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Multi-platinum recording artist Clay Aiken is back with a stunning new version of the Bing Crosby classic "Do You Hear What I Hear?," the first single from his highly anticipated Christmas album Christmas Bells are Ringing, set to be released on November 22nd. Aiken's unique interpretation infuses the classic carol with his signature vocal warmth and emotional depth making it a song for our times. Written in 1962 by Noël Regney and Gloria Shayne as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis, "Do You Hear What I Hear?" is timeless in its message, yet even more resonant today. Aiken reflects, "The whole American political climate over the past few years hasn't really given us much in the way of hope or optimism. As much as I wanted to believe I might be able to make some positive change in that world, I've realized that music often does a better job of that." Produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Ron Fair, "Do You Hear What I Hear?" is the first release from Aiken's first studio album in over a decade, following a hiatus from music which found Aiken running for Congressional office in North Carolina, and raising his now teenage son. The album, Christmas Bells are Ringing, marks a return to the holiday music that solidified Aiken's place as a household name in 2004, when his debut holiday album Merry Christmas With Love broke records, selling nearly 300,000 copies in its first week. That album went platinum, becoming the best-selling holiday album of 2004 and earning Aiken three Billboard Music Awards.The new record boasts fresh takes on holiday staples like Nat King Cole's "Caroling, Caroling" and Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime", as well as a lush reinvention of "Merry Christmas, Darling" by the Carpenters (one of Clay's musical inspirations) and a show-stopping rendition of "Pure Imagination" which reimagines the Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory classic as a fitting soundtrack for the holiday season. Clay Aiken's rise to stardom began in 2003 as the runner-up on season two of American Idol. His debut single, "This Is the Night" debuted at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100, while his debut album Measure of a Man was certified triple platinum. Aiken has since sold millions of albums, launched national tours, starred on Broadway, and made his mark as a philanthropist and politician.Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Merry Christmas With Love, Clay Aiken's new album, Christmas Bells are Ringing' promises to bring the same joy and spirit to listeners, making it the perfect soundtrack for the 2024 holiday season.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.
John Ross, during his schoolboy days in New Zealand, was interested in far-flung places such as South America, Papua New Guinea, Ancient Greece and Rome, as well as books on World War One and Two. He read a lot of youth fiction starting at 10 years old, but as a teenager, had a voracious appetite for nonfiction. In his 20s he discovered a few wonderful fiction writers, but has still kept mostly to nonfiction through the decades.His first books were Willard Price's Adventure series and Gerald Durrell books on real-life animal collecting. He also read detective and war stories (Biggles) and lots of travel accounts and travel guides.Robert Louis Stevenson was a favorite—Treasure Island, Kidnapped—and later discovered that Stevenson was a very good essayist too. John also enjoyed Rudyard Kipling's Kim.The ancient Greeks left a great impression on him: Herodotus (The Histories) and Thucydides (The Peloponnesian War)In his early 20s he started reading proper literature:Anna Karenina, Dr Zhivago, George Orwell, and Joseph Conrad. He loved Peter Hopkirk's The Great Game series featuring colorful adventurers and spies in exotic locations. In his early 30s he discovered Raymond Chandler and in his 40s H.P. Lovecraft.For books on Asia and East Asia, he started reading about Burma in the late 1980s, and early 1990s, and Mongolia in the mid-1990s, and increasingly China and Taiwan, and even some works on Japan.Some well known book titles that made an early impression were Lost Horizon by James Hilton, Burmese Days by George Orwell, The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, and Jonathan Spence's China books. Also books on Asia by Maurice Collis.Amy's ReadingAs a child, Amy remembers reading Black Beauty (Anna Sewell, 1877), Walter Farley's series The Black Stallion (1941), and a book called Ponies Plot (Janet Hickman, 1971). She loved all the required reading for school (some books now banned): English literature such as Graham Greene's Brighton Rock, Shakespeare's plays, and lots of Roald Dahl, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and James and the Giant Peach; and American authors John Steinbeck (1930s–1950s), J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye (1951), Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (1850), Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (1964) and A Separate Peace (1959) by John Knowles. She recalls that in first grade, her teacher read to the class Little Pear (1931), by Eleanor Francis Lattimore, about a Chinese boy.From her parents' book collection she read Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott (1868), and Wuthering Heights (1847) Emily Bronte as well as stories by Charlotte Bronte and other classics.In college she moved into more popular literature, again much of it required reading for her classes: works by Thomas Pynchon, Jerzy Kosiński, Blind Date (1977) and The Painted Bird (1965) the latter of which—notably—had a scene on bestiality and would probably be banned as college reading these days!.In high school, her father paid her to read books, and she vividly remembers excerpts from Henry Hazlitt's The Foundations of Morality (1964), which still influences her choices in life today. She credits her father's books for her interest in philosophy and a basic understanding of free-market economics.Once she knew she was headed to Japan, she read Edwin Reischauer's The Japanese Today (1988), and Japan as Number One, by Ezra Vogel (1979) which were her first books to read about Asia (other than Shogun). For most of her childhood she preferred non-fiction and didn't start reading fiction seriously till she arrived in Japan and read Haruki Murakami. Now she reads everything!At the end of the podcast Amy & John encourage listeners to write in to ask for suggestions on what books on Asia to give friends or family. They'll choose one to talk about at the end of each show with appropriate suggested reading. Since the BOA Podcast doesn't have an email address (yet), they ask you submit requests via social media:Follow BOA on Facebook and contact via Messenger or sign up for the BOA newsletter, from which you can reply directly to each email. There is a BOA Twitter (X) account, but they appear to be locked out at the moment (sigh).They also ask listeners to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review and share it with your friends so that Amy & John can have a happier holiday.May your holidays be bibliophilic: full of black ink, long words, excessive pages and new books! The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press. Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.
