The Other Parade From Yesterday

It seems that the WDWNT Christmas Podcast Parade was not the only parade taking place yesterday :), there was of course the 25th annual Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade on ABC. Disey has put a number of clips from the parade and the holiday season on Youtube, so I thought I would share them with you:

  

  

 

You can also download this version of “Celebrate You” HERE 

2008 Christmas Podcast Parade Now Available for Download

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.- If last year wasn’t enough to shake-up your holidays, the latest Walt Disney World holiday tradition will return Christmas Day 2008. While the 25th annual Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade taped in early December airs on ABC this Christmas morning, another parade will be making its way down Main Street U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom. The second annual Christmas Podcast Parade will be broadcast from the Walt Disney World Resort on December 25th, but it won’t be on any television station. The parade’s creator, Tom Corless, has received the exclusive rights to broadcast the parade on episode 74 of his popular WDW News Today Podcast and the other podcasts in his WDWNT Network. “Being the creator of this new parade, I felt that I should be the only one airing it,” said Corless, “no television channel wanted a parade full of internet stars anyway.” 

Will this years parade happen without the involvement of an angry mob? Will Jason Diffendal be able to deal with Adam Roth and his massive ego? Will Jose Castillo learn that not every word needs an S at the end of it? How many Luke Manning jokes will there be? The only way to find out is to tune into the episode 74 of the WDW News Today Podcast (or any other podcast in the WDWNT Network) on December 25th, 2008 for the Second Annual Christmas Podcast Parade from the Walt Disney World Resort.

After the “success” of the inaugural 2007 parade, some big stars have been lined up for the 2008 edition. Planned to appear thus far are Randy Newman, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, The Muppets, Riders in the Sky, a variety of Disney characters, Santa Claus, and even a few surprise guests. Tom Corless says that his regular podcast listeners shouldn’t worry, because a number of the usual podcast staff will be on hand as well, including Brian Sommer, Justin Heyman, Chris Lastrapes, Kenny Siegel, James Kemp, Steve Swanson, John Rick, Matt Paul, and Kelly Russo. While the names of most participants have been announced, none of the floats that will be appearing on Thursday have been made public of of date.

While most of the general public is not aware of the stars of this particular parade, to thousands of Disney fans, they are pseudo-celebrities. Co-founders of WDWCelebrations, Jason Diffendal and Adam Roth, were chosen to host the second edition of the annual event after last year’s hosts went mysteriously missing. The team seems a natural fit, as they have created a successful fan organization and events working together as part of a team. The parade will also be hosted by a secondary cast including Jose Castillo, Kyle Duffield, Luke Manning, and Dame Judi Dench. This larger team of hosts plan to keep things a little cleaner and understandable then the anarchy that took place in 2007.

The WDWNT Network proudly presents “Our Christmas Card to You”, the Second Annual Christmas Podcast Parade, live (well, sort of) from the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Join hosts Jason Diffendal, Adam Roth, Jose Castillo, Kyle Duffield, Luke Manning, and Judi Dench for a wild time on Main Street U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom for holiday floats and famous celebrities.

This new Christmas tradition is proudly presented by WDW News Today, Disneyland News Today, The Disney Pincast, the WDWNT Tube, Your Ear to the World, The WDW News Today Community Forums, WDWCelebrations, Magical Travel, and The Muppetcast. Sponsored by G-Force Records, The Mr. Potato Head Clinic, Al Harrington’s Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man Emporium and Warehouse, WDWNT: The Breakfast, Disney Cruise Line, Brian Sommer’s Ego, and Southern California.

To subscribe to the WDW News Today podcast on Itunes, go to this link. If you do not have Itunes, visit our Podcast Download Directory to download or listen to all of our shows

This episode is also available in an enhanced version. An enhanced podcast is a podcast with added features that standard podcasts don’t have. Enhanced podcasts include many features like Chapter listings, this lets you skip through chapters or see what is in store for this weeks show. Enhanced podcasts also have images to let you differ the chapters by. Enhanced podcasts have one negative feature, you can not play them on most MP3 players. The file format for this is a .m4a which can play on Apple’s iPod and Microsoft’s Zune. You will also need iTunes or Windows Media Player to be able to skip through chapters. If you need or would like the standard edition, download the normal edition listed below this file both on Itunes and in our podcast directory.

