visited Sharyn on my recent vacation. At one point, we went to the grocery store with her kids (Ian & Bryn). I was expecting a disaster, but it wasn't bad - Sharyn & Mat have made sure the kids are well behaved.

Not so for the mom who sold a box of Pokemon cards on eBay. Just standard, ordinary Pokemon cards - they weren't worth much more than what she paid at the grocery store. But they sold for over $140 based on her description of how she ended up buying them without knowing it.

See the eBay page for the hysterical story and a link to her blog.

Dancing With The Stars cast announced!

This season's cast was announced earlier this morning on ABC's Good Morning America and it's the largest group of celebrities yet for the show.

And I've actually heard of half of them this time - Scary Spice (Melanie Brown), Jennie Garth, Marie Osmond, Jane Seymour, Mark Cuban, and Wayne Newton.

TMZ.com's predictions were close yesterday. Some of their guesses that didn't make the final list - Tori Spelling, Aaron Carter, Lou "The Incredible Hulk" Ferrigno, and singer Nia Peeples. TMZ is now claiming that ABC had put together the bogus list in case it was leaked (which it was).

See ABC's official announcement here. The 5th season of Dancing With The Stars premieres September 24th.

"Behemoth" at Canada's Wonderland!

Get ready for a world class roller coaster at Canada's Wonderland!

A height of 230-feet, an 85-degree drop, over 5000 feet of track, a speed of 77 mph, and a ride length over three minutes - the $26-million dollar Behemoth is scheduled to debut May 2008. It'll be Canada's Wonderland's 15th roller coaster and Canada's biggest, tallest and fastest roller coaster!

The ride was designed by Bolliger & Mabillard of Switzerland. B&M roller coasters are typically very smooth and fun rides - they're always favorites of mine.

Other B&M coasters...

• Raptor (inverted coaster) at Cedar Point
• Mantis (stand-up coaster) at Cedar Point
• Dominator (floorless) at Geauga Lake
• Great Bear (inverted) at Hersheypark
• Alpengeist (inverted) at Busch Gardens Europe in Virginia
• Apollo's Chariot (mega coaster) at Busch Gardens Europe
• Griffon (floorless diving) at Busch Gardens Europe
  

Check out Behemoth's unique seating, track layout, videos, and all the other ride details here.

Get ready to take on Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland next year!

Big Brother's Jen

At the beginning of the game, I thought she was crazy. But as the game went on, I realized she was actually a really good player and I was hoping she'd win. Especially since she was always aggravating Dick, one of the most annoying Big Brother players ever.

Unfortunately, she was evicted from the Big Brother house last night.

And it turns out she really wasn't playing for the money after all. It appears she received the best prize of all from the show - free publicity. She's a model & actress and this turned into almost two months of free publicity for her. Check out her website / resume.

And if you're doubting how smart she was, watch this 40-second YouTube clip - it seems like Jen figured out that Eric is America's Player.

Survivor: China contestants revealed...

The 15th season of Survivor starts September 20th on CBS. Today, the cast was revealed.

There's a school lunch lady / Karate expert, a grave digger, a chicken farmer, a Christian radio talk show host, a professional poker player, and a WWE wrestler this season. I'm sensing some clashes already. See all sixteen contestants here.

Now after fourteen seasons of Survivor, nothing is really surprising anymore. Big Brother and Amazing Race are definitely the better reality shows, but how could I stop watching now? Especially with this cast?!

Let's hope this season is as exciting as the contestant's descriptions.

The greatest album of the year...

...and yet, no US radio station that I know of plays anything from it!

It's Mika's "Life In Cartoon Motion". I've been a big fan of the songs "Grace Kelly" and "Relax (Take It Easy)" from before the CD even came out. "Love Today" was released a couple months ago overseas and was also a big hit.

And now I've noticed "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)" is being used to promote the ABC series Ugly Betty (a show I've never seen, but the promos look funny). See the video for the song here.

If you're a fan of upbeat pop music, you'll love this album. But I highly suggest NOT buying the CD. For some insane reason, the record company put a ridiculous copy-protect on it which not only makes it unplayable on my CD player, but also makes it unable to be uploaded to my iPod. And the record companies wonder why CD sales are down?!

Instead, download the album from iTunes or one of the other online stores. By doing that, you'll also be able to preview the tracks first.

Why are you still reading this? Go get this album...

Galactic Suite - the first hotel in space!

It's opening in five years - make your reservations now before the waiting list gets too long!

It's only $4 million for three nights and includes Velcro (for when you're tired of floating around) and eight weeks of training at a space camp in the Caribbean.

