How to Serve Fried Tiki Bird

Okay, that title may have been in poor taste.  What can I say?  I’m in a bit of a bad mood.  People on Facebook are trying to tick me off, I swear.

But back to the Tiki Birds.  I’m sure by now you’ve heard that The Enchanted Tiki Room "Under New Management" at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom recently suffered some fire damage and is currently closed.  Disney claims it was a small fire confined to the attic, but strong rumors are floating around that several of the Audio-Animatronic figures, particularly Iago, suffered severe damage. Naturally, this has us all speculating on the future of the attraction.  Since I love a good gossip session as much as the next person, I thought I’d chime in.

Option A: Worst case scenario would be for the attraction to just stay closed. It wouldn’t be unheard of (Wonders of Life Pavilion, anyone?), but: 1. that would tick me off and 2. that would make for really boring speculation, so let’s continue.

Option B would be for them to just reopen the “Under New Management” version exactly as it was.  I’m sure this would be the easiest idea for Disney, but I’m really hoping they don’t do that.  To this day, it still breaks my heart to hear Phil Hartman’s voice in the preshow.  I want to start ranting about the evils of drug abuse right there in the middle of the Magic Kingdom, and people tend to look askance at me when I do that. And seriously, Miami Sound Machine’s Conga and Buster Poindexter’s Hot, Hot, Hot were outdated before the show even opened, and I highly doubt anyone is going to make a case for calling either of those numbers timeless classics.

Option C would be for them to put an entirely new attraction here.  The idea has merit, I suppose, but I personally like seeing homage made to the first ever Audio-Animatronics in a Disney park.

Option D would be for them to just put the original show back in.  I kind of like this idea, but with a twist.  What if we had some new preshow characters (a flock of gossiping crows, maybe?), discussing how the Tiki Gods were angered by Iago’s disrespect, and that prompted the return of the original show. Heck, maybe we can even throw in a sight gag of Iago and Zazu in the “birdie boiler”!  Your thoughts?

My New Year’s Resolution

A Type A individual is defined as one who is “ambitious, aggressive, business-like, controlling, highly competitive, impatient, preoccupied with his or her status, time-conscious, and tightly-wound. People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving workaholics who multi-task, push themselves with deadlines, and hate both delays and ambivalence.”  Let’s face it; that’s not the most flattering of portrayals.  I’d like to claim that I don’t resemble that description at all, but who would I be kidding?  You might as well just put a picture of me next to it and be done with it.  I mean seriously, my daughter came across David Farragut’s famous quote "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" and was surprised, as she had always attributed that quote to me.

You can take a vacation from work, but you can’t take a vacation from your own personality (believe me; I’ve tried).  So even when I’m at the Happiest Place on Earth I’m still, well, me.  I hit the ground running and tour the parks commando-style (but don’t worry, I am wearing underwear. And yes Mom; it’s clean.)  I not only have plans, I have printed lists.  I have folders to keep track of my dining reservations.  I study the menus of the restaurants before leaving, and generally walk into the restaurants already knowing what I’m going to order. I have a strict touring plan for visiting the attractions. If a member of my party wants to sleep in or slow down, I will leave them behind rather than abandon The Plan. 

The saddest part is that this isn’t even a recent development.  I remember at the age of five, pouring over the map for the Magic Kingdom and presenting to my mother a step-by-step itinerary for the entire family.  It’s probably a good thing there was only one park back then, or I’d have really driven her nuts.

But for the very first time, I will be visiting Walt Disney World as a Disney Vacation Club member.  I (theoretically) don’t have to worry that this may be my last visit to the World for a long time.  I’m supposed to visit annually now. Therefore, I should be able to relax, and not feel the need to cram every possible experience into every available moment, right?  Right?

That’s my resolution.  I have promised my family that this will be a “stop and smell the roses” trip.  My husband, who claims that one of his arms is longer than the other because of the way I’m constantly pulling him around by it, simply laughs at my vow and says my naïve belief that I can change is very cute.  My daughter (Teri Junior) is baffled at the very concept of willingly slowing down.  It’s my fault, really.  Let’s face it; she didn’t start referring to The Swiss Family Treehouse and the film in Norway as “crowd control measures” on her own.

