Snoozin' or Cruisin'?

Hey you...yea you. Reading this.

I was told tonight by a person pretty close to me, that someone else he/she knows thinks this little blog I run is boring. Firstly, this person's opinion really does not matter to me because he/she isn't always positive, and likes to make other people's lives rather miserable by his/her harping and complaining about quite literally EVERYTHING.

So, I thought I'd use this as a time to ask YOU the readers what you would like to see tweaked or changed on here, if anything. Please, don't candycoat your answers by saying 'oh no, it's really nice I like it.' If there's something you think could make this site better, PLEASE TELL ME. I enjoy posting things, and I want you to enjoy everything on this site. So if you think I could add/drop music, post more or less on a topic, post on a new topic I haven't talked about yet, have more/less ads, etc. TELL ME.

You can either leave a comment here, Tweet at me or send me an E-mail at mainstreetjake@yahoo.com

With that being said, I'm off to watch my weekly guilty pleasure...who's he gonna pick? Emily or Chantal?

Love Language

Saw this on a friend's page, and I had to share it. Definitely a great video. You gotta give this a watch. If only more people were like this in the world.

The Rango Realization

After reading the ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) article Blue Sky Disney put out, I just realized that ILM created ALL of Rango. I thought I heard that somewhere before, but didn't think much of it. For those that don't know, ILM is a company that did the effects for the original Star Wars trilogy, and almost any great movie today. They created the effects for the new Star Wars Trilogy, Iron Man 1 and 2, Pirates of the Caribbean (all three), and countless others.

Their work is profound, and amazingly realistic. A branch of Lucasarts (George Lucas' company), these dudes and bettys are film artists at the finest core. Their work creates impressive scenes, some memorable, some just flat out awesome, and others subtle enough you can't tell what's real and whats not.

With Rango, I was impressed to see how visually easy it was to just watch. It could have been a silent picture, and I would have enjoyed it almost the same. It was bright, colorful, and amazingly detailed, much like you would expect from ILM. I knew it was under Nickelodeon's name, but didn't know that ILM made the entire film. If ILM starts getting more into making feature films, and not just effects scenes for superheros, aliens, and pirates, Disney and Dreamworks may very well have a new kid to their block, and from the looks of it, could be playing some major hardball.

The light is far from dark, and the magic may just be beginning.

Boy33's Fan Mail Monday..

With last Friday's tragic events in Japan, Boy33 and I decided to postpone the posting of the Fan Question Friday part of the interview, to show our respect for the lives lost, injured and affected by the earthquake and tsunami. We thought it'd be more appropriate to not focus on the mystery man  behind the green door, but more on something of much more importance. But now as we promised, I'm posting the second part of this now. I hope you understand my reasoning for delaying the post, and I hope you enjoy the post today. :) 

> Jake 

Alright Mr. 33, how’s your week been? I’m glad we’re getting to sit down again after having to end the last meeting a bit quick. Life gets crazy, right?

Definitely, now we can focus on all these fan questions you’ve collected up over the week! I hear you got some good ones. Great idea by the way. Great to get some interaction going. Fan Question Friday! Who knows… maybe I’ll do more. No promises!

For sure! I still have some other questions for you, before we jump in on the fan questions. Let’s start with the Carthay Theater. What do you think of the Carthay Circle Club? Do you think that Disney will go through with creating an exclusive "33"-like club inside the up and coming sister park?

Well, I don’t know, but I’m really excited about the possibilities, and honestly, I really do think it will happen. They’ve got more than enough people on the Club 33 wait list alone to fill it up. Fine dining inside DCA would be a nice complement to the park. Curious to see how they’d “entice” people though since secrecy/mystique and alcohol are two of 33’s biggest draws, which would be completely negated by both a PROMINENT location, and a park already flowing with booze. Like I said, I’m excited to see what Disney comes up with. Either way, you know I’ll send you pics from inside, Jake. ;)

What? No invite to dinner there? Waiter, check please! This interview’s over.

(He laughs)

Haha, we’ll work something out. It doesn’t even exist yet, Jake! Next question..

What do you think of Club 33 losing its original 'secrecy' due to the fan base and the internet?

