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Simpsons Grand Opening!
May 15, 2008 |
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The Simpsons Ride celebrated
its grand opening this
morning and IOACentral was
there to cover it. Also in
today's update - Hollywood
Rip Ride Rockit has
officially broken ground.
Check out all the photos and
videos from today's events
by
clicking here. |
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May 11, 2008 Resort Update
May 11, 2008 |
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In today's update, we take a
look at developments with
the Wizarding World of Harry
Potter construction, as well
as Rip Ride Rockit, Simpsons
wait times, and new
additions to Jurassic Park.
You can see the entire
update by
clicking here. |
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Toy Story Mania Preview
May 2, 2008 |
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IOACentral was able to
experience the newest
addition to Disney's
Hollywood Studios today as
Toy Story Midway Mania began
cast member previews. Our
update includes over 50
photographs of the
attraction and can be seen
by
clicking here. |
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Simpsons Preview Video
May 1, 2008 |
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Thanks to Universal, I've
been able to put together a
preview video for the
Simpsons Ride. The video
features interviews with the
team behind the attraction,
as well a peak into the ride
itself. You can access the
video by
clicking here. |
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Are We There Yet?
April 29, 2008 |
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Our new update features a
handful of photos showing
off the new Simpsons
advertising around the
resort. You can view the new
update by
clicking here. |
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April 25, 2008 Resort Update
April 25, 2008 |
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Between all this Simpsons
hype, I found some time to
wander off the Groening path
and into the realms of Harry
Potter and Rockit
construction - off course a
little Simpsons is tossed
in, but minimal for the time
being. You can check out the
new construction photos by
clicking here. |
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April 23, 2008 Resort Update
April 23, 2008 |
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The Simpsons Ride has
officially begun technical
rehearsals! Naturally,
IOACentral was there to
cover the new attraction and
deliver you over 100 photos
in our new update. You can
view it by
clicking here. |
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Site Updates
April 21, 2008 |
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Since our re-opening on
Christmas, I've been hard at
work updating IOACentral and
improving our current layout
and offerings. In the first
phase of many, we have made
changes to our
Desktop Wallpaper
section, and have opened our
Universal Studios Japan
section. I have re-designed
the Desktop section, and to
much demand have added
wallpapers from Universal's
special events and other
theme parks. Amongst them,
you can find Halloween
Horror |
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Nights wallpapers from the
past several years of the
event, as well as Grinchmas,
Macy's Holiday Parade, and
Mardi Gras. In the "Other
Park" section you will find
some excellent shots from
the Disneyland and Disney
World Resorts, as well Busch
Gardens Africa and Hard Rock
Park. Check it out
here.
In addition to the
desktops, our
Universal Studios Japan
section has launched with
details and videos of the
park, as well as a photo
gallery featuring close to
100 photos. You can view
this section by
clicking here.
Finally, we're on the
verge of The Simpsons Ride
opening to guests - tonight
and tomorrow, park employees
are able to ride the
attraction on a special
preview. This is only a good
sign that the attraction is
almost ready to go and begin
operating with guests. You
can discuss the attraction
on our discussion boards
here.
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"Manta" Concept Art
April 20, 2008 |
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An IOACentral reader has
sent in concept art of
SeaWorld Orlando's
un-announced attraction
"Manta." You can view these
photos by
clicking here. |
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April 17, 2008 Resort Update
April 17, 2008 |
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Potter goes vertical!
In today's update we look at
amazing developments on
Harry Potter construction,
the return of the Jules
Verne time train from Back
to the Future III, on-ride
photos on Rispsaw Falls, and
more. You can check it all
out by
clicking here. |
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April 10, 2008 Resort Update
April 10, 2008 |
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In today's update we look at
new developments with the
Simpsons Ride, Harry Potter,
and Curious George
refurbishments. The update
can be found by
clicking here. |
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April 1, 2008 Resort Update
April 1, 2008 |
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Today's Resort Update takes
a look at the Ellen Show
tapings, as well as Simpsons
Construction, and the new
pathway being built to
detour guests around
upcoming Harry Potter
construction. You can check
out the update by
clicking here. |
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One Year into the Past
March 30, 2008 |
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One year ago today, Back to
the Future The Ride at
Universal Studios Florida
sent its final volunteer
back in time. Fast
forwarding to the present,
we bring you the first of
many attraction tribute
pages to come in honor of
this much-loved attraction.
You can check out the page,
full of facts, photos and
media by
clicking here.
