Soon enough all the folks over at NBC will be able to heave a big sigh of relief and know that the NBC civil war of late night is over. Of course, it'll just be the beginning of the war between networks for the top ratings during late night but that is another story. Tomorrow night will mark the last episode of The Jay Leno Show. What was hoped would be a cheaper alternative to those really expensive dramas turned out prove the old adage true: "you get what you pay for."

Anyone who hasn't been living under a rock the last few months has seen NBC practically self implode over the ratings they hoped Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno would bring to their new time slots. It hasn't happened and it is all over as of Tuesday night at 11:00 PM. 

Next comes The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and what NBC hopes will be a return to the top of the late night ratings battle.  I'd tend to guess that this will indeed come to pass. Some people won't watch in protest at first but Jay Leno is a good guy with a friendly face and a sense of class and honor. He will win people back; if with nothing else a lot of good old fashioned hard work. I wish Jay Leno well and I do hope to someday be in the seats watching him tape the show live! 

So now with all of that over with, let's turn the page and move forward. Heck, it seems as if Letterman and Leno are... they even filmed a commercial together! 

It was recently announced that the Phantom of the Opera would be coming to Los Angeles for the last time. This marks the end of the 17 year tour for Phantom of the Opera after performing more than 7,000 times around the United States. Los Angeles was chosen to be the end of the tour as it was also where the tour began in 1989.

Phantom of the Opera was originally written by Gaston Leroux and published in Le Gaulois from November 19, 1909 through January 8, 1910. When published in book form, it didn’t sell that well. Since then, it has been adapted to film and stage multiple times. The most well known version is the Andrew Lloyd Webber Broadway musical.  Opening on Broadway in 1988, it is the longest running Broadway play of all time. Andrew Lloyd Webber went on to adapt his version of Phantom of the Opera to the big screen in 2004. There is a sequel in the works to Phantom of the Opera penned by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is called Love Never Dies and will be opening in London later this month and on Broadway later in the year.

The current Phantom of the Opera tour will be hitting Dallas, Austin, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland before coming to Los Angeles.

Having seen it a couple of times, this is one of my favorite Broadway plays. If you are anywhere near any of the cities the tour is hitting, check it out! You won’t regret it! While I would liked to have seen Webber stick a little closer to the book, it really is well done. Speaking of which, if you haven’t read the book… do it!

As I'm sure most of you are aware, Disneyland is always moving and ever empty. According to the Disney Parks Blog, there are around 1,500 cast members that work the night shift (otherwise known as the 'third shift') every night to keep the Disney magic alive at Disneyland. Below is a video they released showing how magic is made 24 hours a day at Disneyland! Hope you enjoy!

While it isn’t 100 percent confirmed, it appears that things are moving forward on the 23^rd James Bond film. With the financial problems over at MGM anything could happen though. Barring any serious complications however, this is what it looks like will be happening with James Bond.

The rumored plot could quite possibly revolve around drug smuggling. An Afghan drug enforcement officer was brought in to consult for the movie.  This is definitely not confirmed at this point, it just seems to make sense. As I mentioned before, there is talk of filming in New York City. In this case, perhaps Felix Leiter will be playing a more prominent role in the film. Judi Dench will be returning as M and Daniel Craig will reprise his role as James Bond. If casting rumors are also true, the villain will be Blofeld. If you don’t know who that is, think of a bald man in a grey uniform with a cat. He has looked differently in James Bond as well but this is the most well known look for him…and parodied. This will also reportedly be a stand alone film and not a sequel to Quantum Solace.

While there isn’t a title for the movie as of yet, it seems that since Daniel Craig took the role of James Bond there have been titles that were originally from Ian Fleming. So, let’s make an early prediction that it will be one of the following: THE HILDEBRAND RARITY, RISICO, THE PROPERTY OF A LADY or 007 IN NEW YORK. I’m going to go a step further and make an unqualified guess that it will be the last one.

Now going further into the unknowns with this movie. Some really sketchy rumors have involved the return of Moneypenny and Q (hopefully with John Cleese). I personally would love to see the return of these two characters. It seems to me that is all that is needed to bring the reboot of James Bond character to the point where he is “Bond, James Bond” with is martini, “shaken, not stirred.”  While they have proven that they can make a very competent and believable James Bond without these two supporting characters, they have always been a part of the family. Conversely, if they can’t add them without a reason for adding them…leave them out. Don’t add them just for the sake of adding them.