By Kelly M Irvin - The 1971 movie release, "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," though not a source for Bible instruction, has a theme that can excite a study of the biblical instruction in salvation. Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 1-10, describes well that initial, crucial stage in the salvation journey.
What happens when you take two comedy legends and place them in prison?? :o Well in this particular case, in their second of four collaborations, you have Gene Wilder (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles) paired up with Richard Pryor (Bustin Loose, Brewster's Millions, Blue Collar) paired up as two out-of-work-actors who end up in the wrong place and the wrong time and are convicted of a bank heist which they did not commit. As a result, they are both sent to a southwestern prison where they team up with other prisoners to eventually escape via the opportunity of a prison rodeo....and HILARITY ensues! Directed by the late great Oscar-winner Sidney Poitier (yes THAT Sidney Poitier...he was also a director), let's see how this smash hit comedy blockbuster from a different time (forty-five years ago to be exact) holds up.....Host: Geoff GershonEdited By Ella GershonProducer: Marlene GershonSend us a textSupport the showhttps://livingforthecinema.com/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Living-for-the-Cinema-Podcast-101167838847578Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/livingforthecinema/Letterboxd:https://letterboxd.com/Living4Cinema/
Get access to the full episode on our Patreon Page: www.patreon.com/horrorvanguard HV Classic goes undercover into the deregulated confections industry to break the story on the horrible abuses behind your favorite Willy Wonka brand candies. Can we find some proto-utopian prefigurations in this post-scarcity candyland or is it all dystopian refuse and chocolate runoff? Discuss your favorite OSHA-violating sweets with Horror Vanguard at: bsky.app/profile/horrorvanguard.bsky.social www.instagram.com/horrorvanguard/ twitter.com/horrorvangaurd www.horrorvanguard.com You can support the show for less than the cost of Everlasting Gobstopper at www.patreon.com/horrorvanguard
The Bears put a beating on the Cleveland Browns at home on a frigid Chicago Sunday. Bears get back in the W column, and they set themselves up for the rematch this weekend, in Soldier Field, against the Green Bay Packers.