Well, true, Club 33 HAS lost some of its “secrecy.” But only among the people who seek out the information. But Club 33 will always have a mystique. Walt built it. He shaped and created it. Unfortunately he never got to experience it but there are remnants of him there. You can feel it if you’re paying attention. You can just imagine him sipping coffee at a window table or stretching his legs on the balcony, watching people exit Pirates, his last attraction, with delight on both his and the guests’ faces. I feel it when I go. And no amount of pictures or trip reports can capture that. But it wasn’t built TO BE a secret. It was a secret because it was his. It was built out of the way because it WASN’T a Disneyland attraction itself. It was Walt’s. That’s why it’s not on the map. And really, in the grand scheme of the average day guest, so very few people even KNOW where it is or that it’s even THERE. So, to a degree it still is a mystery to many. Most. And I like that.

To the uberfans, nothing Disney does going forward can be a mystery or secret anymore. “Macro” and his telephoto xray superlens will take care of THAT, haha. And that’s not a bad thing, or a dig at him. He’s just one of the most known. And MintCrocodile. I follow the updates religiously just like you do. I love it. But, there will always be that unexplored hidden upper floor in New Orleans Square that even some of the most passionate Disney fans are dying to explore and see for themselves. And I love that too.

Wow, well said! I agree, the secrecy is definitely still there for the average day guest. I still have some friends ask me “What’s that?” when I bring it up from time to time.  

Let’s go old school here, (since we’re on the topic of restaurants… kind of…) when Disney(‘s) California Adventure opened, what was your favorite restaurant that is no longer there? Wolfgang Puck's Avalon Cove, Soap Opera Bistro, and for good measure, the places (Mali-bu-rito, Strips, Dips, and Chips) along Paradise Pier.

To be honest, I was never a fan of “Wolfgang Puck” in general, so I never ate at Avalon Cove. Nor did I eat at any of those others. Come on, I’m kind of picky let’s just be honest. There are a total of THREE places in Disneyland I can eat. But as far as Paradise Pier goes, I did enjoy Corn Dog Castle every now and then. Yum. 

Nice! I’ve always enjoyed a corn dog from there myself. Especially on a cold night with some coffee (even though it’s not Starbucks) Ok, that’s all the questions I’ve got, let’s move onto the fans questions…

Fan Questions!

Gina D. asks:
How does he like his steak prepared? Rare, med rare, med, or well done?

Medium Rare. #winning

Ryan V. asks:
What does he look like? Haha

I’m 56, salt and pepper gray hair. Thin. I usually wear a black mock turtleneck, and faded blue jeans with New Balance sneakers. Oh, wait, that’s Steve Jobs…

Ryan J. asks
Has a follower ever gotten him something when they found him?

Sadly, no. But I’ve occasionally gotten people reservations at Club 33 for finding me. But nobody’s ever gotten ME anything. Not that I’d want that anyway. I just don’t want to be found, period. Hehe.

Ian R. asks
If he's in his mid-40s, why is his twitter "boy33?”

Maybe I just like to feel young. Maybe I just liked the ring of it better than the alternative, after all, I AM a “boy.” Or… am I even that?!? DUN DUN DUN!!!

Joel D. asks
If you could throw one item into Rivers of America, what would it be?

An ECV or a stroller. Loads of them.

Same here! *high fives*

Kevin H. asks

Ask him if he knows what brand of toilet paper disneyland buys? xD

I do not. But I do know that Club 33 has better TP than what the normal park restrooms get.

Corey C. asks

Ask if he is ThemeParkOne and HaroldTheSnowman. Oh and ask if he is really going to meet up with Holly.

You know, I honestly don’t know who @HaroldSnowman is. @ThemeParkOne and I do get drinks and roam the Parks every now and then. As for Holly, sounds like we may be getting together for drinks soon.

Twitter Questions! (note: if you wish to follow these fans, I've linked their twitter profiles as their usernames.)

BrerPeter asks:
How did he get his membership to the club?

Same way everyone else did, I suppose…waiting in line.

Ocswaynee asks:
When did he become a Club 33 member?

You know, I know of several of my followers who actually are members themselves and since there are SO FEW new members every year, and in the interest of protecting my identity, I’d really rather not say. It would just be way too easy otherwise. Sorry!

D_LandObsession asks:

Here's a question Im desperate to know the answer to. "Will you be taking D_LandObsession to club 33 for dinner soon?"

Haha. Magic 8 Ball says “Outlook not so good.” ;)

LoonAZ1 asks:

Burning question we all want to know... How does he afford "living at Club33"?

Oh I don’t really LIVE there. The rent is outrageous. I just visit a lot.

Markrh12asks:

One thing I've wanted to know is occupation. Seems he is at the parks a lot and I want to know his job.

I have a great professional job where I put my degrees to good use. :-X

Cbisson88 asks:

Just read the blog. Great interview so far I’m surprised only 3 people have found you. How do they approach you, boy33?