WDWNT Weekend Update

A few interesting developments from the last few days to note in this mixed-bag report:

-Matt Paul is reporting that the Mickey Mouse float in the Disney Dreams Come True Parade at the Magic Kingdom has been removed from the parade to be converted to the opening float for the latest version of the parade that will debut around January. The rumored name of the new parade will be the Celebrate Disney Dreams Come True Parade and it will most likely welcome in a slightly altered soundtrack for the parade using the “Celebrate You” theme song of the “What Will You Celebrate?” campaign. In the meantime, Mickey is appearing in a familiar spot on the castle finale float, where he once stood in his sorcerer’s apprentice costume during the Remember the Magic Parade. Matt will provide us with some pictures of this change once he returns home. Stay tuned for more information on this change as it becomes available.

-Disney has put up a number of new YouTube videos for the holiday season that you can view below:

  

  

  

-WDWNT Podcast Episode 72 is now available for download. Here’s a short synopsis:

Join me, Tom Corless, and a cast including Jason Diffendal, Justin Heyman, Matt Paul , Jose Castillo, Adam Roth, and Luke Manning for a show that Bridges the Gaps Between You and the Walt Disney World Resort. I hope you enjoy all of the Walt Disney World information and fun we have to offer on this “missing mountain” edition of the WDW News Today Podcast.

To kick off episode 72, we have all the recent happenings from the last week to discuss in our Walt Disney World Resort News and Rumor Report. This time around, we’ll be talking about some early changes to the “What Will You Celebrate?” entertainment line-up for 2009, a major Magic Kingdom E-Ticket attraction that may go missing next year, and just what attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios may not be operating next time you visit the park.

Following that, we’ll have the third edition of “What were they thinking?”, where we will try to examine why certain decisions are made by Walt Disney World management. This time around, we’ll be discussing the presence of famous celebrities in Disney attractions and if it is a good or bad thing for the parks.

Finally, Town Square Talk is back this week, highlighting the hottest topics around our WDWNT Network of websites. First up, Matt Paul is here to highlight some new Disney Park videos you can download from the WDWNTube (wdwntube.com). I’m also making some Town Square Talk this week, with news on some upcoming segments for the podcast that you can vote for as part of WDWNT Interactive. Jason Diffendal also drops in and informs us about the next WDWCelebrations event coming up in May 2009 that has a lot to do with the segment that follows this one.

Finally, to end this weeks program, we kick start our countdown of the 20 Biggest Moments in Disney’s Hollywood Studios History as voted by you with a look at what took the #20 spot. We’ll also be examining just how important this moment is in the 20 year history of the park. We hope to see this segment improve as it continues with a larger group of participants, we were a little short on staff this week because the holidays are quickly approaching.

To subscribe to the WDW News Today podcast on Itunes, go to this link. If you do not have Itunes, visit our Podcast Download Directory to download or listen to all of our shows

This episode is also available in an enhanced version. An enhanced podcast is a podcast with added features that standard podcasts don’t have. Enhanced podcasts include many features like Chapter listings, this lets you skip through chapters or see what is in store for this weeks show. Enhanced podcasts also have images to let you differ the chapters by. Enhanced podcasts have one negative feature, you can not play them on most MP3 players. The file format for this is a .m4a which can play on Apple’s iPod and Microsoft’s Zune. You will also need iTunes or Windows Media Player to be able to skip through chapters. If you need or would like the standard edition, download the normal edition listed below this file both on Itunes and in our podcast directory.

Make a Difference: Vote and Donate

Since there was no news today, I wanted to bring up two items. First, something cool, and then something far more meaningful:

-Voting for the 20 Biggest Moments in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is going to close this Friday at Midnight and I just wanted to make sure you have all been able to vote. If you had problems voting before, you will want to try again, we have fixed the problems and everyone should now be able to choose what they think are the 20 biggest moments in the park’s history. After voting closes, we will tally the votes and air your choices on the WDW News Today Podcast in special segments as we count down to the 20th anniversary of the Studios on  May 1, 2009. You can vote HERE, make sure you select 20 options!!!