Cam and The Beast start the show by talking about Miami getting ready for Texas A&M and the college football playoffs. Speaking of Texas A&M, their fans take crazy to a whole new level. We've got nothing but respect for them, though. Ray Ray Joseph has decided to enter the transfer portal and leave the University of Miami. In other news, water is wet. Tell me something we didn't know. We wish the young man good luck. There is a ton going on in college football. But we take a deep dive into the antics of the Notre Dame Athletic Director, Pete Bevacqua. Cam compares him to a character from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. And the University of Michigan has all sorts of issues. Their coach was fired and then arrested. Their athletic Director is definitely on the hot seat. This is yet another scandal at a very proud institution with one of the highest achieving athletic departments in college athletics. Who will take their head coaching job? Who will take their soon-to-be-open athletic Director job? As always, we urge you to check out Cam and his staff's great work at State of the U. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Movie of the Year: 1971Action Figure Draft, Part 2The Chaos Continues in the Action Figure Draft 1971In this week's Movie of the Year, Ryan, Greg, Mike, and Taylor conclude the most brutal, strategic, and downright unhinged draft of the season: the Action Figure Draft 1971.Every Taste Bud continues to choose characters from 1971 movies (or TV productions), imagining them as highly posable, battle-ready action figures. These figures must then be assigned to six RPG-inspired roles: bard, cleric, druid, fighter, wizard, and wild card.The goal?Build a team capable of winning an all-out fight against the other rosters.And the twist that changes everything:Once a character is drafted from a movie, no one else can draft anyone else from that same movie.No backups. No consolation picks. Once it's gone, it's GONE.If you thought last season's drafts were chaotic…you ain't heard 1971.The Draft Rules: One Year, One Movie Per Pick, Zero MercyTo keep this battle as ruthless as possible, the Taste Buds lock in the following rules:Snake Draft FormatThe order reverses each round, forcing careful planning and last-second gambits.Draft RolesEach team must fill:Bard – charm, chaos, charismaCleric – healer, protector, mystical weirdoDruid – nature, magic, unpredictable energyFighter – the bruiser, tank, or martial artistWizard – supernatural, cerebral, or ranged powerhouseWild Card – whatever you dare unleashEligibility: 1971 Movies (and TV Productions) [and Musicians probably] OnlyIf it hit screens in 1971 (big screen, small screen, arthouse, grindhouse), it's fair game.The Killer Rule: One Character Per MovieAs soon as a player drafts any character from a movie or TV title, that entire production is locked out forever.Pick a character from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? The rest of Wonka's weirdos vanish.Choose someone from A Clockwork Orange? Say goodbye to Alex's droogs.Reach into The French Connection? No detective backup for anyone.This rule transforms the draft into a battlefield where stealing a movie is every bit as important as drafting the right character.The ObjectiveCreate a team of 1971 action figures capable of absolutely wrecking the others in a hypothetical battle royale.Selecting the Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Wizard, and Wild CardThe Taste Buds dive deep into the weird, violent, soulful, experimental year that is 1971 cinema. With each category requiring a different kind of fighter, strategy becomes key:A bard might be a charming con artist, a manipulative cult leader, or someone who just screams enough to cause psychic damage.A cleric might heal, preach, or haunt.A druid might commune with nature or be a chaos gremlin.A fighter is your tank — your blunt instrument of violence.A wizard could be supernatural…or simply smarter and more dangerous than anyone else.And...
Get the side hustle ideas database: https://clickhubspot.com/trm Episode 774: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to America's richest lawyer John Morgan ( https://x.com/JohnMorganESQ ) about his fly-wheel side hustles. — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (2:08) Wonderworks (7:00) Alcatraz East ($5M/yr) (13:00) John's earliest hustles (17:11) Morgan & Morgan (29:48) The John Morgan School of Branding (33:30) Downtown Flavortown (37:55) WWGD - What would Google do (47:30) What John would chase today (48:58) The winning formula (52:05) Santa's Chocolate Factory (56:11) Malls (1:01:36) Bullets before bombs (1:02:13) “fish first, fish fast” — Links: • WonderWorks - https://www.wonderworksonline.com/ • Alcatraz East - https://www.alcatrazeast.com/ • Morgan and Morgan - https://www.forthepeople.com/ • Litify - https://www.litify.com/ • Practice Made Perfect - https://www.pmpmg.com/ • Mass Torts Made Perfect - https://mtmp.com/ — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Need a bank for your company? Go check out Mercury (mercury.com). Shaan uses it for all of his companies! Mercury is a financial technology company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton - https://www.joinhampton.com/ • Ideation Bootcamp - https://www.ideationbootcamp.co/ • Copy That - https://copythat.com • Hampton Wealth Survey - https://joinhampton.com/wealth • Sam's List - http://samslist.co/ My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano //
