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Officer Hopps is here for duty and to save Zootopia

Officer Hopps is here for duty and to save Zootopia

From the largest elephant to the smallest bunny, the city of Zootopia is a place where all mammals come to live and thrive. This mammal metropolis might seem like a fairytale land but every city has its crime.  In this case it is up to the Zootopia police to keep this city as safe as can be. Despite the obstacles faced, Judy Hopps defeated the odds by becoming the first bunny cop. It doesn’t take long for her to realize how tough the police force would be. This very eager bunny is determined to prove herself and solve one of the toughest cases in the city. Her journey faces many twists and turns as she is accompanied by her self-picked partner, Nick Wilde. This 3-D phenomenon is perfect for audiences of all ages. I even enjoyed it this past weekend myself! Grab your popcorn and 3- D glasses because this is something you don’t want to miss.

To unlock or not unlock, that is the question!

To unlock or not unlock, that is the question!

How would you feel if your iPhone was unlocked? It would probably make you feel like your privacy was invaded. But would you feel differently if the protection of privacy rights were revoked due to the safety of the general public? This is currently one of the issues occurring between Apple and the United States government.  This debate has occurred on other occasions but is being brought to the service one more time. This time in response to the San Bernardino families request. The incident that occurred in California was at the Inland Regional Center on December 2nd, 2015. At this time there was an office party going on and 14 people were killed due to a terror attack involving the spraying of gunfire. Mark Sandefeur is one of the victim`s father and he is not giving in on this ongoing battle.

There are many ways to look at this issue but what it comes down to is, the decision to unlock a deceased terrorists phone or keep it locked due to privacy laws. One way of looking at this current issue is that there may be content in the phone that can lead to new information such as contacts and even other planned events.  “Recovery of information from the iPhone in question may not lead to anything new. But, what if there is evidence pointing to a third shooter? What if it leads to an unknown terrorist cell?”  This was stated by Sandefur in a letter to Apple’s chief executive. Mark Sandefeur is not the only one acting against this issue, there has been several attempts at getting the FBI to join with Apple to prevent these tragedies. Since this is such an in-depth issue, this debate is still on going.

The other way that this is being looked at is if this phone is unlocked then where does it stop? Since it is technically an invasion of privacy, once it is done once then who knows where it will stop.

Although both sides have several valid points, what side do you take? How would you feel if your phone was invaded? Or do you feel it is different since it is a safety issue?

 

The horror continues all year at Universal Studios!

The horror continues all year at Universal Studios!

The freight fest continues all year with Universal Studios newest attraction.  Now you won’t have to wait till Halloween Horror nights to get your fix of the Walking Dead. This post-apocalyptic world will be in Universal studios Hollywood location.

The Walking Dead will come back to life in this intense attraction which will include live performers with animatronic and special effects. Famous visual effects artist Greg Nicotero, who frequents as the shows director will be heavily involved on the creation of this gruesome attraction. “There are moments from the television show that we’ll get a chance to recreate much more faithfully than we would in a maze,” says Nicotero. “You’ll get some great opportunities to see things from Season 1 and some stuff from Seasons 3 and 4. It’s a little bit of a walk down memory lane for us.” This scary nightmare is about to become a reality and the zombies are more than ready.

Don’t let the zombies get you when this attraction comes back to life this upcoming summer. Joining the invasion of zombies is several other celebratory attractions. The Fast and The Furious, The Simpsons and Harry Potter franchises are just a few new attractions hitting Universal Studios in the near future.

The flowers have sprung at the Disney Flower and Garden Festival!

The flowers have sprung at the Disney Flower and Garden Festival!

Spring has sprung and so have the flowers at Disney World`s Flower and Garden Festival.  This festival of flowers, food and fun will run from March 2nd, 2016 to May 30,2016 and is definitely something to add to your Disney bucket list.

Characters and iconic Disney scenes come to life as Epcot transforms to a garden wonderland.  These 90 days at Epcot will be filled with classic traditions of the festival along with new ones. Some exciting things you’ll find is the Garden Rocks Concert Series. This series includes Darlene Love and The Georgia Satellites, as well as returning favorites. There will also be a new kids play ground called The Harmony Gardens Musical Playground. You’ll also find new outdoor kitchens and also new menu items. The two newest kitchens include La Isla Fresca serving up Jamaican food along with the Cider House. These two new kitchens will join the 11 other booths serving up all kinds of delicious foods from the World Showcase. And you’ll also see flowers galore. From themed flower gardens to topiaries to life size figurines of Disney characters!

If you think this flower crazy event is unbelievable, here are three fun facts that will blow your mind. The first fun fact is more than 500,000 plants, trees and shrubs are planted for the festival; 250,000 of those are annual blossoms installed for the festival. The second fun fact is Festival plants include 60 different species of trees, 47 types of palms, and 48 varieties of bedding plants. And the last fun fact is it takes more than one full year and about 24,000 cast member hours to prepare for the annual festival.

What can be better than spring, flowers in the shapes of Disney characters, scrumptious food and great music? This year’s Flower and Garden Festival has that all covered for you and more. If you are heading down to Disney this Spring, this is definitely something worth seeing.

Season 22 of DWTS cast list is officially here!

Season 22 of DWTS cast list is officially here!

