This weekend see Spooky Empire’s Ultimate Horror Weekend is a three day event that takes place in Orlando, FL, and celebrates all things horror. The event includes celebrity autograph signings, live music, tattooing, film festival, video gaming, costume contest, Q&As, and seminars. Spooky Empire is ready for their seventh year and have an excellent show in store once again! They’ve lined up some of the freshest new guests to appear at Spooky Empire’s Ultimate Horror Weekend, being held this year on October 9-11, 2009 at the Wyndham Orlando Resort on International Drive.
Some of the guests to appear so far are The Masters of Horror – George Romero “Dawn of the Dead”, John Landis “American Werewolf in London”, and Herschell Gordon Lewis “2,000 Maniacs”, Adrienne Barbeau “The Fog”, Linda Blair “The Exorcist”, and Fairuza Balk from “The Craft”. From Alfred Hitchcock’s legendary film “The Birds” Tippi Hedren will be appearing, as well as Sid Haig and Bill Moseley of Rob Zombie’s “The Devil’s Rejects”.
There will be a “Jason” Reunion with special guests Derek Mears, Kane Hodder and. C.J. Graham. Come and meet the daughter of the legendary movie monster Boris Karloff – Sara Karloff. Also come and meet special guest Brian Krause, best known as Leo in the “Charmed” television series and Stephen King’s “Sleepwalkers”, this is his first convention appearance.
Other guests include Jason London from “Dazed and Confused”, “Creature from the Black Lagoon” Ricou Browning, and from “Night of the Creeps” Jill Whitlow and Jason Lively. There will also be a “Halloween II” reunion with the original cast.
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Records reviewed by the Orlando Sentinel show that a Nissan truck registered to Joseph Bowie and a Jeep SUV registered to Carlos Mendes have been caught by Orlando’s traffic cameras running more red lights than anyone else. Both have the same favorite intersection: All 12 infractions were at the intersection of Conroy and Vineland roads.
Bowie and Mendes could not be reached for comment.
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Guests can also explore several different paths leading to fun and excitement and cross the bridge to Discovery Island. Discover Island is the center of the Kingdom where guests can enjoy more animals as well as a variety of adventures. These animals in their natural habitats and the attractions creatively created around them make Animal Kingdom an exciting learning adventure for the entire family.
Major Attractions
You will find several major attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. You can explore Africa through the Kilimanjaro Safaris and Pangani Forest Exploration Trail or you can get a good taste of Asia by experiencing the Expedition Everest and the Kali River Rapids. Rafiki’s Planet Watch attractions include Affection Section, Conservation Station, Discovery Island Trails, and Habitat Habit demonstrate the kingdoms commitment to conservation awareness..
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It’s summer time and though the living may be easy, the rocking will be full-tilt and long lasting thanks to many blasts from the retro-past heading out on the road in Orlando this summer. And many of summer’s biggest names are playing a venue near you, or no further than an hour or two at the most away. Ready to celebrate major anniversaries and feelin’ just peachy keen, the Allman Brothers Band returns June 5-6 to Live Oak, where they will headline the Wanee Festival’s two days of vibes after sitting out last year due to Gregg Allman’s bout with Hepatitis C.
They’d rather eat a rotten peach than miss this year: Traditionally headlined by the Allmans, the Wanee spree marks its fifth anniversary with next weekend’s fest. And the band itself will celebrate 40 years of whipping musical posts around the world by playing its blend of Southern-brewed rock, blues, jazz and country on both nights at the festival.
Wanee is an Allman family affair, of course: Guitarists Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks are doing double duty again with their respective other bands (Gov’t Mule in Hayne’s case), and the midnight appearance by Trucks’ band on Friday will likely feature his wife Susan Tedeschi, who also appears in the lineup on her own right.
Also, blues guitarist Buddy Guy has recently joined this year’s 22-act bill, which also includes The Doobie Brothers, Little Feat, Umphrey’s McGee, Arc Angels, The Wailers (performing the “Exodus” album), Dead-man drumming Bill Kreutzmann, former Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tune guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and others.