And no, this isn't on the moon. It'll be rotating the Earth, about 300 miles above the surface. So get ready for some awesome sunrises - there will be fifteen of them a day as the hotel will take only eighty minutes to make it around the Earth.

See the website for reservations & info. And feel free to invite me...

Interview w/ Vicki Peterson of The Bangles...

Vicki Peterson is the Bangle on the right. My full unedited interview with her (including quite a few minutes that didn't make it on-air) can be heard here.


And make sure to check out The Bangles' new DVD that was released today. It's called "Return To Bangleonia" and features their 2000 comeback concert at the House Of Blues in Hollywood, a commentary track to the concert, and an interview session with three of the Bangles!

Road trip: Coney Island

One of the main things I wanted to do on my vacation was visit Coney Island in New York City one last time before it's gone.

That's right - the Coney Island boardwalk area will most likely be no more after this season. There is a tiny chance it could survive (read the NY Daily News article from August 5th here), but why risk missing this American classic.

If the new development happens, the only things that will remain will be the Cyclone roller coaster, the Wonder Wheel, the Parachute Drop structure, and Nathan's Hot Dog stand.

As for my day at Coney Island, it was so much fun. Coney Island is not just one amusement park. It's a bunch of attractions owned by different people (with Astroland being the most well known).

I rode Astroland's Cyclone once. It was a very rough ride and is overrated in my opinion. The rest of the rides at Astroland are awesome though.

The Breakdance is one of my favorites at the park (it's similar to the Crazy Quilt that used to be at Darien Lake). But this one - like almost all the rides in Coney Island - is run manually, making for a crazy ride.

Their Top Spin (the same ride as Darien Lake's Twister) was also run manually and was just pure insanity!

Then there's the individually owned Zipper. My ride went about ten minutes and I must have flipped upside down about a hundred times. Not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. My friends just watched and wouldn't go on this one with me.

And obviously, I ate some Nathan's hot dogs, rode the Wonder Wheel, checked out the boardwalk, and just had a fun time.

The full season for Astroland ends September 3rd and then it's open weekends only until a date yet to be determined. If you want to see it, I highly recommend getting there soon. Otherwise, you might have to settle with just reading about it.

It's about a seven hour ride (if you're lucky enough not to hit traffic) and the Mapquest directions were perfect! As for parking, I was there on a Sunday so I just parked on the street for free. At other times, the nearby Aquarium parking lot is an option (an expensive one, but easy to get to at least).

Have fun if you go!

Marineland's Topple Tower is now open!

This is what a Topple Tower looks like. But it's not Marineland's - their ride has a walrus attached to the top! See pictures of Marineland's Topple Tower here (these pictures are from a few weeks ago when the ride was still under construction).

The Topple Tower takes you 70 feet into the air and then tilts you 60-degrees back and forth as the ride rotates, toppling you towards the ground! If you're worried about the spinning, don't be - it's not a super fast spinning ride. The spin is there just to give you a change of view each time it tilts.

The ride is manufactured by Huss Rides, which I consider to be the best amusement park ride manufacturer in the world. Dozens of their other rides can be found throughout parks in our area.

Unfortunately for me, I leave on vacation tomorrow, so it'll be a week or so before I finally get to ride it. But if you've got a day off and you're looking for something to do, get to Marineland and check it out for yourself. And then e-mail me and let me know what you think.

And make sure you don't miss Magic (also a Huss ride) and Flying Dragon (both pictured), two of my all-time favorite rides at Marineland. Plus there's the Dragon Mountain roller coaster (with some new theming this year) and Sky Screamer - the world's highest triple tower ride - amongst a bunch of other great rides and shows. Have fun!

And FYI, as of now, US-born citizens do NOT need a passport to go to Canada.

Road trip: State Fairs

Gobble down a bunch of deep fried Twinkies and head for the nearest spin ride - it's time for the State Fairs to begin!

If you've got a road trip coming up, see the dates and websites of all the State Fairs here.

I'm going by two of them on my trip next week. I'm hoping to run across a Tango, a rare ride in North America. Taller than a Ferris Wheel, you're in a standing position on the ride while it flips in various directions.

But State Fairs aren't just about the rides - there's also the food! So far, I've tried deep fried Twinkies, Oreos, and Snickers. But this year, even though they look disgusting, I'm trying deep fried Mars Bars. How could they not be good?

As for the games, I usually can't pull myself away from the deep fried heaven of food and the rides. But if you can, check out this website to see tricks of winning games like the ladder climb, ring toss, guess you birth month, balloon dart game, or basketball free-throw.