"Heaven is for Real": Movie Review

By Zach Cooper

Based off the bestselling book comes, "Heaven is for Real." This film is about a couple whose son (Colton) claims to of visited Heaven when he was asleep during a near death experience This four-year-old also claimed he saw other things like his great-grandfather (who was young at Heaven), and  his sister, who died before she was born. Another astonishing bit is that he met Jesus, who had 4 markings on his hands and feet. Everybody in the town began to mock and laugh at Colton.

 

This movie is very emotional, so make sure you bring along tissues. The film is really well done and should not be missed. Please be aware that this is a religious movie.

Queen Mary TRIP REPORT

By Zach Cooper

On Tuesday, April 8th, I was able to visit The Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. I spent 4 hours on the permanently docked ship, learning about its history and the many mysteries. This trip report will include photos and videos of the day, along with reviews!

  

 

Enjoy a video overview of the ship.

 

The Queen Mary looks like the White Star Line's RMS Titanic, but the Queen Mary only has 3 smokestacks, not 4 like Titanic.
 

  

The Queen Mary is around many other Long Beach destinations. Just next to the Queen Mary is a submarine, which you can tour. Along with that are some shops and booths. Very neat!





Incase you don't know, The RMS Queen Mary is a 78-year-old ship. Currently, the ship is permanently docked in Long Beach as a hotel, as well as hosting many exhibits and special events on board.

I purchased the QUEEN MARY PASSPORT, which including Ghosts and Legends Tour, and the Audio Tour.
 http://www.queenmary.com/passport

GHOSTS OF LEGENDS TOUR OF THE QUEEN MARY: After arriving, I was able to go on the Ghosts and Legends tour. This tour is almost like a show, as they use special effects and projections to make you feel like you are about to meet one of their oldest residents. The tour will take you through some of the most highest rated ghost areas of the ship. This includes the drained swimming pool, the boiler room and a number of the ships closed off hallways, exclusive to tour guests. Though, the boiler room is 36 feet below the surface, so it might be a challenge getting out.

 

 

 

The tour is very exciting, but can get a little spooky. I would recommend though to anyone who is looking for some fun and chills.


AUDIO TOUR ON THE QUEEN MARY: Soon after the Ghosts and Legends, I was able to take an audio tour around the whole ship. It took about 1 and a half hour to complete, but was well worth it.
 

 

The audio guide is really great and informative, but can get a little confusing on how to get to the next destination. Overall, it worked out well.
 

 

The tour began in a small room, holding props and also a timeline of the Queen Mary's history.
 

 

Also inside was a small model of Titanic. I knew it was Titanic since it had 4 smokestacks.


 

 

We then headed up to the Bridge, where the captain steers this huge ship.
 

 

 

 

 

The Bridge has an excellent view of Long Beach.

 

Radio Room

"Endless Hallway"

 

 

The tour ended with a trip inside a really cool and spooky room that was added onto the ship. This room shows something that only the fish see.

 

 

The Propeller Box is an awesome way to see one of the four propellers.

 

There were many other places included on the tour, but those are just some of my favorites.

 

 

I had an amazing time on the Queen Mary and hope to visit again sometime. (and hopefully stay overnight) They have an amazing staff who are very willing to help and assist you. For tickets, bookings and more information, visit www.queenmary.com.

Queen Mary Audio Tour: Review

By Zach Cooper

The audio tour on the Queen Mary ship in Long Beach California is a perfect way to spend a few hours catching up on your history. This tour can take 1 or 2 hours, taking you all over the RMS Queen Mary, built in the 1930's. The ship is currently a hotel and hosts a number of exhibits and functions. The audio tour allows you to go at your own pace around the ship. You get to visit many areas, like the Bridge (where captains steer the ship), Radio Room, Captains Quarters, and so much more. Another fun spot was a look down the ships 'endless hallway', which looks like it could go on forever. At the end, you visit the Propeller Room, which is a small room built outside of the Queen Mary. It allows you to see one of the ships 4 propellers up close.

 

 

I would recommend this tour to anyone who is looking to visit the permanently docked ship. At times, the audio guide can get confusing, but they have such good employees, they will be happy to help where they can. Out of 10, I would rate the tour a 10.

 

 

Check out this small video I took of the Queen Mary!

