Universal Studios Rides I'd like to See

Just watched a commercial for Universal Studios which touted a Jurassic Park Ride, a Shrek Ride, a Harry Potter Ride, and other such rides. It made me think about how much fun it would be to design rides for a park like that. Then I thought about how much fun it'd be to design really crappy rides based on movies that wouldn't make great rides. Here's what I came up with. I'd love to hear from you as well if you have any great ideas.



The Air Force One Experience-

Experience the classic Harrison Ford presidential action flick from two perspectives. First you'll be a passenger. Ride attendants will tie you up and gag you and leave you in a seat that simulates steady airplane flight for an hour...then you switch roles to that of a terrorist. You will be led to the back of the ride where an animatronic Harrison Ford will tell you to, "Get off my plane" before it kicks you in the rear and drops you 40 feet into a pool of cold water. What an experience!



The Shawshank Redemption Water Slide...Sorta

Feel the excitement of an escape from a creepy prison in the 1950's by crawling on your belly through a replica sewage pipe. We pump realistic...well...real sewage through the ride so just like Andy you'll be able to enjoy freedom that much more!

6th Sense the ride-
The first time you hop on this ride it is absolutely AWESOME! However, it's only fun to ride once cause after that it's kind of predictable and not very entertaining.







The Traveling Pants Experi-ance
You and 19 other tourists will be thrown into a room and forced to exchange pants with someone else. You will also exchange information and become best friends from afar.






Lindsay Lohantastica!
We throw beer goggles on you, make you walk through a jewelery store where you have to sneak a necklace or ring, and then we strap an ankle monitor on you and follow you around the Universal lot for the rest of the day.

Michael Moore Buffet!
When you get hungry between rides (though we don't recommend eating before the Shawshank ride) come to our Michael Moore inspired Buffet. Tons upon tons of buttery foods ready for you to devour. You don't even have to leave your seat! Because of an issue with the foundation (it leans waaaay to the left) the food slides down the floor and right into your mouth!






The Fast and the Furious!
After signing waver after waver, you can take your car to the empty lot in the back of the park and drive as fast and as crazy as you'd like. Make sure to brush up on your Vin Diesel grizzled laugh,
 "eh heh heh" for when you pull an awesome stunt.





 3D Nicholas Cage Show




WHoaaaaahh! NOT THE BEEEEEES! AAAAAARRRRRGHH! The show is 2 hours long and compiles all of Nick Cage's best scenes...also not a good idea to do this after eating at the Buffet...








These are just a few that I came up with on the fly. What do you got to add to that?

Some pics from my trip to California

My name is Justin!

Gonna try for a new blog format here since up til now it's been super random. Every Sunday night I will strive to blog. I'll try to alternate between: Music, Movies, Comics, And the general goings on.

To introduce this week's blog I'll mention a quick, "going's on." My sweet grandmother left us last week and we decided to road trip to California for the funeral and to see family. In order to get there, one needs a mix cd. I loaded up an old favorite and listened to it multiple times across the desert. I give to you: Weezer's Blue album from 1994...a timeless classic that still rocks today.

1. My Name is Jonas: You  may recall that I included this song in my list of all time great song openings a while back on my blog. This album had made it big on the radio with "Undone the Sweater Song" and "Buddy Holly."   I don't recall ever hearing this song until I actually picked up the album...and it blew me away. The classic 4 chord song done so well. Great thing about Weezer is that they aren't some overly serious artsy band, but the singer definitely believes in what he's doing and you can hear it in his voice in this song. "Driver says hey man we go all the way!"  One of the greatest album openings ever.

2. No one else:  I want a girl who will laugh for no one else...This is a fairly simple song but Weezer refused to let it stay simply by really working on the sound of the song. Sound confusing? Let me try it again. The drumming and the tone of the guitars could have been a lot less in your face, but they really pushed it on the production. This turns a regular pop/rock song that could have easily been written by Jr. High students into something worth listening to.

3. The World Has Turned and Left Me Here:  After two songs which, great as they are, have a similar sounding rhythm, we start of the third track with an acoustic guitar intro. This gave  the song more clout and depth. Of course nobody can top the 90's intro to Today by the Smashing Pumpkins (I'll cover the Siamese Dream album another time...gonna have a lot to say about that one) and they don't really try to, they just made the song work. The song has a bit of a sadder tone. The lyrics, "The World has turned and left me here" seem very 90's sad...luckily the next track picks us back up and makes us dance.

