Many Disney fans blame Disney’s marketing efforts for the less than stellar box office for most of the recent animated features to come out of Burbank. Now eyes have again turned to the marketing team, but this time for the lackluster performance of Jerry Bruckheimer’s films for the studio.

The Hollywood Reporter says Disney has hired a new marketing guru for Pirates 4 with hopes of making sure marketing for that film doesn’t go down with Davy Jones.

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Fried Oysters at HUE, one of the many amazing restaurants featured in Orlando’s Magical Dining Month

September is a perfect opportunity to sample the many incredible restaurants Orlando has to offer. Every area of the city, from Lake Buena Vista to Altamonte Spings, has chefs ready to show off their best at a special price for this month only. Orlando Magical Dining Month offers prix fixe three-course dinners at more than 60 restaurants. Each restaurant will feature their special menu just for this event and at that price, it’s definitely worth sampling more than one. Plus. of every meal goes to the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Central Florida. So you can eat well and feel good about it.

Make reservations early and expect weekends to fill up fast. Weeknights are always a better bet but no matter what day you want to dine, early reservations are a must (especially for peak dining times). For a list of restaurants, special menus, phone numbers, opentable.com links, and more, go to the Orlando Magical Dining Month website.

All of the restaurants on the list are excellent choices and I’ve never had a bad experience during Magical Dining Month. This year, I’m thrilled to see some of my very favorites on the list, places where I have had many memorable meals over the years. Here are my top five picks, in alphabetical order:

1. The Boheme at the Westin Grand Bohemian, Downtown Orlando – worth the drive downtown to this beautiful space with a menu inspired by art and music. The Boheme was voted “Best Hotel Restaurant” by Orlando magazine.
2. HUE Restaurant, Downtown Orlando (Thornton Park area) – attention to detail is they key, with cuisine as beautiful as it is deicious. After dinner, wander Thornton Park, one of Orlando’s hippest neighborhoods.
3. Norman’s at the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes, South Orlando near International Drive — your chance to dine at the New York Times’ pick for Best Restaurant in Florida. Norman Van Aiken is one of the best chefs in the culinary world and he oversees all operations at this Ritz Carlton gem.
4. Seasons 52, International Drive/Sand Lake Road — an ever-evolving, seasonally-inspired menu and a massive wine list including 60 by-the-glass choices. The restaurant was the #3 choice for “Best Restaurant 2009″ in Orlando magazine.
5. Todd English’s bluezoo at the Swan and Dolphin Resort, Lake Buena Vista – my absolute favorite seafood restaurant anywhere, with a truly stunning atmosphere. If you’re up for a cocktail, ask for a cucumber martini — it’s no longer on the cocktail menu but the bartender will still mix one up for you.

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The time has come to don your Halloween finest and trick or treat with your Disney favorites — tickets for the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party are now on sale. This annual event is a family favorite, as the Magic Kingdom becomes a Halloween wonderland for children and Disney-loving adults.

From 7pm to midnight on select nights in September, October and November 2010, guests are encouraged to attend in costume and trick-or-treat through the park, sometimes alongside Disney characters (including rarely-seen villains). Many Magic Kingdom attractions stay open late for this special event, so if you’ve always wanted to ride the Haunted Mansion after dark, this is the event for you. Halloween theming throughout the park transforms familiar scenes into “happy haunted hollows,” which are great for fall photo opps.

But the best part of Not-So-Scary is the parade and fireworks. The parade gets off to its supernatural start with the ride of The Headless Horseman and continues with Haunted Mansion characters in attendance, plus a host of Disney Villains and classic characters in their finest Halloween attire. The night ends with Mickey’s finest fireworks, the special Happy HalloWishes show — this year, the Disney Villains trick-or-treat the skies!

The Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a ticketed event, with admission separate from your regular park passes. Weekend nights — especially those closest to Halloween — sell out fast, so be sure to get your tickets now!

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party will take place on the following dates in 2010:

October 1, 3, 7,8, 11, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31
November 1

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The country’s premier Halloween event has announced the 2010 dates and ticket prices, so get ready, horror fans — Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights celebrates 20 years of fear in 2010. This is THE event for horror aficionados and it is rumored to be better than ever. It’s not for the faint of heart and definitely not for younger children (stay tuned for a blog post about Disney’s Not-So-Scary Halloween event, coming soon), but if you want excellent haunted houses, creepy atmosphere and monsters galore, it is definitely the event for you. Get your tickets sooner rather than later, especially if you want to go on a Friday or Saturday night or close to Halloween itself — Halloween Horror Nights sells out early for high-capacity dates and will be crowded with both tourists and locals, who often buy Frequent Fear and Frequent Fear Plus passes so they can hit the houses once a week during the 24-week run.

Halloween Horror Nights is not included in your regular Universal Orlando ticket price, though you can get a Stay and Scream add on for slightly less than the regular HHN pass costs. HHN is a special event with its own tickets, starting at .99 base. Express Pass access is also available and it’s highly recommended — on weekend nights, you can find yourself waiting upwards of 90 minutes per house, and with an anticipated TEN houses this year, that’s a lot of line time. The HHN Express Pass is available for an additional fee, which ranges from .99 to a whopping .99 for high-demand nights (like the Saturday of Halloween weekend).

A great way to go is to take advantage of Universal Orlando’s Gory Getaway packages. Starting at 9 per person, this deal gets you:

* 3-Night accommodations at a Universal Partner Hotel
* 2-Day Base Ticket to both Universal Orlando theme parks – one theme park, per day
* Early Park Admission to Islands of Adventure before the rest of the general public
* 1-Night admission to Halloween Horror Nights
* Access to live entertainment venues at Universal CityWalk®
* One 5”x7” souvenir photograph

You can upgrade to an on-site hotel for an additional fee. For more information, go to the Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights tickets page.

There are discounts available for Florida residents and Universal Annual Pass holders, with savings of up for per ticket, making this option — if you have it — very worthwhile. For those of us without those kinds of options, though, it’s time to open the wallet wide. Think of it this way — you can practice your screaming as you pay for the tickets.

Halloween Horror Nights 2010 will run on the following dates:
September 24, 25, 30
October 1-3, 7-10, 14-17, 20-24, 27-31, 2010

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As of today — September 6, 2010 — enjoying the magic of a Walt Disney World theme park is going to make a bigger dent in your wallet. The theme park giant has raised ticket prices across the board, despite a still-precarious economy and their own recent trend of offering discounted packages and perks. From today, a one-day, one-park pass for all guests 10 and up will cost , up from . It’s for a one-day, one-park for kids aged 3-9 — luckily, it’s still free for kids under 3 years old. Multi-day passes and annual passes are also getting a price increase — here’s the breakdown, from the Walt Disney World blog itself:

Competing parks like Sea World and Universal Studios Orlando have not yet announced a similar increase in their prices. Let’s hope they stay that way.

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