Get out your dancing shoes and get ready for a new season of ‘Dancing With the Stars’. This past Tuesday on “Good Morning America, the cast was revealed for season 22. This season will defiantly not lack comical moments, struggling times and achievements, which for one winning couple includes the Mirroball trophy.

The season 22 cast is filled with professional dancers, athletes, TV personalities, journalists and actors, which when mixed together leads to a very entertaining outcome. The list of the twelve star couples starts with Mischa Barton. Mischa was previously on the wildly popular drama The O.C., now it is her time to put those days behind her as she takes the DWTS stage. She will be dancing with Artem Chigvintsev as her partner. Next up on this celebrity line up is Antonio Brown.  This football star is not only a four-time Pro-Bowl selectee but he was also the Steelers MVP in 2011, 2013 and 2015. This pro athlete is ready to trade in his cleats for dancing shoes as he dances with Sharna Burgess. Next dancer up is Nyle Dimarco. Nyle is not only an actor, model but also a spokesman with a recurring role on ‘Switched at Birth’. He is trading his days of competing on the runway of America`s Next Top Model`s Cycle 22 in for sharing the dance floor with his partner Peta Murgatroyd. Next up on the list is Kim Fields who is an actress best known for her roles in two iconic shows which include Living Single and Facts Of Life. Along with being in front of the camera, she is also familiar with directing, as she is now an award-winning film director. This multi-talented star is ready to be in front of the camera again as she takes the stage with partner Sasha Farber. Doug Flutie is next on the list. This football champion is the winner of  the 1984 Heisman Trophy for his iconic “Hail Mary” pass against the university of Miami, which led to the win of the Orange Bowl. He later on went to play in the USFL and the NFL, but now it`s his time to leave the field and take the dance floor. He will be accompanied by his partner Karina Smirnoff. The next contestant is used to singing and dancing on stage but in her case the Broadway stage. Along with her Broadway performances in The Will Rogers Follies and Love, Loss and What I Wore, she is also no stranger to the television and film world. She is ready to expand her talent on the DWTS stage with partner Tony Dovolani. And that’s only half the list!

The second half of the list starts off with another football star, Von Miller. He might be known now as the Denver Broncos linebacker and MVP of Super Bowl 50 but this season he`ll be known on the dance floor with his partner Witney Carson. The next celebrity on the list is Wayna Morris whose rise to fame came from being an original member of the R&B group Boys II Men. Wanya will be taking the dance floor with partner Lindsay Arnold. This next celebrity is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist. Geraldo Rivera is a Fox News senior correspondent and host of breaking news specials the Geraldo Rivera Reports. He is anxious for his shot at the Mirrorball trophy with partner Edyta Sliwinska. For the next contestant the house is about to get more full with Jodie Sweetin. She is formerly known for her role as Stephanie Tanner on Full House and now the Netflix spin-off of Fuller House. She is joined on the dance floor with her partner Keo Motsepe. The next contestant Paige VanZant has a stunning record of 6-2-0 in her UFC career. This top ranked champion is about take it back to the dance floor as she did in her younger days with partner Mark Ballas. The last contestant of this star filled list is Ginger Zee. Ginger is an Emmy Award-winner and also the chief meteorologist of Good Morning America. Now it is time to see what her dancing forecast will be as she takes the floor with partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy.

This season will be hosted by the Emmy-winning Tom Bergeron of America`s Funniest Home Videos. Season 10 finalist, Erin Andrews will also be coming back but this time as a host.  From talented professional dancers to celebrities and two fantastic hosts, the competition would not be complete without judges. The Season 22 judges include Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. This highly anticipated season will air on Monday, March 21st at 8|7c. Who are you rooting for this season?

Pretty In Pink Turns 30!

Pretty In Pink Turns 30!

On February 28, 1986 the romantic comedy Pretty in Pink opened. Cast with up and coming actors, Molly Ringwald as “Andie”, James Spader as “Steph”, Andrew McCarthy as “Blane” and Jon Cryer as “Duckie” playing a bunch of suburban Chicago teens searching to find there place among the pecking order of high school students.

To mark this anniversary, the film has been re-released in select theaters with an alternate ending. I had the opportunity to attend the screening on February 17th as a gift from my husband for Valentine’s Day. The theater was equally filled with first timers and long- time fans, mostly female. It was exciting to see the film on the big screen again and even though I am now viewing as an adult and not the teen I was at it’s original release, I felt the same excitement and secret cheering for the underdog that it did the first time I saw it.

The music was still incredible as it was in 1986. The Pretty In Pink soundtrack went on to make Rolling Stone’s “The Greatest Soundtracks of all Time” list.

The alternate ending was predictable, but the cast interviews were enlightening as I would not have expected some of what I heard. Unfortunately for some in attendance, they were not aware the screening offering the interviews or the alternate ending, so they left the theater after the closing credits. For those of us that stayed , we were in for a real treat hearing cast members Jon Cryer, Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy speak about the movie in current day. The one secret we learned is that Molly Ringwald was hoping for Robert Downey Jr. to play “Duckie” as she personally felt she had better chemistry with him.

For more Pretty in Pink secrets revealed, pick up the 30th Anniversary dvd due in stores shortly. I hope you enjoyed this walk down memory lane as much as I did.

Written by Denise Visco