4. Buddy Holly: If at some point in your life you owned a copy of Windows 95 then you actually owned this video. It was included with windows 95 as a means to show off the video capabilities. Ah the video to this song was CLASSIC! Using special effects, Weezer was transported onto the set of Happy Days where they rocked out for Richie, Potsy, and the Fonze. This song alone solidified Weezer as one of the coolest bands to ever pick up a guitar. High point is at 2:09 when the guitar solo (I think like 9 notes) crescendos and it's all good.

5. Undone the Sweater Song: Da danna da danna da dun dun da danna...the opening notes of this song are almost living. I sweat this song has a pulse. I love the people talking through the intro. "My friends don't really wanna go...can I get a ride?" I'd always heard that the girls at the beginning of this song were from Utah and were killed in a car accident. While writing this blog post I researched it and:

"the memorial service was held at 2:00 pm, July 14th, at the Orem Park 10th ward meeting house of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints, in Orem, Utah. I had the pleasure of attending the memorial and graveside services. Mykel, Carli, and Trysta's father [Wayne] gave an introduction, and eulogies were offered for Mykel, Carli, and Trysta by Claudia (their mother), Kenyan (their brother), and Tyler (their brother), respectively. After the memorial service concluded, we proceeded to Springville, Utah. Several members of the band were among a group of approximately 20 pallbearers. After the graves were dedicated by the girls' paternal grandfather, the crowd mingled, and people gave their love to the girls' family. At the end of the service, before people left, Karl placed 2 special weezer hats, one on Mykel's grave, one on Carli's grave." -Tim

Interesting link to Utah. I guess they are buried in Springville, Utah which is fairly close to where I'm at. I always thought this was a rumor but I guess it's true.

6. Surfwax America:  This song was always a little too bubbly for me because of where it falls in the album. Between the somewhat somber Sweater Song and the dark classic, "Say it Aint So" is not the best place for a fun surfing song in my opinion. I could be wrong...but not likely since I'm amazing. Not a terrible song but probably my least favorite on the album. Felt too much like a filler song.

7. Say it aint So: This song solidified Weezer as a band with more than one trick up their sleeve. This song is one of the most covered songs of all time I swear. I used to have a killer cover of Deftones doing this one. Always thought it was cool that Deftones' singer started the track off by bragging to the crowd that "he just got to go see weeeeezer." Even hard thrasher folk dig the Weezer. Such a somber somber song. The bass line walking around in the background make this song what it is...amazing. Powerful singing doesn't hurt either. The chorus' guitar is crazy cool as well. DUN DUN  WEEERREEERR. The Weeerrreeeer is insanely cool. The part with the letter read aloud could be the most memorable part of the album.

8. In the Garage:  I've got the Dungeon Master's Guide...I've got 12 sided die....I've got Kitty Pryde, and Nightcrawler too..."  This song covers the same topic as one of their most recent hits: Pork and Beans. The song is about not caring what people think about you. When you are in your garage, nobody can make fun of you. I had a lot of kids who made fun of my for collecting comic books back in the day...and this song starts off with Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler so it was kind of a justification for me since EVERYONE loved this album...so they had to kind of agree with Weezer just a little bit mwuahahaha. 

9: Holiday: I remember this song being stuck in my head during a Jr. Jazz game once. Heaaaaart Beeeaaaaat... over and over again. Is it the mark of a great song or a lame song when it gets stuck in your head? Not sure. I sure did like the optimism on this one though. 

10. Only in Dreams: Just like "Say it aint So," This song largely thrives on the bass walking softly in the background to set the mood. At almost 8 minutes long, Weezer was ending the album with a song that said, "Yeah we sound kind of poppy...but there's a lot more to us than Buddy Holly and Sweaters." This Bass line could be titled "Day at Jr. High School" because one could feel beat down after a day of ridicule and awkward teenagerness...I made that word up and it works so let it go.