Also, feel free to discuss
your memories of the ride on
our
discussion boards. |
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"Picture This"
March 26, 2008 |
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In this edition of "David's
Adventures," David explores
the benefits of Disney's
PhotoPass system and how
other theme parks could take
a lesson from the product.
The article can be
read here.
In addition, we have
updated our
Simpsons Construction
page to reflect some
additions made to the
building today. It is to be
noted that Universal has
launched
www.SimpsonsRide.com,
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the ability to win some
great prizes (I actually won
an iTunes gift card right
off the bat!). The website
also goes into some more
detail about the attraction
and what's to be expected
inside "Krustyland." There's
also a fun game to play in
which you have to throw a
character over the Universal
Studios gates to get a sneak
peak at the construction.
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Simpsons Construction Update
March 24, 2008 |
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Over the past week, so much
has happened to the exterior
of the Simpsons Ride - from
the giant 'Krustyland' sign
to the 'Simpsons Ride' sign
- and now, the Simpsons
themselves make an
appearance in the front of
the building. You can view
all of our photos on the
Simpsons Exterior
Construction page. |
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'Single Riders' Charity
March 24, 2008 |
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An IOACentral reader has
sent in a brief article to
raise awareness of Coaster
Crew's charity "Single
Riders." You can read the
article
over here. |
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Matt Groening's Missed
Opportunity?
March 22, 2008 |
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Join guest columnist
Sketch105 as he takes a
brief trip down memory lane,
touching up on the proposed
"Simpsons Island" that was
rumored to have opened with
Islands of Adventure many
years ago. Sketch talks
about whether or not holding
off for the Simpsons Ride
was a smart choice for
creator Matt Groening. You
can read the article by
clicking here. |
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CityWalk's Rising Star
Opens!
March 21, 2008 |
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Universal officially opens
the doors to their newest
nightlife spot at CityWalk -
CityWalk's Rising Star. This
karaoke bar allows guests to
sing their favorite songs
with a live band and back up
singers on a full blown
concert stage. You can read
the full press release and
view photos of the bar by
clicking here. |
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Official "Rockit" Release
March 19, 2008 |
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As promised, you can check
out Universal's official
press release, as well as
high resolution concept art
and the logo for "Hollywood
Rip, Ride, Rockit" by
clicking here. |
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"Rumble" Announced
March 19, 2008 |
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Much like in the past, the
Orlando Sentinel is first to
spread the news of
Universal's newest addition.
Known only as "Project
Rumble" for the past several
months, "Hollywood Rip,
Ride, Rockit" is official.
This 167-foot beast of a
coaster (complete with a
vertical lift hill) is set
to open in Spring of next
year. While Universal hasn't
released the official press
release themselves just yet,
you can read all about the
new attraction over at the
Orlando Sentinel's
website. |
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IOACentral will post more
information on the coaster
when released by Universal
later today.
In the mean time, feel
free to discuss your
thoughts on "Rockit" on our
discussion boards.
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Surviving Universal Without
Express
March 12, 2008 |
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Head on over to Barry's
Backwater Bar Stool as Barry
recounts a visit to
Universal in July of 2007 in
which he tried a "great
experiment" - surviving the
parks during peak season
without buying an Express
pass. You can read the
article by
clicking here.
Also, over on our
discussion boards we have
started a poll and debate on
the service. Head over to
the boards to express
your feelings on the
product. |
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The topic can be accessed
directly by
clicking here.
In other news, we have
yet again updated our
Simpsons Construction
timeline, displaying more
photographs of the progress
of the building. It appears
that more designs have
appeared on the top of the
building, and the tents on
the right side of the
exterior queue have begun to
go up. You can visit our
Simpsons Construction page
by
clicking here.
Lastly, there is only a
small amount of time left to
vote in the first annual
"IOACentral Awards"
click here to get
your votes in by midnight
tomorrow.
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More Simpsons Construction
March 11, 2008 |
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We have updated our Simpsons
Timeline to reflect the
progress made these past two
days on the exterior of the
building. You can view the
photos
here. |
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Simpsons Construction
Timeline
March 9, 2008 |
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With the construction of the
attraction moving full steam
ahead, IOACentral is hosting
a timeline that shows the
progression of the Simpsons
exterior from Back to the
Future to what it is today.
This new page will also be
updated frequently as
construction rapidly
completes. You can view the
page
here. |
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the IOACentral Discussion Boards |