Ghosts and Legends Show at the Queen Mary: Review

By Zach Cooper

During my trip to the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, I was able to take a 35 minute tour to learn about the haunting of this 78 year-old ship. This tour is almost like a show, as they use special effects and projections to make you feel like you are about to meet one of their oldest residents. The tour will take you through some of the most highest rated ghost areas of the ship. This includes the drained swimming pool, the boiler room and a number of the ships closed off hallways, exclusive to tour guests. Though, the boiler room is 36 feet below the surface, so it might be a challenge getting out.

I have always been fascinated with ghosts, so it was a real treat going on this tour. I did in fact get scared at some moments. They do a great job with their effects and storytelling. Along with being scared, you learn much about the ship and why its claimed to be so haunted. This tour maybe is not the best for small children, but perfect if you are looking to have some real fun.

 

 

Out of 10, I would easily rate it a 10. A must go for anyone who is looking for some fun and chills.

For tickets, visit www.queenmary.com/ghosts-legends. 

San Francisco - Trip Review

 

By Beemerboyz803
From last Thursday to early Sunday, I went on a trip to San Francisco. Overall, the trip was amazing and a huge amount of fun. I did so much and I had a blast. Here is a recap of each day of the trip.

 THURSDAY, APRIL 10

My day started at 6AM with a long, groaning 10-hour drive to San Francisco. After ten hours, I arrived at the Golden Gate Bridge and walked across it. It took about 45 minutes because it was so cold. Secondly, we drove to Pier 39 and ate at the Hard Rock Cafe, which was good. Afterwards, we checked into our hotel, which was about 5 minutes from California's Great America. Then, at 10PM, I went to bed. 

FRIDAY, APRIL 11

My day, much like Thursday, started at 6AM. I ate breakfast, and headed to San Jose's free Tech Museum of Innovation. The Tech Museum was amazing. There was a deejay booth, a computer that was activated by pricking strings, a giant wishing well that spoke magically, a jet pack simulator, rock samples from Mars, a scale displaying weight on Mars/the Moon, a tsunami escape pod, etc. Overall, I had a fun time and ended up leaving with a crushed penny and a magnetic Albert Einstein. At 6PM, we drove for one hour to San Francisco and had dinner at Buca di Beppo. At 8:30PM, we headed to the Davies Symphony Hall, and saw the San Francisco Symphony. The Symphony performed a long, peaceful symphony that took one hour to perform. Of course, it was classical music so I fell asleep 15 minutes in and woke up about 45 min into the concert. Overall, the half hour I did see was performed beautifully. It took two hours to get back to the hotel, but we got back and fell asleep at 11:30PM.

SATURDAY, APRIL 12

Saturday was by far the best day of the trip. We ate breakfast at 8AM, and then, at 9:45AM, drove to California's Great America. I had been wanting to go since last summer when I visited the area. Read the trip review on the blog.

SUNDAY, APRIL 13

Headed home!

Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem Opens at Universal Studios Hollywood

By Beemerboyz803

This Saturday, April 12, Universal Studios Hollywood opened their newest attraction: Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, themed after Universal's popular Despicable Me movies. The ride opened in Universal Studios in Florida in July 2012, and gained an extreme amount of popularity.

Despicable Me stars Miranda Cosgrove (Margo), Dana Gaier (Edith), and Elsie Kate Fisher (Agnes) attended the opening ceremony, as well as Gru. The four, alongside two security guards and the manager of Universal Studios Hollywood, pressed a special button that cut the yellow ribbon and sent tons of yellow confetti and balloons flying into the air.

The attraction takes place in the Gru household. Neighboring the ride is Super Silly Fun Land, a themed after featured as an amusement park in the first Despicable Me movie. The new area of the park features restaurants, shops, Midway Carnival games, and a play area for toddlers.

Currently, the ride is gaining a huge amount of popularity.

To watch the opening ceremony or an on-ride POV (point of view) of Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, visit www.insidethemagic.com or visit www.youtube.com/insidethemagic.

101 Things You Thought You Knew About Titanic... But Didn't: Book Review

By Zach Cooper

It has been almost 102 years since Titanic sank into the North Atlantic Ocean one April night. For years I have been fascinated with the story and have read numerous books on it. My favorite is Tim Maltin's book. This 320 page novel consists of 101 pieces of informative information on the White Star Line ship. Lots of stories are cleared up in the book, separating fact from fiction. Before reading the book, I thought I knew everything about Titanic. Tim and his excellent book proved me wrong. Every piece of information in the book is proven with resources. Also included are excerpts from passengers and other inquires.

Whether you think you know everything about Titanic or have just seen the movie, this book is for you. I strongly recommend it. Out of 10, I would easily rate it a 10.