All in all, this album should be owned by anyone who professes a love of rock music. It's fun, it's quality, and it hints at things to come. Weezer is often thought of happy happy happy but at least 4 of these songs seemed a bit more somber and reflective than not. $7.99 on I-tunes is a small price to ask for ten quality songs that helped define a generation. If you lived through the 90's then you probably owned this cd...if you didn't own it...go buy it now and see what you think. Dig it- JR 

Avengers vs X-men

Well, it's time for a comic book event. For those of you not familiar with "Comic Book Events" it's when the companies make unearthly profits by making a huge storyline which goes across every title in their line and you have to collect ALL of them to get the whole story....kind of stressful. Though the main story will take place in 12 issues titled, "A vs X." However, I'm super excited for this years' event with the Avengers and the X-men fighting against each other over the return of the Phoenix entity in conjunction with Hope Summers (The Mutant Messiah). I've decided to post some of the cool promo pictures they've made for the upcoming 12 issue gig. Half of my readers will love this, half won't care. But hey, if you don't care, drop by a comic book store (google it), get set up, and find something to look forward to every few weeks. Gonna be a fun ride.

Archangel vs Daredevil, may be my favorite ad

Been enjoying Cyclops a lot more since his split with Wolverine and his X-men. Cool artwork here. I dig it.

 

Cool battle, I hope it comes to fruition

Not big on Spiderman. I hope Iceman freezes him and breaking him in half.

Never been big on Storm or Thor. However, Thor looks boss right here. Love the size perspective.

Not a fan of the art, but a HUGE fan of Colossus since he took the powers of the Juggernaut

Cover for the first issue. I can't wait to see how the story pans out. Been a big fan of Hope since she joined the X-men. Generation Hope has been a great series which is sadly ending...makes me think that Hope may also be "ending" in the series.

4 Hollywood Pillars of Strength

So here I am almost a year into my graduate program at BYU. I'm working towards becoming a Principal and it hasn't been easy. When I started the program I became very overwhelmed and started to feel the effects of my stress.  Going from Teacher to Principal is a big change. Being a teacher is fun, I get to make fun lessons, work with students, etc etc. Being a Principal will be much more rewarding financially, but it's going to be a bit more stressful. I'm not a very confrontational person, and assistant principals have to yell at students a lot. I'm hoping that I'll be the exception to the rule and I'll be able to talk to kids in a positive way instead of a nagging yeller.
The program is tough, the job is going to be tougher, but I need to pump myself up for it. So I turn now to my 4 Hollywood pillars of strength. If I can be like unto them, I'll be successful and I'll beat the rest of this challenging program. I've got weaknesses to overcome. Changes can be painful...but making it through the tough stuff is rewarding in the end.



1. Aron Ralston- "Eliminating the things that keep me trapped"

 I know this is a Hollywood 4 Pillar thing, but this actually happened. I just love the movie so I'm going to count it. I have certain weaknesses that make me feel like I'm not up to the task of being a principal. Just like Aron Ralston's arm kept him trapped in a canyon, I have weaknesses that get in my head and make me feel like I can't succeed. I need to eliminate these weaknesses by painfully changing myself into what I need to be. He cut his arm off...I can change myself as well. Meeting the real Aron Ralston remains one of the greatest moments in my life.



2. Rocky Balboa- "It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward"


Rocky Balboa is my hero because on paper he never stacked up to his opponents. Every guy he fought, Mr. T, Dolph Lundgren, Apollo Creed, etc was bigger than he was and should have straight up killed him. I'm in a tough program that makes me feel like I'm Rocky walking into the Russian arena. I've taken hits here and there, and there have been days when I question whether or not I can beat this thing, but every time things get tough I think of Rocky getting punched and punched and still walking forward.


3. John Mclane- "Yippy Kai Yea _________"

So I watched all 3 Die Hard movies this weekend. John Mclane is probably the greatest hero in the history of movies. Dude is always in the wrong place at the wrong time yet he doesn't run from the problem, he faces it head on. He gets shot, bloodied, broken, thrown out of planes, and it doesn't matter. He still laughs at his competition and delivers his famous "Yippy Kai Yea" line while smiling as the terrorists either A- Fall out of a building (Die Hard) B- Blow up in a 747 (Die Hard 2) or C- Get their Helicopter caught in power lines (Die Hard 3). The best part about John Mclane is his resourcefulness. He has a goal (kill the terrorists and save his wife). I have a goal (beat grad school and provide for my family). When times are tough and I feel like quitting, I just repeat to myself "Yippy Kai Yea________" which is Ironic since it's a BYU program...but yeah. Yippy Kai Yea.