They just walk up and say “Are you boy33?” And I’ve gotta amend the “3.” It’s 4 now. But they’ve all been sworn to secrecy about my identity. ;) Well, and I guess you know who I am too, Jake, but you’re sworn to secrecy too, mister! Ha.

Haha you know your secret’s safe with me. I gotta help keep the green door shut!

Barricade itttt!!! Hahaha.

Butrphliasks:

How long has Boy33 been a member of Club 33?

See “When did he become a Club 33 member?” question above…

InfernoCreation asks:

I gots a question for boy33. How does he feel about all the Disney twitters popping up. Is it helping or hurting Disney?

Like, all the AudioAnimatronic twitters? @HaroldSnowman and @MurphyTracker are hilarious. The others seem to have faded away. The “project tracker” twitter accounts are a mixed bag. I think for the most part they help spread the word about what’s upcoming in the parks and help generate free hype for Disney. I take a tiny bit of an issue with MiceChat calling their twitter account “Disney” cuz I think when they’re retweeted it can be misleading. But overall, the “tracker” accounts are a useful community.

jacksparrowfan asks:

I love the little details all over Disneyland. Do you have a favorite?

Oooooh. I love the details. It’s what Disney does best. Like the stuff hanging above your head in the Pirates queue as you approach boarding. You don’t notice it but it helps trick your brain. Disney is ALL about the details that you don’t notice, but would miss if they weren’t there.

ROYAL1RICH asks:

Did boy33 go to the Disney school?

What is the Disney School? Like, where I got my degrees? I got my undergrad and grad degrees from a university NOT accredited by Mickey Mouse. ;)

Alright Mr. 33, that's all the questions the fans sent in to me to ask you. I really appreciate you taking time to chat with me, and answer not only my questions, but the fans questions as well!

No problem at all, I always enjoy chatting about Disney, and giving some fans a small peek inside my personal green door. 

Well I'm sure they loved getting that small glimpse. Maybe they'll get more in the future with another interview down the road. 

Maybe! We'll see. :) 

Family Controversy Over Rango

Just read this article on AOL...my thoughts are at the end of the article.

The "unusual, hilarious and endearingly weird" 'Rango' hit theaters last weekend (check out our own Eric D. Snider's review of the movie), and the animated PG western is causing a stir among anti-smoking advocates who say that the number of characters who light up are unacceptable. "A lot of kids are going to start smoking because of this movie," said Stanton Glantz director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California–San Francisco.

Breathe California's project "Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down!" has been keeping a tally of instances where characters in 'Rango' smoke, and Kori Titus, CEO of the nonprofit, says the numbers are up to 60. According to Titus, the only other animated film to match 'Rango' was '101 Dalmatians,' whose cruel character, Cruella De Vil, was a total chain-smoker (also 60 times over).



Glantz's group and other smoke-free organizations are renewing efforts with the MPAA to slap an R-rating on any film that shows smoking. In late February, Smoke Free Movies (another one of Glantz's projects) ran ads in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter that panned studio execs for approving a PG-rating. "If we had known it's as bad as it is, this ad would have been even tougher," Glantz said.

Critics and audiences are praising 'Rango' for being a grown-up cartoon, making references to spaghetti westerns (lots of smoking in those films ... ) and other adult-friendly movies -- which really isn't anything that animated flicks like 'Shrek' haven't done. Disguising mature humor and situations in kids' films isn't the same as taking a puff, but as Virginia Lam -- a spokeswoman for Paramount -- says, "The images of smoking in the film ... are portrayed by supporting characters and are not intended to be celebrated or emulated."

Should the MPAA have upped the rating on this one, because most audiences are viewing 'Rango' as a kid's movie?
SOURCE LINK

Alright, after my review that got positive feedback from those that saw it after I did, this article comes out. Too much smoking? I barely noticed it. If an 18 year old kid who's seen a lot of movies barely noticed it, do you think a kid is going to notice it? I'm talking generally here. I'm not doubting a child's perception on things and how quick they notice things, because my little sister has copied me a few times when I get cut off on the highway...if you know what I mean.

But honestly, I think people blow things out of the water a bit too much. It's a film. What are films? Films are entertainment. Even as documentaries, they're meant to entertain you. Which means the film may not be for everyone. If you don't like animation, or animation that is generated for the 10 years and up crowd, then don't go see it.