Speaking of jazz-rock, country-rock and jam-band psychedelia, the down-the-road St. Augustine Amphitheatre will be a shrine to all three ’70s sounds this summer with a quadrophenia of ear-appealing shows.
Whenever age-old bands hit the road, it’s easy to crack that they’re paying for new manses in the Hills, but Steely Dan has beaten us to the punch with its “Rent Party ’09″ tour, which will pay the bills in St. Augustine on June 18 (and in Orlando at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre on June 15).
The spirit of the granddaddy of jam-rockers, the Grateful Dead, is alive and well with Bob Weir & Ratdog when the former Dead guitarist brings his solo band to the amphitheater on July 17. And Jackson Browne will show that time can conquer all for retro rockers when his “Time the Conqueror” tour (named after last year’s album of the same name) plays the amphitheater on Aug. 7.
But the coup that will make virtually the entire summer shine for the coastal venue comes when Crosby, Stills & Nash roll out the sound of Woodstock at the amphitheater on Aug. 23 – exactly 40 years and six days after they played the real thing
Not to be outdone, Judas Priest and Whitesnake will crank it up to 11 at the amphitheatre on Aug. 15, and filling in the cracks in St. Augustine this summer will be The Offspring on July 17, Counting Crows with Michael Franti & Spearhead on Aug. 14 (with tickets on sale 10 a.m. Friday) and O.A.R. on Aug. 28.
To the northeast, country and folk are holding sway in Jacksonville with Toby Keith playing the Veterans Memorial Arena on June 28 (and Tampa’s Ford Amphitheatre June 26), and Rascal Flatts with guest Darius Rucker doing similar double duty at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on July 23 (with tickets on sale 10 a.m. Saturday) and the Ford Amphitheatre on July 25.
The Tampa/Orlando rock belt will keep the retro sounds going all summer long as well, with Lynyrd Skynyrd and Kid Rock teaming up again at the Ford Amphitheatre on June 27, and pop-rocker crooners Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald working their hits July 2 at Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall. The big sound, big hair (and big beards in one case) will romp forth the rest of the summer at the Ford in Tampa, where Aerosmith and ZZ Top will blow their fans’ top if not their cochlea on July 11; Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick will do the same on Aug. 14; and Motley Crue searches for the Aqua Net on Aug. 28.
Lastly, the Ford will say so long to summer with Depeche Mode’s “Tour of the Universe” on Sept. 4. The date will presumably allow plenty of time for singer Dave Gahan to recuperate from an illness that has canceled several shows this month on the tour in Europe.
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Theaters offers free G and PG movies, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10am during the summer. Starting June 9 and ending August 5, it’s nine weeks of fun free movies When you visit the Regal Theaters link you will find the participating theaters, the movies they are showing, and the show times for Florida.
In the Orlando area there are four theaters you can choose from; The Loop Stadium 16, Waterford Lakes Stadium 20 & IMAX, Oviedo Stadium 22, and Winter Park Stadium 20.
The movies vary from theater to theater so if there is one you want to see and can’t make it on the date it is being shown at one theater check the other theater listings. Chances are you will be able to catch it at one of the other Regal Theaters. Seating is first come, first served, limited to theater capacity so plan on getting to the theater early.
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One of the most amazing things you can do whilst in Orlando is the Dolphin Swim Experience – Make a friend that will live in your heart forever when you experience the highlight of your day, a one-on-one dolphin encounter. Learn about dolphin behavior and communication. Wade into the dolphin lagoon. Come nose to bottlenose with one of these fascinating and intelligent animals, take hold of its dorsal fin and hold on for the ride of a lifetime.
The highlight of a visit to Discovery Cove is the opportunity to swim with a bottlenose dolphin during a 30-minute interactive adventure. Accompanied by a trainer, groups of six to eight guests wade into shallow water and become acquainted with their dolphin through hugs, kisses and rubdowns. Then, taking the adventure one step further, guests interact with their dolphin in deeper water for an exciting dorsal fin tow ride back to shore.