-We have begun our annual fundraising efforts for “Toys for Tots”, who of course provides Toys during the holiday season to children of families who can not afford them. I’ve personally been giving to this charity all of my life and hope you will join me in supporting this cause. Of course, Toys for Tots was one of Walt Disney’s favorite causes and it was Disney artists who created the first “toy train” logo for the organization. That being said, I know it’s a tough time for many financially, but I hope that you will donate what you can to this great charity by going HERE or by using the widget in our right sidebar.

WDWNT Podcast Episode 70 Now Available for Download

Join me, Tom Corless, and a cast including Jason Diffendal, Kyle Duffield, Matt Paul, Kelly Russo, Chris Lastrapes, Jose Castillo and Luke Manning for a show that Bridges the Gaps Between You and the World. I hope you enjoy all of the Walt Disney World information and fun we have to offer on this “Fiesta” edition of the WDW News Today Podcast.

To kick off episode 70, we have all the recent happenings from the last week to discuss in our Walt Disney World Resort News and Rumor Report. This time around, we’ll be talking about the future of Mickey’s Pirate and Princess Parties at the Magic Kingdom, some upcoming changes to Epcot’s usual hours of operation, and a new offering that may make your next next Disney resort check-in much more pleasant.

Following that, “It’s Time to Go Back” as our Walt Disney World history segment, Back To The Future, returns this week on the WDW News Today Podcast. On this week’s journey, we’ll be looking at the story of the Mexico pavilion at Epcot. It’s a fun trip through time as we discuss the classic El Rio Del Tiempo boat ride and it’s very recent replacement. As you would expect, the talk of characters and their place in Epcot is discussed, and we hope you’ll enjoy the entertaining trip through the Rivers of Time.

Finally, Town Square Talk is back this week, highlighting the hottest topics around our WDWNT Network of websites. First up, Matt Paul is here to highlight some new Disney Park videos you can download from the WDWNTube (wdwntube.com) and Your Ear to the World (eartotheworld.net). Luke Manning and Jose Castillo also drop in with some news on Disneyland News Today and the WDW News Today Community Forums. I’m also making some Town Square Talk this week, with news on how you can determine upcoming segments for this show, including our countdown of the 20 biggest moments in Disney’s Hollywood Studios history.

To subscribe to the WDW News Today podcast on Itunes, go to this link. If you do not have Itunes, visit our Podcast Download Directory to download or listen to all of our shows

This episode is also available in an enhanced version. An enhanced podcast is a podcast with added features that standard podcasts don’t have. Enhanced podcasts include many features like Chapter listings, this lets you skip through chapters or see what is in store for this weeks show. Enhanced podcasts also have images to let you differ the chapters by. Enhanced podcasts have one negative feature, you can not play them on most MP3 players. The file format for this is a .m4a which can play on Apple’s iPod and Microsoft’s Zune. You will also need iTunes or Windows Media Player to be able to skip through chapters. If you need or would like the standard edition, download the normal edition listed below this file both on Itunes and in our podcast directory.

Last Chance to Enter

Today is your last day to enter and win a 4 night/ 5 day stay at a value resort at Walt Disney World as part of the WDW News Today Magical Memories Contest sponsored by Magical Travel (pretty long name). Be sure to head on over to the WDW News Today Community Forums right away and enter before the deadline at 11:59 PM eastern time this evening. All you need to do to enter and win is register for the WDWNT Community Forums (if you have not already), enter in your most magical Disney memory in 250 or more words, and make sure your entry is in by the deadline. We will announce the 5 finalists on episode 54 of the WDW News Today Podcast, as well as episode 25 of the Disneyland News Today Podcast in the Town Square Talk segment. 

For all of the contest details and to enter, go HERE. Remember, besides the grand prize, we are also giving away 4 Disney gift cards. Good luck and hope to see you at Walt Disney World!!!