I’m already facing my first test to my resolution.  Our trip is booked for early December, and now that our hotel reservations are made, my thoughts would normally be turning to dining plans.  As in, I would typically be making lists of what theme parks we would be visiting each day, and which restaurants (at what times) would best fit our schedule.  After researching which parks are historically least crowded on which days, I would come up with a corresponding list of restaurants (a top choice and two back-ups), along with preferred eating times.  I would have these printed out (and in my folder) so that I could simultaneously call and check online at the 180 day mark for availability. But not this time. I want to try taking a trip without making a single Advance Dining Reservation.  This is truly my intent, but the mere thought has me breaking out in hives.

Do you think I can do it?  Do any of you “smell-the-roses” folks have any advice for me?  Please let me know over at http://www.facebook.com/disneygene!   

Dear Disney, 01/11/11

Dear Disney,

Today is my birthday, and only you can make my birthday wish come true.

My birthday wish is for Who Framed Roger Rabbit 2 to be confirmed for 2012, and for a Roger Rabbit attraction to come to Disney’s Hollywood Studios along with it.

First, let’s talk about the movie.  I had heard reports that it was a definite “go” and that it’s in production.  Then I heard that its status would depend on how well Tron: Legacy performed.  Then I heard that if we did get WFRR2, it would be filmed in motion capture. 

Let’s review.  I’m a Disney dork and a sci-fi geek, and even I wondered about the wisdom of releasing a new Tron movie.  So to pin the future of a sequel to the wildly popular Who Framed Roger Rabbit on the success (or lack thereof) of a sequel to a relatively obscure film like Tron makes no sense to me at all.  But I must give you the benefit of the doubt here.  Hopefully there is no truth to that rumor.

Giving credit where it’s due, however, at least Tron: Legacy was pretty to watch.  I’d go so far as to say visually stunning (generally lacking in a compelling story line, but visually stunning).  But movies made in motion capture, like Robert Zemeckis’ The Polar Express or A Christmas Carol just plain creep me out. I’m not at all fond of this method of animation, and I laughed out loud when in the ending credits of Pixar's Ratatouille, a stamp appeared labeling the film as "100% Pure Animation -- No Motion Capture!"

Now, on to DHS.  It broke my heart when I learned that a Roger Rabbit attraction and/or area had originally been planned for the Studios and then scrapped.  This was especially true when I finally made it out to Disneyland and saw how cool their Toontown was compared to Florida’s.  I know parents of toddlers everywhere are going to hate me for this one, but I found the Magic Kingdom’s Toontown about as appealing as Animal Kingdom’s Dinoland, USA.  Toontown had Barnstormer, Dinoland has Dinosaur, and neither has much of anything else worth seeing, in my humble opinion.  I know a few people might disagree, but Disney can do better, and they should.

But back to my point.  A release of a Roger Rabbit sequel (a real one, not that direct-to-video crap you’ve been cranking out repeatedly over the last sixteen years) would be the perfect opportunity for a Roger Rabbit attraction, or even a whole Toontown-themed area to come to the Studios.  A good Toontown though, not a Mickey’s Birthdayland, Mickey’s Starland,  Duckburg, Towntown Fair area that looks like it was designed as a backyard playhouse for a three-year-old girl.

Yes, I know I’m being demanding, but it’s my birthday.  And after all Disney, you’re the ones who taught me that:

“No matter how your heart is grieving,

If you keep on believing,

The dream that you wish will come true”.

Sincerely,

Teri

Cheaters' Onion Pull-Apart Rolls

As I’ve mentioned previously, one of my favorite Christmas presents this year was the new Disney cookbook, Chef Mickey – Treasures from the Vault & Delicious New Favorites, by Pam Brandon and the Disney Chefs.  I’ve been dying to jump in and give some of these recipes a try.

