May 14 – 16, Chubby Checker & The Wildcats “The Twist”: Flower Power Concert Series Fills Weekends with Special Music during 2010 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. America Gardens Theatre shows at 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m.

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Orlando offers many water parks and all of them are a great way to beat the stifling summer heat. But for family members who aren’t strong swimmers or who don’t know how to swim at all, pool time isn’t always an option. But now it can be — Aquatica, Orlando’s newest water park (and my personal favorite), is offering Red Cross-certified swimming lessons for children as young as 6 months old.

Children need to be enrolled 48 hours before the class begins — June 14th is the start of level one, with more advanced lessons (level 2) beginning on June 28, with 8 half hour sessions for each level. Parents attending class with their children must have their own Aquatica Pass. Classes are 9 for the entire session; Sea World Annual Pass holders get 0 off that price.

While Aquatica swim lessons are best for people on long Orlando vacations or locals who love the parks, there are plenty of basic water safety tips you can follow to beat the heat without worry.

• Never, ever let kids use pools or slides without supervision. All the water parks have lifeguards and employees on duty, but there is no substitute for your eyes on your child. You can get swim vests for young swimmers, too, and some parks will also allow outside floatables (like “water wings” or “swimmies”) — check with the individual parks to see what they offer and what they allow.
• Read all posted signs. Check height requirements and health requirements. Follow instructions for how to ride the water slides. Be sure to pay extra attention when moving from attraction to attraction — even shared pools may have different depths.
• Pay attention to employees and life guards. They are there to offer assistance and answer questions. But they are also there to ensure safety and, in case of am emergency, act quickly.
• Reapply sunscreen often. A bad case of sunburn or sun poisoning can ruin your entire vacation and even result in a trip to the ER.
• Hydrate! Being in the water doesn’t get the water into you. It’s hot out there so be sure to drink plenty of fluids.
For specific information all the Orlando area Water Parks, call the park directly so you can get your questions answered before you arrive.

Aquatica: 888-800-5447
Blizzard Beach: 407-934-7634
Coco Key: 407-351-2626
Typhoon Lagoon: 407-934-7634
Wet n Wild: 407-351-1800.

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Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear, the pink, plush and ultra-soft teddy bear from “Toy Story 3,” is the newest character to join the Disney’s Hollywood Studios family of stars. Seen here visiting the Pixar Place area inside the showbiz-themed park, Lots-o’-Huggin Bear (or “Lotso” for short) will make meet-and-greet appearances beginning May 9 inside The Magic of Disney Animation attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Also beginning May 9, Lotso will join his “Toy Story” pals in the “Block Party Bash” at the Walt Disney World theme park.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – In addition to recently celebrating its first year of operation in February 2010, “The American Idol Experience” attraction at Walt Disney World Resort can now celebrate the success of one of its top vote-getters – Aaron Kelly. The 17-year-old crooner from Sonestown, Penn., who began his “American Idol” journey at the Disney Parks attraction, advanced to the Top Five in the finals during season nine of the “American Idol” television show.

“The American Idol Experience,” which officially opened Feb. 14, 2009, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, is the first and only theme park attraction in the world based on the smash-hit “American Idol” show. The attraction provides guests the thrill and pageantry of the television show, as excited theme park guests age 14 and older audition before Disney producers and directors to see if they have what it takes to perform on stage that day. If their auditions are successful, guests at the attraction are ushered through performance coaching sessions, cosmetology and stage rehearsals to prepare for their big moment on the theme park stage. Then, the lights go down and guests perform a hit tune in the theme park’s 1000+-seat theatre.

While on-stage, judges provide critique and audience members at each preliminary show determine who will advance to the attraction’s grand finale show that night. At the grand finale, the top vote-getter is awarded a “Dream Ticket,” a ticket that allows an eligible guest to schedule a front of the line audition at one of the regional auditions for the “American Idol” television show.

“The American Idol Experience” attraction was developed by Walt Disney Imagineering in conjunction with FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) and 19 TV Ltd. It is based on the hit television show “American Idol” – produced by 19 TV Ltd. and FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) – and is designed to immerse Disney’s Hollywood Studios guests in the authentic feel of a live television production.

It was at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that Aaron Kelly’s road to “American Idol” stardom began.

Only four days after the grand opening of “The American Idol Experience” at the theme park in February 2009, Kelly put his talents on display for park guests and the attraction’s judges.

Once he passed the audition stages and received the most votes at his preliminary show earlier in the day, Kelly’s rendition of the Lonestar hit song “Amazed” earned him the most votes in the attraction’s Grand Finale show. As that show’s top vote-getter, Kelly was then awarded “The American Idol Experience” “Dream Ticket,” which allowed him a front-of-line spot at a regional audition for the ninth season of the “American Idol” television show.

