Its that time again. An event so amazing that Doobie and I just call it The Weekend. Thats right, its ESPN: The Weekend. We started our day at Mike and Mike where we saw Sal Pal from NFL Live and Peter Gammons and Steve Phillips from Baseball Tonight. We also saw Mike Schmidt, Scottie Pippen, and Kurt Warner. What a lineup?!?! Then I headed to Inside NFL Live where Trey, Mark, and Sal had four amazing NFL players for a Q&A. I then saw Mike Greenberg and a Disney Guest Stump the Schwab and also saw the Baseball Tonight crew interview Ricky Henderson and Dennis Eckersley. It was a sports fan dream, and it has only been day one.
While meeting the athletes and ESPN personalities is fun, there are two parts of ESPN: The Weekend that I enjoy even more. The first would be seeing sports fans, who are not usually Disney fans, talking about how amazing their experience at Walt Disney World has been. We are used to hearing Disney fans talking about their experiences, but it is great to see fans of other things to be passionate about having a great time at a destination we hold dear.
My other favorite part is watching Disney Guests being able to play with Pro Atheletes at the ESPN Sports Zone. Imagine watching your son rebounding a shot from Scottie Pippen or catching a football from Kurt Warner. That is truly a reason to celebrate.
Now I wouldnt be a Disney fan if I didnt offer my two cents on how to improve the event. First, bring back the fireworks show. There is something special watching fireworks with your favorite sports calls and your favorite sports anthems. Also, how about ESPN American Idol? I would love to see Mike Golic take on Mike Greenberg in a sing off. Even if it is really bad, it would be really good. And finally, start showing us different ESPN commercials before each show. I attend several events each year and see the same commercials several times. ESPN has some great commercials…show us more than the same three.
Well here is to two more days. I am participating in the first ESPN 5K to support to V Foundation tomorrow. I will finish. I wont give up. I will never give up.
Quick Takes:
Studio Entertainment: The Jonas Brothers 3D Concert Experience is released today. Due to my commitments to ESPN: The Weekend, I will not see it till tomorrow, but I can hardly wait. The movie does have something going for it. It didnt get a 0% Rotten Tomatoes score like Street Fighter: Legend of Chun-Li did.
Media Networks: Speaking of the Jonas Brothers, they will be stopping by Good Morning America Weekend Edition in order to support their film. Once again I ask, shouldnt synergy stop at the news division?
Disney Interactive Media: Dont have much to say today, but this segment might become more interesting on March 10th.
Consumer Products: Disney Consumer Products is launching four lines based upon Walt Disney World Resorts at JCPenny.com. Home furnishing based upon The Animal Kingdom Lodge, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Yacht Club Resort and Polynesian Resort are available at JCPenny.com and there is also contest to win a Walt Disney World vacation so you can sleeping in that bedding without having to pay for it.
Who is Celebrating: February 28th is Gilbert Gottfrieds birthday. To celebrate the voice of Iagos special day, I have decided to spend the whole day being very annoying.
Video of the Day: The trailer to the Hannah Montana Movie is available on You Tube. So if you are not able to see the Jonas Brothers film, you can just watch it here. But who isnt going to see The Jonas Brothers movie anyway?
News from Around the Web:
ABC News: It looks like GM is still losing billions. How could a company that sponsored an attraction as stable as Test Track, be so badly mismanaged. It is one of lifes great mysteries.
NY Times: GE, owner of NBCUniversal, has announced that they are cutting their quarterly dividend by 68%. While Disney might have hit a rough patch, at least they were able to maintain their dividend. Just another reason why Disney is better than Universal.
USA Today: The Jonas Brothers surprised fans at the midnight screening of their film at the El Capitan Theatre. Rumor is they might stop by Orlando…but will the trash can?
LA Times: Want more of the brothers? Here is the LA Times coverage.
Orlando Sentinel: The Orlando Sentinel has a shot of a Harlem Globetrotter at SeaWorld Orlando. I find this an odd choice. The Globetrotters are participating at ESPN: The Weekend. In addition, they are owned by Roy Disney. Isnt it a little strange that they decided to do their photo op for their Orlando stop at SeaWorld?
Variety: Variety uses the Jonas Brothers flick as an example of how good the movie business is doing with attendance up 9.3% in January and February. Apparently, folks go to the movies when times are tough. Unfortunately, Variety used Disneys Confessions of a Shopaholic as an exception to the rule, since the film has only made $28.3 million since its Feb 13 release. If only that film had……the trash can!