Dare to Be Different - My point is that it would be great to have someone like Mel Gibson with a production deal at Walt Disney Studios, making family-friendly films or at least films that the parents of families can go see without feeling like their beliefs and morals have been assaulted. Disney needs to be different. The Company doesn’t need to go after all of the money. A healthy chunk of the “wholesome�? dollar should be enough. Stick to producing films the Company can be proud of, and release the ones that aren’t child-friendly or appropriate as Touchstone or some other label. A film can be “adult�? without being dirty. Perhaps 50% of ABC/ESPN could be sold to a news company and the Company could focus on producing wholesome programs for the network, with ABC distinguishing itself as a “safe�? network for families when it comes to entertainment programming. This could also help keep ABC News separate from entertainment.

Sony-MGM – MGM used to be different. Now, it is in the news more often for being bought and sold. There are lessons to be learned there. Sony, which bought Columbia and Tri-Star a while back, is just the latest possible buyer. Imagine the possibilities – a walking entertainment center that looks like the Tin Man from the “Wizard of Oz�?

The Peacock and The Mummy – NBC is no longer the only broadcast TV network unaffiliated with a film studio. Some analysts see Universal’s theme park properties as being expendable under the new NBC Universal arrangement. It might be a little difficult to divorce the Hollywood studio from the theme park, though. Yes, theme parks are high maintenance and require a lot of attention, but keeping them could be beneficial for both NBC and parent company GE. Maybe Edison Square shall come to pass after all – only not at Disney park!

Tower of Terror – The West Coast Version has been officially open for three weeks now and I’ve only ridden it twice. That's a far cry from riding Splash Mountain over and over and over again when it was new – 80 times before the Grand Opening.  But then, I'm grown up now (where were you, Peter Pan, when I needed you?) and have a life.  I've ridden the TOT in Florida dozens of times, so it wasn't as big of a deal here for me.  For me, this version seems less like an elevator and more like a “ride�?, but some of my friends who have ridden both versions say they think it is a good thing to have everything happening in the same shaft.

Golden Anniversary - Disneyland is barreling towards a 50th Anniversary celebration. I remember the celebrations in 1985, 1990 (Party Gras!), 1995, and 2000. I remember the huge deal that was made when “Captain Eo�? premiered, and then again when Star Tours premiered just months later. I remember Circus Fantasy, State Fair, and Blast to the Past – which I will have to discuss more in another column. The point is, I know what Disneyland Park can do to celebrate and promote something.

Will 2005 bring the same kind of excitement? I hope so. So far, it isn’t looking too good. Space Mountain will be back. Judging from what Theme Park Adventure has to the say about The Mummy, I have to wonder if Disneyland is going to look inferior. Buzz Lightyear will no doubt be a lot of fun, but where is the next great leap forward? Where is the next Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones, or Pirates of the Caribbean?

“There’s Room For a Thousand�? is Just For Show – Enough is enough, people. It has happened at least three times now, and unless you want your loved one swept up into a dust pan or vacuumed up – in either case, to be dumped in an industrial trash compactor – do not spread their cremated remains in the Haunted Mansion. That’s all I have to say about that.

Now, on to the really good stuff.

My life has been changing recently. I’m twitterpated.

My birthday was on Friday, May 21, 2004. My birthday has always been kind of a downer for me, as I have never liked the idea of getting older, even when I was a teen. It just so happens that birthday was at the right time for me to make it an anniversary that I’ll will celebrate more happily henceforth.

My girlfriend Kori holds a special place in her heart for Snow White. Kori is also a Disneyland fan and we had our first date at the Resort.

I decided I wanted to spend my birthday at the Resort with Kori. We arrived after noon, picked up my birthday sticker at City Hall, and went to see the new Snow White stage musical that neither of us had seen yet. It was fun.

We had lunch, strolled around the park and through some shops, and rode some attractions.

I was secretly biding my time.

Once I figured the pieces I had previously put in motion were in their proper place, Kori and I went over to the line of people waiting to see Snow White by her wishing well so that we could get a picture with her. It was about 5:30 p.m.

Unbeknownst to Kori, my friend Bob, who she had never met, was standing by with the video camera. I took a picture of Kori with Snow White, then handed my camera to another person who could take pictures of all three of us.

That’s when the magic really began.