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The Manta flying coaster creates a new level of immersion into the animal world — in a way only SeaWorld Orlando can do — enveloping riders in a sensation of oneness with the ocean’s most powerful and graceful creature as they soar, dive and plummet through the air.. and at times within inches of the sea. The journey begins the second guests enter a mythical village filled with artisan-created engravings and artwork that celebrate ray legend and lore. No ordinary queue line – the attraction starts with the first step inside.
Anticipation builds as guests wind through caverns adorned with ray-inspired art in marble, jewels, and mosaics, all hand-created and left behind by artists who were moved to pay tribute to the beauty, grace and intrigue of these animals.
Whether guests choose to ride or not, the attraction is a world unto itself. Floor-to-ceiling windows create mesmerizing face-to-fin encounters with 300 rays, as well as thousands of fish and mysterious creatures native to oceans all over the world. Shark rays, spotted eagles rays, leopard rays, cownose rays, and oscillate river rays float past guests with fluidity and grace in a view new to SeaWorld. Enhancing the feeling of awe, elaborate lighting, sound and rushing waterfalls further submerge guests into this underwater universe.
The experience then evolves from seeing … to being.
Inspired by the underwater flight of these powerful creatures, guests will fly face-down, in a horizontal position, underneath the belly of a coaster train shaped as a giant manta. With a wing span of 12 feet, the giant manta will soar over sea and sky in the most graceful flying coaster ever created.
Gliding, swooping and diving up to nearly 60 mph, through four inversions on 3,359 feet of track, riders will feel as if they are a ray, taking flight effortlessly from sky to sea — so close at times that the Manta’s wings skim the waves.
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Florida is well known for beaches, theme parks and entertainment. Many who travel to Florida have also found themselves attracted to GatorLand, better known as the “Alligator Capital of the World”. Of all the places there are to visit in Orlando this has become a very popular attraction among both tourists and locals. This natural habitat features, not only various local and international wildlife such as crocodiles and alligators, it also features a water park area that is fun for both children and adults of all ages.
GatorLand has fast become a highly popular park to visit in Orlando, Florida. For those who plan on taking their vacation in Orlando and visiting theme parks such as Disney World or Universal Studios, keep in mind that GatorLand is only a few minutes away and all of the animals and staff are just waiting to entertain you, your family and your friends.
GatorLand is located just a short distance away from the most popular theme parks such as Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World. Featuring 110-acres of wildlife and adventure, this park sits ideally close to the Kissimmee border. Family entertainment has been this parks main feature since opening in 1949 by featuring displays of crocodiles straight out of the jungles of Asia, Africa, South America, and of course, or locally loved crocs and gators as well.
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Rising up in Orlando is a whimsical, one-of-a- kind water park only SeaWorld could create – Aquatica. Opened in March 2008, Aquatica blends up close animal experiences, waters from serene to extreme, high-speed thrills and wide, sandy beaches.
“SeaWorld is famous for immersing guests in the mystery of the sea and its animals,” said Jim Atchison, executive vice president and general manager of SeaWorld Orlando. “Aquatica takes this immersion to a new level, inviting guests to play in, over, and under the water itself.”
Setting foot into Aquatica, guests immediately experience the vastness of nearly 60 acres of lush landscape inspired by the vivid color, stunning flora and carefree personality of the South Sea Islands. Reminiscent of the rugged beauty of New Zealand, Australia and New Guinea, the landscape of Aquatica is striking. Crystal-blue rivers wind through hidden grottos and refreshing waterfalls, while rich greenery and bright flowers adorn towering rock formations.
Peeking through this verdant landscape, brightly colored, quirky buildings topped with swooping, pitched roofs create an uplifting, carefree setting. Colorful, whimsical animals – derivative patterns from New Zealand’s Maori culture – adorn carved totem poles and interactive fountains.
Live animals from lands all over the world including Commerson’s dolphins, brilliant macaws and colorful fish bring to life the park’s playful, high-energy nature.
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