Anyway, that is about all there is for now on the 23^rd James Bond film. I’ll definitely keep updating as more info comes along. If you find any info, feel free to email me at dapsmagic@gmail.com and I’ll include it!

We have had Lego Star Wars, Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Batman, Lego Rock Band reincarnations of some of those, and now the next incarnation will be Lego Harry Potter. The official title is LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and is due for release in May. With 140 playable characters, it should do a fairly good job at pleasing Harry Potter fans. It should also keep fans happy as it won’t be just an action game where you run around fighting people. According to the makers, Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 will be about solving puzzles and exploring the magical world that J.K. Rowling has created for Harry Potter.

Like the other Lego games, players will be able to play in co-op mode. Players will also be able to explore Hogwarts and according to the programmers, this will be the largest explore able world they have created yet. This will also include many of the key events and places from the books. While it hasn’t been announced it, it can be assumed that if this game does even reasonably well there will be a follow up with the second half covering the Harry Potter books. Oh, and one last thing. I almost took it for granted. There will still be the same type of scenes from the movies included in LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 that recreates those wonderful moments without any talking. Quite often these are hilarious.

Overall, I think LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 should be a very enjoyable game. It’s not going to be insanely hard and the graphics of course won’t be over the top. None of that has ever stopped me from enjoying any of its predecessors though. While I’m not the hugest Harry Potter fan in the world, I definitely can appreciate it. I think they have done a pretty good job with the movies and I can only assume this game will be well done as well!

Here’s the trailer. It doesn’t really tell a lot about the game other than the setup but it is still kind of fun.

 So what do you think? Is it a game you’ll get?

For those of you who have spent any time at all following me or hanging out with me at Disneyland, you know I’m a big fan of Ragtime Robert who plays the piano at Coke Corner on Main Street, USA. As his fingers fly over the keys and make magical music, his personality does the same with those who watch him.

His music repertoire includes a wide range of songs from many different eras and sources, and Ragtime Robert regularly takes requests. If a request isn’t in his repertoire yet, you can bet that it will be soon quite often…if he doesn’t make up an arrangement of it on the spot! His music is quite eclectic and while he always comes back to some of the ragtime greats, he’ll also play many Disney favorites (he’s always adding a new Disney song to his playlist), a Broadway medley here and there, or some other surprise he has up his sleeve.

It is also always a treat when he plays a duet with a guest! Through the years he has played many duets with quite a few guests with songs ranging from Rhapsody in Blue, to the Colonel Bogey March, to even some adorable duets with cute little kids playing Disney songs. Some of them have been worked out through multiple times playing together and some are completely impromptu. They are ALWAYS a lot of fun!

As I mentioned before, the music isn’t the only thing that makes an evening with Ragtime Robert magical. Robert’s personality as he engages with those who watch him is what makes the magic come alive at coke corner. Watching him interact with Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts and many other characters at 2:30 PM for musical chairs is a delight as he plays the theme song for each character as they enter. Then as the game flies by he creates a soundtrack for the game that accompanies the antics of the Mad Hatter and his crew. Come back a little later in the day for a magical jolly holiday. Mary Poppins and Bert frequently visit Ragtime Robert at 4:30 PM and are treated to the music from Mary Poppins in a medley that is absolutely stunning! The opportunity to meet and interact with Mary Poppins while hearing her music played and sung is absolutely magical. Are you seeing a theme developing here?

The magic doesn’t disappear though when the characters do. Instead it just grows stronger at Coke Corner as an evening with Ragtime Robert progresses. On a normal Friday or Sunday evening Robert will be playing at 5:30, 7:00, 8:00 and finally again at 9:00 PM. As the lights twinkle and the sky darkens the area around the piano becomes cozy and even more comfortable and dare I say it again… magical. Generally as the evening progresses Robert will include more songs that will connect with different generations. Where one song might be from a Disney movie, the next might be a Scott Joplin piece, and the next something from Roger’s and Hammerstein…sometimes all in the same medley! The culture there is one of family. If you walk up to the piano, you are part of that family. He welcomes you in and does his very best to make you feel comfortable. Wearing a birthday button? You can bet that Robert will make a magical moment and play variations on Happy Birthday for you. Play the piano? Robert might invite you up to play a song! Basically what I am saying is, Robert will go the extra mile to make your evening that much better. For me personally, upon learning of my love for The Muppets, he immediately took a stab at playing it. As time has gone by his rendition of The Muppet Show Theme has progressed and become a masterpiece! It will even be on his first CD* that is coming out soon!