Disney Trip Planning Live! This Sunday

Next Program on August 3, 2008 from 8-10pm EDT

Ever wished that you could have your Disney trip planning questions answered instantly? Now here’s your chance when WDW News Today, Disneyland News Today, and Magical Travel present the first edition of Disney Trip Planning Live on August 3, 2008. The show will be hosted on Talkshoe, which will allow listeners to interact instantly with our expert panel and get the information they need easily.

Title: Episode #1 – Disney Trip Planning Live! by WDWNT
Time: 08/03/2008 at 08:00 PM EDT
Phone Number: 1.724.444.7444
Call ID: 22960
Link: Show Information

Don’t worry if you can’t make it to the show, we will be accepting questions by email up until the date of the show at wdwnewstoday@gmail.com. You can then listen to the show on Talkshoe.com or on iTunes to hear the answer to your question after the show is over. Hope to see you there!!!

Podcast Episode 52 Now Available for Download

Join me, Tom Corless, and a cast including John Corigliano, Justin Heyman, Jason Diffendal, Steve Swanson, Jose Castillo, and Luke Manning for a show that Bridges the Gaps Between You and the World. Sit back, relax, and enjoy all of the Walt Disney World information and fun we have to offer on this energetic edition of the WDW News Today Podcast.

To kick off episode 52, we have all Walt Disney World news and rumors from the last week to discuss. This time around, we’ll discuss changes to Fantasmic, rumors of a new roller coaster for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the cancellation of a popular Magic Kingdom party.

“It’s Time to Go Back” as our Walt Disney World history segment, Back To The Future, returns this week on the WDW News Today Podcast. On this journey, we embark on a 25 year through The Universe of Energy at Epcot. Join me and the usual crew (with special guest Steve Swanson) to take an in-depth look at a Epcot classic experience.

Town Square Talk is back this week with WDWNT community forum administrator Justin Heyman highlighting the hottest topics around our family of websites. Be sure to get in on exciting discussions by heading over to http://wdwnewstoday.com/forum!!! Luke Manning and John Corigliano also highlight our video download site, WDWNTube, featuring tons of great Disney Parks videos. Be sure to check that out at http://wdwntube.com!!! I also have some details on our next live show and remind you how to win a Walt Disney World Vacation.

To subscribe to the WDW News Today podcast on Itunes, go to this link. If you do not have Itunes, visit our Podcast Download Directory to download or listen to all of our shows

This episode is also available in an enhanced version. An enhanced podcast is a podcast with added features that standard podcasts don’t have. Enhanced podcasts include many features like Chapter listings, this lets you skip through chapters or see what is in store for this weeks show. Enhanced podcasts also have images to let you differ the chapters by. Enhanced podcasts have one negative feature, you can not play them on most MP3 players. The file format for this is a .m4a which can play on Apple’s iPod and Microsoft’s Zune. You will also need iTunes or Windows Media Player to be able to skip through chapters. If you need or would like the standard edition, download the normal edition listed below this file both on Itunes and in our podcast directory.

Special Podcast Episode 50 Now Available For Download

Join me, Tom Corless, and a cast including Justin Heyman, Steve Swanson, John Corigliano, Jason Diffendal, Adam Roth, John Rick, Jose Castillo, Denise Hafto, Kelly Russo, Brian Martsolf, Lee Scott, Jason Kmetic (Sparky LD), and Luke Manning for a show that Bridges the Gaps Between You and the World. Get ready for the tons of Walt Disney World information and fun we have to offer on this 1 year anniversary edition of WDWNT.

To kick off this very special episode, we’ll be skipping News and Rumors from the Walt Disney World Resort and instead present two of our WDWNT cast members with a very special honor. As a way to thank these two individuals for what they have done for WDW News Today over the last year, we will induct them into the WDW News Today Hall of Fame. Who will be the first two to enter the hall??? Here’s a hint, it won’t be Pete Rose.

Next, it’s the last edition of our popular game show, Disney Don’t Forget the Lyrics, as I take on reigning champion Luke Manning for the final confrontation. This is the most epic encounter we have seen on the game yet, and is a fitting way for the show to go out. Who will win? Can I defeat the undefeated Luke? Could the audio quality for this segment be any worse?