Another thing, if your kid copies things from movies and is easily influenced, don't go see it. But if you talk to your kid after the movie and say 'You know Jake the snake? You know how he said 'I'll see you in hell? That's not a good thing to say. Only bad people say those words.' If you say something like that, and explain the differences between what is good and bad, then you'll not only help your child understand positive and negative differences, but you'll train them to decipher a movie, and put things into it's right context. That's one of the things I can thank my dad for, is telling me before I watched a movie with him, 'Now Jake, this has __________ and __________ and _______ in it. This is a part of how the story is told, and the reasons behind why they showed this stuff.

He never let me watch a movie with pointless violence or language (Crank, Once Upon a Time In Mexico, etc.) I'm going in knowing that those movies have all that, and it's over done for entertainment value. But when I see a movie like Saving Private Ryan, I understand that soldiers drank and smoked and cursed until the cows came home. That was a part of the battle front, and so is the amount of violence that happened.

Back to the point I'm trying to make, I think people read too much into movies, and it should be based on your own judgment, and not the ones of others. Everyone's opinion varies from film to film, so why should that affect your decision to see a film that you could someday love and watch over and over? If you get a bad review from someone, and not see a film, you could very well miss out. Take the film at face value, and go from there.

Fan Question Friday With Boy33 Delayed Until Monday

Due to the catastrophic events that have gone on within the past 12+ hours in Japan, I have spoken with Boy33, and we agreed to delay the Fan Question Friday until at least Monday. Some may be disappointed at this, but we both feel that today should not be about the fun questions, but more about focusing on Japan. It's not a day of fun, but more a day of reverence and solidarity for those who have lost their lives, are injured, or even remotely affected by this massive quake and tsunami.

Again, we'll post the Fan Question Friday on Monday.


Thank you for understanding.
Best,

Boy 33 and Jake (MSJ)

A Monster Poll

Alright everyone, time to vote....would you miss Monster's Inc. Mike and Sully to the Rescue! at Disney California Adventure if they took it out?

Organizing The Plastic Ocean

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll see that I've been tweeting about cleaning up and organizing my Lego collection. Here's a shot of what the floor of the Man Cave actually looked like for 3 days as I combed through and organized the bricks by the corresponding size and color.

 Starting with one color..

Then the others...one by one, it gets done!

And this is how they get organized! Much like battleship...red....1x2. ;)

I'm still not done, and have a long road to haul with actually putting them up the way I want, but now the majority, I'd guess would be about 80% of them, is organized and zip-lock bagged up waiting to be sifted by the right size into individual plastic bins.

The Sea Witch Moves In

The Disney Parks Blog just released this video of the Ursula animatronic that will be housed inside the new Little Mermaid attraction that will debut this summer (June 3rd, to be exact). I'm impressed! This AA looks really awesome! Its like they took her right out of the movie.

Take a look for yourself to see what I mean..

Sunshine State Darkens With No Grad Nights

According to Screamscape, Walt Disney World is ending their grad nights after this year. I haven't heard a reason as to why exactly, but I hope it's a good one. It seems like Disney World has this automatic hype built up about it as the biggest and best, but with the transportation crashes, lack of grad nights, exclusive seasonal parties you have to fork tons of money over for, it doesn't seem like the best to me, and I've yet to go there.

With that said, I think Grad night is a great concept. Get recently graduated teens to the parks to celebrate their graduation with Disney style, all night long. But from the previous (and by previous, I mean YEARS ago) stories I've heard from my mom, her friends, and even my Grandma who graduated in the 60's, they had to actually DRESS UP for this event. Guys had to wear ties, girls had to wear dresses, etc. I wish they'd still do that. Make Disneyland like an extended Prom.

Another thing, what's with anyone can go? Last year I was down at the Resort for the premier of World of Color (June 11th), and as I waited in line to be the first to get tickets for the show, I was talking to teens my age who came all the way from Hawaii for Grad Night. Part of that is really cool. But honestly, I feel that it crowds up the park and loses its exclusivity to the locals. Why can't it be just for the Southern Cali kids, and the Orange County Florida kids (WDW)?

I may just be ignorant to Disney's real reasons for the way they run grad night, and I probably am. It just seems easier at times when things are kept simple. 

Colors of the Night

 

Had some fun last night with my mom's camera. I really enjoy getting night shots to show up so bright. Maybe because it's a bit of an oxymoron, being able to show the light that is otherwise in the darkness. I don't know why specifically, maybe I just think it's cool. But these shots turned out well, and I thought I'd post them and see what everyone thought. Enjoy!

Mapping Shanghai

Here's a firsthand look at the official map of the new Shanghai Disneyland park. The more I see of this resort, the more I can't wait to fly over and see it. With four hotels, a apparent 'new' style to the original Magic Kingdom, a lake, dining and shopping district, and two metro lines (if you don't know, metro lines are big in Asia), this is setting up very nicely and really well laid out.