There are many attractions to go on at the Disneyland Resort; there are many shows to see. I’d encourage you to stop by Coke Corner and say hi to Ragtime Robert. Share in some of the magic that keeps so many of us coming back to Coke Corner. Experience for yourself what makes an evening with Ragtime Robert such a memorable and wonderful Disney experience!

In all reality, not a whole lot is known about this musical that George Lucas is working on. What IS known is that it will involve fairies. It will be computer animated.  It is also known that David Berenbaum penned the screenplay. He also wrote Elf. It sounds like Lucas won’t be directing this musical either and that Kevin Munroe will be. Thankfully he has had experience in the animation world going back to his directorial debut with the fourth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

That’s about all I’ve got for now… George Lucas…musical… Kevin Munroe…David Berenbaum… FAIRIES!?!?!?  Maybe they will be space fairies with blasters….

In the Fantasyland expansion, Disney is taking a whole new approach to Princess meets n’ greets. Let us hope that the descriptions are accurate and as interactive as they seem. It would be so much better than standing in a line for a quick autograph and a photo. I’m sure there will be some of that too, but what has been shown has the potential to allow the princesses to really be themselves and interact with guests instead of just being  a cardboard cutout that moves and signs autographs!

For Sleeping Beauty fans, guests will now be able to enter the cottage that she grew up in. There, they will throw a surprise birthday party for Aurora. First of course, cards must be made to help the three fairies prepare for the party.

Cinderella fans will be able to visit her chateaux and then practice dancing for the royal ball or learn to be a night.

Next let’s look at Beauty and the Beast. Enter Belle’s village and her father’s cottage to begin the experience. The magic mirror will then transport guests to Beast’s castle. There guests will have the opportunity to perform the story of Beauty and the Beast for Belle! Hungry afterwards? Then perhaps visit the Be Our Guest Restaurant which will accommodate 552 guests. If not that, then go see all the antlers decorating Gaston’s Tavern and get a bite there.

The Little Mermaid will be a bit different as Ariel will be receiving her own attraction. According to former Chairman of Parks and Resorts Jay Rasulo, this will be an E-Ticket attraction that will take guests through the story of The Little Mermaid in clam shells. It will be pretty much the same as the attraction that Disney’s California Adventure will receive on the inside. The outside will be themed like Eric’s castle to make it fit into the Fantasyland theme.

Moving away from princess meet n’ greets, there are a couple of other changes coming to Fantasyland in Walt Disney World. While some had hoped that there would be a return of a Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in some incarnation, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards. Dumbo however will be expanding his flight path over Fantasyland. With this expanded flight path will also come an interactive queue for one of Fantasyland’s most popular attractions.

Tinker Bell will be receiving a permanent home in Fantasyland at Pixie Hollow. For this, guests will shrink down to the size of pixies as they enter Pixie Hollow and be able to meet Tinker Bell and all her pixie friends. From the artwork, it looks like it should be larger than Pixie Hollow that is found at Disneyland. It is expected that this attraction won’t be finished until 2013.

Below is a 3D model that I have labeled for you to see what Fantasyland will look like upon the entire expansion’s completion.

Click on image to enlarge

What do you think?

For those of you who aren’t plugged into the geek world at all, Apple had a big announcement/unveiling today. It has been highly anticipated by some and others well… they continue to underestimate Steve Jobs and what his team at Apple can do! I found myself in the middle leading up to this morning’s announcement. I honestly just couldn’t imagine what they could do next to blow people’s minds away. They already have the best products available. I guess that is what makes them so good.