After that, we have the final discussion in our long running dining series as we discuss all of the restaurants at Downtown Disney. You may be surprised at just how many dining options the Marketplace, Pleasure Island (at least for now), and the West Side have to offer.

Then “It’s Time to Go Back” as our Walt Disney World history segment, Back To The Future, returns this week on the WDW News Today Podcast. On this journey, we embark on a 25 year journey aboard Spaceship Earth at Epcot. Join me and the usual crew of John Corigliano, Jason Diffendal, and Justin Heyman to take an in-depth look at the ultimate Epcot classic attraction.

Justin Heyman then hosts the BIGGEST Town Square Talk in history, as we make two HUGE announcements that will hopefully excite you. First, we highlight some new Disney Park videos you can now see on the WDWNTube (www.wdwntube.com). After that, I announce a new aspect of the the show that will put control of the WDW News Today in your hands every week. In addition, Magical Travel announces a great new contest you can also take part in to win a Walt Disney World vacation!!! For complete contest rules and to enter the contest, as well as how to be part of the new WDWNT Interactive, head over to the WDW News Today Community Forums (www.wdwnewstoday.com/forum).

In a very special segment, I bring together the entire WDWNT team for an often hilarious discussion about some memorable moments from the first year of WDW News Today. Sit back and enjoy all the craziness of this “Ear” in Review discussion, as we spill the beans on some of the behind-the-scenes secrets of the WDWNT staff.

Finally, we have all the voicemails left by some of our listeners (and most of our staff) for our very special 1st anniversary. A special thank you to everyone who left a message, we appreciate you taking time to do so.

To subscribe to the WDW News Today podcast on Itunes, go to this link. If you do not have Itunes, visit our Podcast Download Directory to download or listen to all of our shows

This episode is also available in an enhanced version. An enhanced podcast is a podcast with added features that standard podcasts don’t have. Enhanced podcasts include many features like Chapter listings, this lets you skip through chapters or see what is in store for this weeks show. Enhanced podcasts also have images to let you differ the chapters by. Enhanced podcasts have one negative feature, you can not play them on most MP3 players. The file format for this is a .m4a which can play on Apple’s iPod and Microsoft’s Zune. You will also need iTunes or Windows Media Player to be able to skip through chapters. If you need or would like the standard edition, download the normal edition listed below this file both on Itunes and in our podcast directory.

Podcast Episode 48 Now Available for Download

Join me, Tom Corless, and a cast including Jason Diffendal, John Corigliano, Justin Heyman, Denise Hafto, Kelly Russo and Luke Manning for a show that Bridges the Gaps Between You and the World. Sit back, relax, and enjoy all of the Walt Disney World information and fun we have to offer on this edition of WDWNT.

To kick off episode 48, we have two weeks worth of Walt Disney World news and rumors to discuss. This time around, we discuss changes to Pixar Place, Toy Story Midway Mania, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

Our Walt Disney World history segment, Back To The Future, returns this week, as we talk about the history of the Magic Eye Theater at Epcot. Join me on a trip through time as I cover Magic Journeys, Captain EO, and Honey I Shrunk the Audience along with John Corigliano, Jason Diffendal, and Justin Heyman. This proves to be our craziest and funniest trip through time yet!!!

Finally, we have the latest discussion in our dining series, as we are joined by Denise and Kelly of Magical Travel (www.magicaltravel.com) to discuss dining locations at Disneys Moserate and Value Resorts. You may be surprised at just how many great offerings these resorts have in store when your in the mood for food.

I forgot to include a pre-recorded commercial we had for this weeks show, so I’ll use this space to convey our message. For our one year anniversary show, we are looking to collect a number of voicemail greetings to be aired on the program. Please have your voicemail with a congratulatory anniversary greeting in to us by Midnight on July 4, 2008 and we’ll play them on episode number 50 of WDWNT. The voicemail number can be found below.

If you would like to contact us with any questions, suggestions, comments, or concerns you can email us at wdwnewstoday@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail message at (206)-666-2982. Enjoy the show!!! See Ya Next Week!!!

To subscribe to the WDW News Today podcast on iTunes, go to this link. If you do not have iTunes, visit our Podcast Download Directory to download or listen to all of our shows