Order your copy today by going to http://www.amazon.com/101thingsaboutTitanic.

Book cover snapshot downloaded from www.goodreads.com/101thingstitanic.

Kingdom Keepers Novella: Unforseen REVIEW

By Zach Cooper

For just $2.99, you can gone on a wild ride through 90 pages of fantasy, as we get an inside look on the adventures of Jess and Amanda of the Kingdom Keepers.

 

Incase you don't know, the Kingdom Keepers books by Ridley Pearson are about a group of teenagers who battle Disney Villains (or Overtakers) once the Disney Parks serves its last guests. There are 7 books in the series, each at different Disney Parks. Over the last few years, we have seen the series go from Walt Disney World, to Disney Cruise Line, and now ending at Disneyland in the finale book THE INSIDER. 

 

Recently, Ridley and his amazing group of interns created a Novella, which is almost a half-book. I consider it Kingdom Keepers 6.5, as it takes place between book 6 and 7.

 

The short story takes place one night at Magic Kingdom, as Jess and Amanda go on a search to find clues to their latest visions. Jess has the gift of prediction, so she is known to help the Keepers in any way. Unforseen takes you on a wild ride through a number of different attractions, along with meet-ups with good and bad characters.

 

I did not expect the Novella to be this amazing. It has an amazing storyline, which should not be overlooked.

 

Out of 10, I would easily rate it a 10. MUST READ!

 

Purchase this e-book now at www.kingdomkeepersinsider.comunforseen!

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Review

By Beemerboyz803

Today, we were able to see Captain America: The Winter Soldier in theaters. The movie centers around Steve Rogers (our beloved Captain America), and S.H.I.E.L.D, the superhero company Captain America is affiliated with. HYDRA, another company, is trying to end the SHIELD corporation with its own archvillian, The Winter Soldier.  Along the journey, his allies Nick Fury, Black Widow, and Falcon help him along his journey to stop HYDRA from taking over the world with its secret project, Project Insight. When released, the project terminates a few million people at a time, starting with government officials. Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon have to face The Winter Soldier, one of Captain America's oldest allies, who was used for government experimenting.

Overall, we decided to give the movie 9.5 because plot was really unfathomable, unless you watched the first movie (in which we didn't). There were also some scenes that were really weird. Otherwise, the movie was fantastic and we would definitely see it again if we had the chance. 

Disneyland Trip Report: March 29th

By Zach Cooper

On Saturday, March 29th, I was able to visit the Disneyland Resort for one day of fun at both parks. My main reason was to see author Ridley Pearson, as he was on his Kingdom Keepers tour. This was the 1st time in 2 years visiting the park. I used to go all the time, but prices have raised so high, we cancelled our passes.



I arrived at Disneyland Park at 9am, and headed in line for the Ridley Pearson book signing at Disneyana on Main Street.
 

 

Incase you don't know, Ridley Pearson's Kingdom Keepers is a series about 5 teens who battle Disney Villains when the Disney Parks close. There are 7 books to the series (the 7th came out April 1st), and the final one takes place at the Disneyland Resort. It is called THE INSIDER. I have had the privilege to meet Ridley many times and have even had him on our podcast.

 

 

After getting our voucher at 9am, we got an hour to walk around, before we had to come back in line to see Ridley. It was time to have fun exploring Main Street.
 

Goofy Meet and Greet.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KINGDOM KEEPERS SIGNING: At about 9:30, we returned to Disneyana to find Ridley Pearson already out with excited guests.
 

 

 

 

Ridley Pearson was able to tour these lucky individuals around Disneyland.  

 

"ZACH AND THE BLOG!!!"-Ridley Pearson

 

 

 

 

 

FANTASY FAIRE: After the signing, I headed over to check out the year-old Fantasy Faire, an offshoot of Fantasyland.

 

 

 

 

Fantasy Faire is very small, but very well done.

 

It's amazing how close this offshoot is to Sleep Beauty Castle.

 

Tangled tower.

Royal Theatre hosts small shows very often during the day.

 

Figaro and the cat animatronic.

 

 

PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN: After Fantasy Faire,  headed over to one of my favorite attraction's. The line was super long, as it was wrapped longer than the actual designated queue. It was amazing how fast the line went. We were on the boat in less than 15 minutes.
 

I love the atmosphere inside. So fun. Makes me feel like I am stepping back into the 16th century.

Here is a full multi-cam video of the attraction.


MICKEY AND THE MAGICAL MAP: I then headed over to the Fantasyland Theatre to catch the 12pm showing of Mickey and the Magical Map, a year old show that is very popular.
 