4. Captain Jack Sparrow- "This the day that you will always remember as the day that you..."


Jack Sparrow a great character. The reason I look to him is because of his swag. This guy is silly, goofy, tipsy and all over the place, but he knows what he's doing. The pivotal moment for me from all 4 Pirates of the Caribbean movies was at the end of the first film. The audience had laughed their way through the whole film and enjoyed the comical visage that Jack had projected. However, after Jack lifts the curse at the "opportune moment" and shoots Barbosa through the chest there's a shot of Jack starring at Barbosa with a smoking gun and a look on his face of complete seriousness. Jack knows when to turn it on and turn it off. I'm much like Jack where most people think of me as goofy light hearted Justin...but that's just a result of my being an eternal optimist. FYI even when I'm in the worst of moods and I'm feeling like garbage- I put on my happy face and crack jokes. I know when to act different ways. I can turn it on and off...just like Jack. So yes I'm cheerful and joking, but at any given moment I'll be the all business Jack with the metaphorical smoking barrel.

My students even agree....the 80's

I asked my students today, "If you could be 16 in any decade...which would it be and why?"
The answers were almost unanimous "The 80's."  There's always a couple of THOSE kids who say "the 60's....maaaaan" but yeah, the rest of the kids wanted 80's. Why? Well let's break it down-

1. Movies
    80's movies were awesome. SO awesome in fact that currently, Hollywood is reviving every 80's idea that they possibly can. Transformers, GI Joe, Footloose, Ninja Turtles, (trying for) Ghostbusters, Red Dawn, Indiana Jones, and the LIST GOES ON!  Can you really truly name a good movie from the 90's? Jurassic Park and....what else? MAYBE Braveheart and Babe...but the action flicks were pretty bad. Top Gun has withstood the test of time...Independence Day has not.  Goonies, Better off Dead, Ferris Beuler's Day off...these are time tried classics that are still legit today. Hard to find 90's or 00's flicks that compare to these classics.

2. Cartoons
  Remember when Saturday mornings were a sacred time? From 6:00 a.m. til 11:00 a.m. the cartoons ran on 3 or 4 networks and without DVR we had to eliminate the weak sauce to get to the red meat. He-man, Vultron, Thundercats, Ghostbusters, the SNORKS! THE FREAKING SNORKS! Smurfs, GI Joe, Transformers, Ninja Turtles, Camp Candy, Bobby's World, Eek the Cat, Tiny Toons, Animaniacs (yeah some of these bleed into the early 90's...sue me) X-men, Rescue Rangers, Ducktales,  Spiderman, Batman, man I could write on this for hours. My current students got the tail end of Nickelodian's heyday and were stuck with Pokemon, Digimon, and all other manner of Mon's.  All I see now when I turn on the tv Saturday morning is Disney shows about Tweens that make me cry inside.

3. Music
   Remember the 80's? You know, back when Metallica was good. U2, REM, Depeche Mode, Michael Jackson....MUSIC YOU COULD DANCE TO!  Gaga's got nothing on Lauper I'll tell you what. For me music took a huge dive after about 96-97. There's still some great stuff after that, and in fact I still occasionally find a good new band (Killers, Gorillaz) but let's face it, nothing tops the 80's play list. B-52's Rocklobster? Better than anything released this year from the world of Pop. I miss dancing to tunes. People don't dance any more...they just grind and try to look Bad A with their angry hip hop/rap crap.

4. Sports
   Would you rather watch:
A- Tom Brady, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and the rest of today's NBA?
or
B- Joe Montana, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, The Pistons, Magic Johnson, Kareem, Malone/Stockton

Now before you answer, know that as far as the basketball shorts go...I'm with you on wishing that the 80's players didn't show so much leg. Kevin McHale's legs were ummmmm yikes.
The 80's were a time of great athletic feats (Miracle on Ice anyone?) I just wish we'd had HD tv back then...our old bendy screen tv was awful to watch sports on.


5. Tv.....wait

Yeah I'll give this to the current state of things. TV shows are SO much better now. We actually WANTED to watch Full House back in the day, can you believe that? I know it's hilarious and nostalgic to watch but...man...it's awful. I'll take X-files, Big Bang Theory, 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, The Office, Parks and Rec, heck pretty much ANYTHING over the bulk of the 80's shows. I guess the Simpsons kind of started in the 80's...but they didn't get good til the 90's right?

 6. Style

Hmmmm I know a lot of people make fun of the 80's sense of style. But I tell you this: I'll take ripped acid wash jeans and mullets over low ride pants and massive Bieber hair that covers from the head down past the nose.

Well this has been my "I'm stuck at Parent Teacher Conference I may as well Blog" rant thingy. Giggity- JR

Avengers Countdown

Ummmmm yep...here you go

Release  Countdown