The time came for the announcement and I found myself at Starbucks with a friend watching the events unfold with coffee in hand and eyes glued to the screen. At first the connection was a bit iffy and we were debating what exactly they would be releasing. Finally, our guesses were confirmed. Apple unveiled the iPad. It sounded interesting enough but what is it? An alternative to a laptop? A bigger version of an iPod touch? A little of both? How long will the battery life be? How big will it be? What apps will it have? Questions, questions, questions…

There was a TON of information I could share with you but I’ll try to just do a general overview. It’s a half inch thick and only a pound and a half with a 9.7 IPS display. To overly simplify it, consider this a bigger version of an iPod touch with a WHOLE LOT MORE POWER. It’ll come in 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64GB versions with flash.

Now for some really cool things. Battery life, according to Steve Jobs and friends it’ll last 10 hours! When on standby, the battery could last up to a MONTH! It will of course have Bluetooth. wifi and some versions will have 3G capabilities. Currently there is only a deal set up with AT&T which will cost $14.99 a month for under 250MB of data or an unlimited plan for $29.99. It will also give users free wifi access in hotspots! The iPad will also run pretty much ALL of the 140,000 aps offered to the iPod touch right now. IBook will also be offered with books being sold from $7.99-$14.99 it is looking like.  The iWork suite will be available for $9.99 for each app (WOW!). It will also be able to play YouTube in HD and from the presentation; the gaming possibilities will be incredible. Also, a dock will be available for your desk or whatever. With this you can also connect with a keyboard for those who don’t want to type on the glass screen.

Now how much is going is this little beauty going to cost? My friend and I were guessing around a thousand bucks. We weren’t even CLOSE! Apple really made an extra effort to make the iPad more affordable. The base model (16GB without 3G) will start at $499! The 32GB version is $100 more, and the 64GB is $100 more than that. So without the 3G network you could spend up to $699. If you want 3G included, add an extra $130 to each price making the prices $629, $729, and $829….still well under our $1,000 guess.

So now the question running through your mind, when can I get my hands on one of these little beauties? The basic models will be available in 60 days with the 3G models following 30 days later!  So in a couple of months you could own your iPad and send emails, edit pictures, watch videos, create spreadsheets, type documents, play games, read books (from THOUSANDS of titles), and be the envy of all the geeks in your neighborhood.

I really did not expect to be excited by Apple’s announcement today. I thought I would be impressed. I did not expect to be completely intrigued by the possibilities that Apple has now offered with the new iPad. Is this going to replace personal laptops in the future? Maybe. Is it going to kill off the Kindle? Wouldn’t surprise me. Is it going to be in my hands in the near future? I sure hope so. I figure I’ll wait till the bugs have all been worked out but I definitely want one!

“We would never do a remake....it will be some time in the five year mission. But that is a question. Should we pick them up immediately the next day or should it be later, we are still discussing that.”

Now that pretty much knocks out a remake of The Wrath of Kahn. I’m not sure if it includes episodes but it kind of feels like it does so I’m hoping Space Seed is knocked out as well. I’m probably one of the few people on the planet that really does not want to see Kahn back for another movie.  I feel it is a story that has been done and been done well so why mess with it? Alex Kurtzman seems to feel the same way as his response about villains indicates:

I think our idea on this is that the first of any series is about them coming together or the formation. I couldn't really tell you what Jeff Bridges was doing in Iron Man, but it doesn't matter at all because it is all about Iron Man becoming Iron Man. Whereas I think sequels are very much about the villain. Because while [in the first one] the villain serves to bring the crew together, the second one I think has to be a true challenging of what that family is about. That is why Wrath of Khan was so amazing. Khan tested each one of them and ultimately asked for the ultimately sacrifice, and that is why that movie held up so well. 

They also talked about the stress of making a sequel and how in some ways it is more challenging than the first reboot. The expectations are now higher since people know that can be done. The end of the interview I thought was pretty funny. They were asked what would be their dream project to work on. Alex Kurtzman said, “I would like to take a run at Indiana Jones, but that is a pretty closed door, so not sure that is ever going to happen.” Roberto Orci answered, “We would like to remake Star Wars [laughs]”

They may never get a chance with Indiana Jones or Star Wars but they are definitely doing a great job with Star Trek I think. I can’t wait to see what they come up with for a storyline for this next movie!