Editor's Report
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It's that time again - one year ends, another begins. Thoughts turn back towards what was and forward towards what will be. 2003 was an interesting year for me personally. But you don't want to hear about that. For me and Disney it was actually fairly quiet. But some things do stand out in my mind. Here are some of things I'll remember about 2003.
Our 4th annual LaughingPlace.com birthday meet held July 17, 2003 at Disneyland. For the first time we had an "official" Disneyland even with a rented out location and a small admission charge. Attendance was huge and the feedback was great. I can't wait for this year's event!
Roy Disney / Stanley Gold / Michael Eisner: Who knows what the results of this will be? Maybe nothing, maybe lot. But just the idea that the last remaining Disney family member in the Company would speak out so strongly against the CEO make this memorable.
Back in 2002 Rebekah and I took a trip to Washington, D.C. During that trip Paul Pressler resigned as Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. In 2003 Rebekah and I took a trip to Walt Disney World. During that time Cynthia Harriss resigned as President of the Disneyland Resort. Personally, that was quite a blow. I always looked forward to seeing Cynthia at Disneyland events. Her enthusiasm was infectious. She was also always very, very kind to LaughingPlace.com granting us the first ever sit down interview for a website with the head of Disneyland back in 2000. She was also always happy to answer a couple of questions at events. I look forward to seeing the new President, Matt Ouimet, and I wish him the best of luck in a difficult. And I wish Cynthia the best in whatever she does from here on out. I will personally miss her very much. By the way, we don't have any trips planned this year :)
During that trip we saw the debut of Wishes, the Magic Kingdom's new fireworks show. Now I'll admit I'm not the biggest fireworks fan in general. Believe...There's Magic in the Star is a favorite pricelessly because it's a lot more than "stuff goes boom". Wishes was actually a little disappointing for me - I didn't think it approached Believe... - but it's still lightyears ahead of Fantasy in the Sky and a great addition to the park. Also new at the Magic Kingdom was PhilharMagic, and I can't say enough good stuff about that. It may be "just a movie", but it's the best attraction of its kind I've seen. Just plain fun.
Princesses on Ice. Ok - so it's not at the same level as the other items. But Rebekah and I went to see this on Christmas Day and it was wonderful. It was the third Disney on Ice we've seen and by far the best. If the tour makes its way to your town - catch it!
And finally - visiting Typhoon Lagoon, my first time at a Disney water park. I can't believe what I've been missing! I could (and did) spend all day in the wave pool.
Unfortunately, 2003 ended on a bit of sad note for LaughingPlace.com. LaughingPlace Radio, which began in early 2001, was forced to close down. Live 365, the company we used to run the station, was forced to increase their rates due to the changes in the law regarding royalty payments for Internet broadcasts. Because of the radio station's association with LaughingPlace.com, we were told we had to have a Professional account (which we've always had) and could not switch to a personal account (which is much cheaper). The price increase for our level of listenership was more than 100%, so we opted to close it down for now. We do hope to be able to get it going again sometime later this year. And I especially want to thank everyone who tuned it and made it one of the top Disney Internet radio stations on the net. But that's just one downer on what was otherwise a great year.
A big thank you to the entire staff of LaughingPlace.com. That includes writers, discussion board moderators, trivia contest creators, administrators and everyone else who contributes. Thank you to those who are a part of the LaughingPlace.com discussion board community making it as successful as it is. Of course thank you to all our readers - the whole reason we do this thing. And I'd like to especially thank Rebekah for her daily work on the site and her unending support for this crazy venture. Not only would LP not be possible without her, it wouldn't be any fun anyway. :And lastly, I'd like to thank the Walt Disney Company for their continued cooperation at every turn, especially the Press and Publicity staffs of Disneyland and the Studios, and the extended Disney community such as the legends who are always happy to give interviews or help out in various ways.
I'm looking forward to 2004. I can't predict what it'll bring, but there is one thing for sure - the only constant on the Internet is change, and I expect there'll be plenty of that!
Happy New Year!
Doobie.
Discuss It
-- Posted January 5, 2004
-- Doobie Moseley