When the regional auditions for the popular television show were announced, Kelly utilized his “Dream Ticket” and scheduled his audition in Orlando, Fla., which started him on his “American Idol” road to stardom.

About the Dream Ticket:

Dream Ticket recipients must satisfy AMERICAN IDOL* TV program requirements in effect at time of use, such as age and residency (for Season 9 must have been between the ages of 16-28 on 6/12/09 and U.S. citizens or legal permanent U.S. residents eligible to work full-time in U.S.). Dream Ticket does not include travel, meals, lodging or other expenses.

About “The American Idol Experience” Audition:

Guests 14 or older inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios may audition to sing onstage that day at the attraction, subject to requirements in FAQs at Disneyworld.com/idol. Only a few singers will be chosen to sing onstage for each show. FAQs subject to change.

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Busch Gardens Tampa is celebrating the birth of two endangered red-ruffed lemurs, also known as two of the cutest things on the face of the earth. The babies were born on April 21 to proud parents Maditra (mom) and Bozeny (dad). The two curious little creatures are the first lemurs to be born at Jambo Junction, the home of Busch Gardens Animal Ambassadors, since mom and dad lemur arrived as babies themselves three years ago.

The babies are still too young to be sexed, so naming will probably be held off for a while. Trainers at the park are happy to report that the little ones are doing well and developing more every day. They are learning to be brave and curious, and have a great time exploring their enclosure under the watchful eyes of Maditra and Bozeny. The kids are a bouncing half and pound or so each, which is considerably larger than the 80 grams they were at birth! Eventually, they will grow to reach 8 to 10 pounds as adults.

Red-ruffed lemurs are just one species of this group of primates — like humans, apes and monkeys — native to the island of Madagascar. Madagascar is the only place in the world where lemurs live in the wild and every single species of lemur (50 that we know of) is on the endangered species list. Five different species of lemur live at Busch Gardens Tampa.

The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund works to help save endangered and threatened species of animals, including lemurs. The group is a non-profit, private charitable foundation that was founded in 2005. To date, it was donated more than million to projects around the world in support of wildlife and habitat conservation, education, research, and animal rescue and rehabilitation programs.

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“Captain EO,” the classic musical spectacular that thrilled Disneyland park guests from 1986-1997, is now open at Disneyland. The attraction’s return to Tomorrowland provides new audiences the opportunity to experience the original 3D production for the very first time, as well as a nostalgic look back for longtime fans wanting to see “The King of Pop” in a rare performance created for the big-screen.

Twenty-three years ago, at the height of his phenomenal entertainment career, Michael Jackson joined forces with Disney, producer George Lucas and director Francis Ford Coppola to create a groundbreaking 17-minute 3D film experience starring Jackson as Captain EO performing two original songs, and featuring Academy Award®-winning actress Anjelica Huston, and a cast of merry, mythical space characters with dual personalities who undergo magical transformations to become Jackson’s electronic band in conquering the forces of darkness.

The colorful Disney-created characters include: Hooter, the little green elephant-like creature who sneezes wild musical notes through his flute-like trunk; Fuzzball, the orange-haired space monkey with butterfly wings; the Geex, a golden-haired, two-faced personality with two left feet, one right foot and two shaggy heads named Idy and Ody; Major Domo, whose mirrored silver costume becomes a complete set of drums, and Minor Domo with his sparkling purple torso that turns into an electronic synthesizer played by Hooter.

For all its technology, “Captain EO” is first and foremost a musical spectacular and a thrilling space-fantasy adventure. The realism of the 3D process will once again make it seem that Jackson dances right out of the screen into the theater. While it’s not possible to replicate some of the special effects elements from the original presentation, it will boast a new 70mm print of the film and sound better than ever thanks to acoustical enhancements made to the theater since the film last played there. The total effect is one of motion, color and high energy filled with Jackson’s musical brilliance and various illusions to create an exciting and realistic journey in space for the audience.

During the journey, Captain EO and his merry crew discover a colorless planet where they are confronted by the Supreme Leader (Huston) and her forces of darkness. Using the power of music, dance and light to fill the planet and the theater with all the shades of the rainbow, the EO crew turns the black and white land into a magical world of color and happiness.

“Captain EO” makes use of more famous-name talents than any other film of its length ever produced. The production called on Hollywood’s finest choreographers, set designers, costume creators and special effects artists – all of them excited by the challenge of shooting this kind of imaginative film in three dimensions.

“Captain EO” is presented multiple times daily at Disneyland.

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