I’m making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight, so I thought the Onion Pull-Apart Rolls from the Yachtsman Steakhouse would be a delicious accompaniment.  I looked over the ingredients and directions; not too complicated, but very time consuming.  Seriously, these things would take over five hours to make.  I’m sure I’ll try them someday, but not today.

So instead, I decided to try to invent a “cheaters” version.  As I’m not any more likely to be stingy with recipes than I am with food, I thought I’d share.

Cheaters' Onion Pull-Apart Rolls

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. water

1/2 cup dried minced onion

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 package refrigerated biscuits, 10 count

Directions:

Place the onion in a small bowl and sprinkle with water.  Allow to sit for about 20 minutes to soften.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a standard muffin tin with non-stick spray. 

Remove the biscuits from the package and flatten them with the heel of your hand.  Spread half of the biscuit with butter and sprinkle with a bit of the onion.

Fold the biscuit in half and repeat. (Your hands are going to smell really onion-y by the end of this; sorry.)

Fold in half again and stretch into a rectangular shape.  Spread on some more butter and sprinkle with some more onion.  (Hey, I said it was easy.  I didn’t say it was low-calorie.)

Curl the strips of the dough into the muffin cups with the layered edges facing up.  Spread with remaining butter and sprinkle with the rest of the onions.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove and serve.

Who says cheaters never win?

I'm on Top of the World

My Disney dorkdom has reached new levels.  Just when I thought I couldn’t get any geekier, I have found a way; a few, actually.

First, I was going through a typical day at work when I got a call from my husband.  “Teri,” he asks, “Did you contribute to a Disney guide?”

My reply (demonstrating my typical on-the-ball response time and quick wit) was something along the lines of, “Huh?”

Ray continues, “I was doing a search for your blog and Googled ‘Teri Sizemore’ and ‘Disney’, and I got a link to Amazon.  It says you’re listed in the 2011 Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World.”  I immediately flew out of my office and into my bathroom (I had been reading my copy of The Guide in the tub the night before. Don’t laugh; you know you do it, too.)  Sure enough, on page 11 I am given credit as a fact-checker.  I felt so cool!  I immediately posted about it to Facebook, and took my copy to Pippin rehearsal that night to show off to all of my friends.  I called my aunt, my mother, my hairdresser, my neighbors, my daughter’s principal; what do you mean I got carried away?

The second one I can’t claim a lot of responsibility for, but I love it all the same.  For Christmas, my husband made me a couple of t-shirts to wear to Walt Disney World promoting my blog:

Am I a big enough Disney dork to wear my own merchandise to the parks?  Don’t be silly; of course I am!

And naturally, my house was decked out in its typical Disney decorations for the holidays; my Mickey topiary in the front yard was sporting a Santa hat, I had a Mickey Christmas wreath on my front door, Disney stockings hanging from Disney stocking holders on the mantle, and lots of beautiful Disney ornaments on my tree.  And to top it all off, my husband even gave me the new Disney cookbook as a present as well.  Now I only have to decide which of the recipes I’m making for dinner tonight…

Have you found new ways to flaunt your love of Disney lately?  Please share them with me at http://www.facebook.com/disneygene!  

Disney Magic in the Real World

We’ve all come to expect some level of the Disney magic when we visit the parks.  But every once in a while, we get a surprise: Disney magic in the real world.

A few months ago, I was in a local production of Neil Simon’s “Rumors”.  One of my lines was: “Don’t make it sound like we’re going to Washington.  We’re going to Albany.  Twenty-three degrees below zero in the middle of winter Albany.”  Right after the show wrapped, where do you think work sent me?  That’s right: Albany.

Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting to encounter any Disney magic on this trip.  I’ve been to scores of bankers’ conferences and let me tell you, there’s nothing magical about them.  But this one was different.  You see, the keynote address was The Disney Institute: Disney’s Approach to Leadership Excellence. And believe me, the speakers truly showed what excellence was all about.

It started out with me sitting in the back of the room.  As I was an exhibitor, I didn’t rate a seat at one of the tables – those were saved for attendees.  But if the conference coordinators thought that my second class status would limit my participation, they were in for a big surprise.