 

Full video I shot of the show. I used 3 cameras to film it, allowing awesome wide and close up shots.
 

 

The Fantasyland Theatre is located to the left of the Mickey's Toontown entrance. It is also relatively close to It's a Small World.
 

 

For this show, I recommend sitting towards the back of the arena. You can see the screens and characters as a whole much better.

 

 

HAUNTED MANSION: After the fun 22 minute show, I headed back to New Orleans Square to take a ride on the Haunted Mansion. This line was only about 15 minutes.
 

 

 

 

I used 2 cameras to capture this attraction. Enjoy the video POV.

 

TOMORROWLAND: After a run ride of ghosts, I headed over to Tomorrowland to ride Space Mountain.

IT WAS AWESOME.

Hear more about our Disneyland Resort trip in this weeks podcast: www.youtube.com/geekcentralblogpodcast96

it's a small world Celebrates 50 Years

By Beemerboyz803

This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of one of Disneyland's most beloved attractions. One of Walt Disney's original attractions designed for the 1964 New York World's Fair, it's a small world is a popular boat attraction at Disneyland where people aboard a boat and enter a building with animatronics dolls designed to represent the world. 

The attraction opened this weekend at the New York World's Fair 50 years ago. Two years later, Walt Disney introduced the iconic attraction to his Anaheim theme park. It was the last attraction he built before his death in December. The attraction has undergone many renovations, and is undergoing a remodel at the moment, and continues to please child after child every day at the Disney parks.

it's a small world is not only famous because it is a ride, but also because of its "infamous" song. Penned by Robert B. Sherman and Richard Sherman, "it's a small world" was written to complement the ride. To this day, it is still a debatable topic that the song is pleasing or unpleasing. 

On behalf of the Geek Central Blog, we would like to congratulate "it's a small world" on 50 wonderful years of a world of laughter, a world of tears, a world of hopes, and a world of fears.

 

It's a world of laughter,

a world of tears,
It's a world of hopes,
and a world of fears,
There's so much that we share,
now it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all,

 

It's a small world after all,
It's a small world after all,
It's a small world after all,
It's a small, small world,

 

There is just one moon
and one golden sun,
And a smile means
friendship to everyone,
Though the mountains divide,
and the oceans are wide,
It's a small world after all

 

It's a small world after all,
It's a small world after all,
It's a small world after all,
It's a small, small world

"Happening in the World" Week 9

By Beemerboyz803

Here are some important events that happened this week in pop culture.

it's a small world turns 50

Disney's beloved attraction, "it's a small world", turned 50 this weekend. The attraction debuted as one of Walt Disney's flagship attractions at the 1964 New York World's Fair. Around the world, at every Disney park from coast to coast, people were celebrating a world of laughter, a world of tears, a world of hopes, and a world of fears.

 

Sam and Cat in Hot Water; Ariana Grande and Co-Star Jennette McCurdy's Brutal Fights

Nickelodeon's next biggest hit, Sam and Cat, is currently in some hot water. Ariana Grande, who portrays the lovable redhead, Cat Valentine, slammed rumors about her fellow co-star, Jennette McCurdy, who portrays the daredevil Sam Puckett. Both slammed rumors about each other, their salaries, and what happens on the show's set. McCurdy, who was a no-show at the Nickelodeon's popular KCAs last Saturday, talked openly about her receiving of harsh treatment from the Nickelodeon crew. The show's creator, Schneider, thinks the girls will make up and that Nickelodeon will keep the show on air. Programming president Russell Hicks is not sure as of March 31, 2014, if the show will be renewed for a second season, but as of now, Sam and Cat is on hiatus.

 

Phineas and Ferb On Hiatus

One of Disney's most popular programs, Phineas and Ferb, has been put on hiatus. The show's co-creator, Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, has said via Twitter that most of the show's board artists have left, some going to production on other animated shows like Gravity Falls or Wander Over Yonder. Marsh thinks the show will continue airing episodes until the show will end, but we are not sure as of now the final result of Phineas and Ferb.

 

Last Episode of Fish Hooks Airs

The final episode of Disney Channel's Fish Hooks airs tonight (Friday, April 4). The episode will focus on the graduation of Milo, Bea, and Oscar, the show's main characters. The show aired in 2010. Fish Hooks is one of a streak of three shows that have ended within 3 months (February-April 2014), beginning with Good Luck Charlie, and ending with ANT Farm.

 

This is all for this week.