I'm hoping for a major press release sometime soon, because I can hardly wait to see more in depth concept art for this new resort coming to the Orient. Time will tell for this new mystery.

Just Playing With My Words, Don't Mind Me.

I like Bob Marley music in the morning. I like painting. I like stuffed animals. I like being messy. I like keeping my Christmas tree up way past Christmas. I like having a heater. I like procrastinating.
I once stole first base while rounding second.
Had lunch with the pope in a bar. Curator of African safari jerky, and distributor of Italian sliced Hams. Climbed Pikes Peak in nothing but jogging shoes and rubber ducky boxers.

I am that little ewok in the background...no not the one with the spear. The one that stands next to Han Solo. That one.
I kiss exotic women, but only when the tide is in. Pepsi is the drink of choice. Helped Alicia Beth Moore come up with the stage name P!nk, while sitting at a cafe in downtown L.A. drinking blueberry smoothies. I coined the term "Bacon is meat candy". Once won a round of paintball without getting shot, and only used a pistol.

Foreign cars aren't so foreign to me. Expert in poker, veteran in love, outlaw in Peru. I can bake 30 minute brownies in 15 minutes. Redbox gives me two days to rent a DVD for a quarter. Tweeter of facts, blogger of sorts, connoisseur of exotic sodas.

My zip drives unzip themselves. While climbing a rock's face, it sneezed and blew me and three sheep into the next county. I landed on my feet, in a boat with none other than Jimmy Buffet captaining the vessel. He then motored us to shore where we went to Margaritaville to drink Pina Coladas.

When VW Bugs see me, they punch each other.
went snowboarding two of my friends. I used a surfboard.

Drinking pepsi from a glass coke-a-cola cup is considered normal. I expect the unexpected, and punch someone when they tell me to expect the unexpected. As I walk away I tell them 'Didn't expect that, now did ya?'
Saved a grandmother's kitten from a tree. A beautiful feline, a regal, 23 year old blond college undergrad studying ancient Mayan medicine techniques. Asked her to marry me. She said yes. But only because she wanted to get married before the world ended in 2012.

Dating The Arkansasians

I went to a small high school. Not small like 30 kids in the total graduating class, but a school with a full roster of maybe 600 students. In fact, my freshman class was the biggest Bakersfield Christian High ever received (125 students).

With such a small school, it naturally happens. Everyone knowing your business. I'm not talking like, it just floats around and eventually gets to people in a day or two. I'm talking it happens fast (For example, I asked my ex-girlfriend out before first period. By third period everyone knew, and that was the trending topic of the day).

But what I find so incredibly funny is that people there are a lot like people from Arkansas. Yes, Arkansas I'm picking on you, but hey, it's true at some points. People date, but people sometimes wind up dating, breaking up, then dating your ex's best friend, and your ex starts dating your best friend.

Checking Facebook tonight I see a friend is in a relationship, and I type my congratulations, then check back an hour or so later to see the comments and find out that she's dating this guy for the third time. But what's funny is that this guy dated my best friend's ex, who broke up with him because she felt she needed to sow some wild oats and date a dairy boy who rides Motocross and quads on the weekend.

I love high school, I really do. But my gosh people enough is enough. Maybe it's just me, but I really think after you break up with someone, you end it for good. It didn't work. Now move on. Do these kids not realize there's other high schools in town with equally 'cool', 'beautiful', and 'popular' kids? Or is it like Romeo and Juliet? No one's allowed to date a Capulet or Montague.

Thankfully I'm graduating in a few months and moving up to college. Hopefully the campuses are a bit bigger than the fishbowl I used to swim in.

One Thousand And Counting

Wow, I'm impressed! One thousand hits in eight days. I know some nerd somewhere might be laughing quietly, saying to himself and his limited edition World of Warcraft models, "One thousand hits in eight days, ha! I had a thousand hits in eight minutes!" There's always that guy...


...anyways. I'm glad this little blog of mine has gotten to a thousand hits in eight days (compared to 735, my previous all time high in January), and I hope to someday see it get a thousand hits in a day. I'm happy people are taking note of this little corner of the internet, and reading what I have to type. I don't think it's much, just my thoughts and opinions on Disney stuff, cool cars, girls, the life of a teenager, potential Starbucks or Sports Chalet employee, and whatever else I find interesting to talk...er...type about.

Thank you again to everyone that has chilled at the Main Street Hangout. I really appreciate it.