You see, to get the audience involved Hugh and Mary (the presenters) kept asking Disney trivia questions.  Um hi; I’m Teri.  If there’s one thing I love almost as much as Disney, it is trivia.  They even threw in a few sports questions.  It was like the entire presentation had been tailored just for me! Now granted, these were really easy questions for any Disney fan.  I identified a photo of Roy O. Disney, I knew who Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was, and I knew the historical significance of Plane Crazy.  But Hugh and Mary were really wowed.  They are used to talking to normal people, not Disney dorks like me!

Of course, they were wise to me after just a few questions.  They would ask a question, my hand would shoot up, and Hugh would say, “Okay, can someone besides Teri answer this?”  It was scarily reminiscent of high school, let me tell you.  But how awesome was it that that they already knew my name?  And during the course of the presentation, they started announcing some trivia facts about me to the group: that I had traveled nine hours to get there, that I was there exhibiting as a flood zone determination expert, and even little tidbits of information about my love for Disney.  And I had told them none of this.  They had taken the time to secretly ask others about me while they were doing their presentation, just to make me feel special and to thank me for being a Disney fan. 

When the presentation was over, they took the time to seek me out.  Mary gave me a big hug, and Hugh tried to stump me with some “harder” Disney trivia questions. I think he was just trying to make me feel good, because they weren’t all that hard (like I’m not going to know who Yensid is; now come on.)  They even gave me a few souvenirs:  two small plastic figurines and a copy of Lee Cockerell’s Creating Magic.  I was so grateful, I nearly cried!

Non-Disney people ask us all the time why we love Disney so much.  While we all love the parks, the resorts, and the movies, I think most Disney fans will tell you that the real magic is in the wonderful people that comprise the Disney family – starting with Walt and continuing with wonderful cast members like Hugh and Mary.  I for one will never forget the magical time I had – in Albany.

'Tis the Season

Looking for gift ideas for your favorite Disneyphile?  Here are some suggestions, “Twelve Days of Christmas” style:

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

 Booty from Club 33.

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

 Two lithographs

And booty from Club 33.

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Three cool pins,

Two lithographs,

And booty from Club 33.

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Four Mickey glasses,

Three cool pins,

Two lithographs,

And booty from Club 33!

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Five days at Disney!

Four Mickey glasses,

Three cool pins,

Two lithographs,

And booty from Club 33!

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Six Disney dollars,

Five days at Disney!

Four Mickey glasses,

Three cool pins,

Two lithographs,

And booty from Club 33!

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Mickey/Buckeye sweatshirts,

Six Disney dollars,

Five days at Disney!

Four Mickey glasses,

Three cool pins,

Two lithographs,

And booty from Club 33!

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Disney documentaries,

Mickey/Buckeye sweatshirts,

Six Disney dollars,

Five days at Disney!

Four Mickey glasses,

Three cool pins,

Two lithographs,

And booty from Club 33!

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

New Disney Jewelry,

Disney documentaries,

Mickey/Buckeye sweatshirts,

Six Disney dollars,

Five days at Disney!

Four Mickey glasses,

Three cool pins,

Two lithographs,

And booty from Club 33!

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Keys to the Kingdom,

New Disney jewelry,

Disney documentaries,

Mickey/Buckeye sweatshirts

Six Disney dollars,

Five days at Disney!

Four Mickey glasses,

Three cool pins,

Two lithographs,

And booty from Club 33!

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Extra DVC points,

Keys to the Kingdom,

New Disney jewelry,

Disney documentaries,

Mickey/Buckeye sweatshirts

Six Disney dollars,

Five days at Disney!

Four Mickey glasses,

Three cool pins,

Two lithographs,

And booty from Club 33!

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Vintage Disney swag!

Extra DVC Points,

Keys to the Kingdom,

New Disney jewelry,

Disney documentaries,

Mickey/Buckeye sweatshirts

Six Disney dollars,

Five days at Disney!

Four Mickey glasses,

Three cool pins,

Two lithographs,

And booty from Club 33!

Well, what are you waiting for?  Get shopping!

Happy Holidays, everyone!