In this birthday episode of Lore Watch, Joe gave Matt a gift, and let Matt talk about whatever called to him -- and that was the lore of The Outer Worlds. They discussed everyone's favorite Gilded Age throwback with minimal spoilers, talking about how the world itself is setup and constructed in this alternate version of earth. In this version of history, the robber baron tycoons who brought you public works like Carnegie Hall and Rockefeller Center so they wouldn't be guillotined felt as though they wouldn't have to do such a thing -- McKinley wasn't shot by an anarchist, and thus his Vice President Teddy Roosevelt, who was known for rooting out corruption in the NYPD, just stayed Vice President. As such, inequality remained rampant and worsened, while that Gilded Age aesthetic continued to reign supreme.Led by Matt, they discuss how that has affected the world of The Outer Worlds, from the job market to the cuisine. They run down some of the more significant characters and their roles within that world. And of course, there are diversions galore, from Futurama to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Though, we're thinking the oompa loompas probably know a thing or two about working a crummy job at unfair wages.If you enjoy the show, please support us on Patreon, where you can get these episodes early and ad-free! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The wonderful British actor Freddie Highmore, star of Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory joins Tanya Rose to share his travel secrets this week. In this episode, Freddie divulges his love for Vancouver and British Columbia, after spending 12 years in the province filming both Bates Motel and The Good Doctor. Plus, Freddie discusses his experience filming with tigers in Cambodia and reveals why thought he was “born to be Spanish” after a childhood trip to Barcelona… Don't forget to follow @travelsecretsthepodcast and remember, you can watch all of our episodes on YouTube. Places mentioned: Provence, France Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Athens, Greece Tofino, Vancouver Island, Canada Pluvio, Vancouver Sunshine Coast, Vancouver, Canada Cambodia Whistler, Vancouver, Canada Scandinave Spa, Whistler, Canada Cantina, Sifnos, Greece Kavos Sunrise, Kavos, Greece Vinales, Cuba Barcelona, Spain Madrid, Spain Hotel Sardinero Madrid, Spain Córdoba, Madrid, Spain Abadía Retuerta Hotel, Duelo Valley, Spain Chapters 00:00 Intro 06:06 Secret 1: Number 1 travel destination everybody should go to 11:28 Secret 2: Most unexpected travel experience 14:24 Secret 3: Most Over or Underrated travel experience 18:07 Secret 4: Best Food & Drink while travelling 20:17 Secret 5: Number 1 travel tip 24:16 Secret 6: Poignant memory from a trip 30:10 Secret 7: Special travel photograph 31:17 Outro
Lords: * Hallie * Peter * https://www.paschaefer.com/ Topics: * Do you know where all your things are? * How education doesn't melt * Bebop Bytes Back * Augustus Gloop by Roald Dahl * https://allpoetry.com/-Augustus-Gloop...- Microtopics: * The Directrix of Cybernetic Security. * Unity licensing from Unity as Unity. * Fantasy Book of the Month. (FBOM) * Part zombie, part ghost. * Accidentally GenMoing your WriMo. * A house with a bunch of your things in it, and they're everywhere. * Knowing someone who knows how to find things and knowing someone who knows where things are. * Knowing where to put something because it's where you first thought to look for it. * A person who itches when they see somebody not using a switch statement. * Having been gradually removing yourself from social media since back when Twitter was Twitter. * Back when you could get out of a chair without grunting. * Getting the whooping cough and coughing your disc out. (And you're in your twenties.) * Whether your dad named you after the murderous robot in 2001. * Seeing your students cheating poorly and teaching them how to do it well. * Scaffolding it pedagogically. * Big boat: hard turn. * How do we get education to exhibit swarm behavior? * A brand new exciting way to be bummed. * Education by Panopticon. * LLMs exposing how much of people's jobs and education are bullshit busywork. * When does the salt jump? * Putting together the 50s and then putting together the tens and then putting together the fours. * The simplest shallowest version of active listening that exists. * Doritos hacking the learning loop. * Continually finding new opiates of the masses. * Typing hex opcodes into the Beboputer. * An effective educational tool that has never been less appealing to the youth it's targeted at. * Steve Jobs coming out of his grave and slitting your throat if you install a programming tool on your iPhone. * Making the sun wink and realizing that this is the rest of your life. * Deescalating your LLM partner when it has an anxiety attack. * Your Socratic Oxford Don persona. * The Life Cycle of Software Objects. * There is a mistake, and it is being overcome. * Steps you can take to avoid Godzilla coming back and nature reclaiming the earth. * A poem written by a beloved children's author who absolutely loathes fat people. * Whether the terrible children in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are all based on people that Roald Dahl knew. * SwitchBitch, Roald Dahl's famous Typescript library. * Making sure your weirdness is a kindness. * Roald Dahl: boy did he do the stuff. * Penning The Twits in an effort to "do something against beards." * Why Stephen King? * The Dollar Babies. * Whether Stephen King is still on MySpace. * Walking down the road and hearing Stephen King yelling at cloud. * The Dave Barry game jam. * Going into the sewer and solving puzzle platformer problems. * Group hug vs. forming a blob. * Tube Hippo is back! * The game engine sorting hat. * Coming out of character to talk about Inform 7. * The year that you fucked around with interactive fiction but never shipped anything. * Presuming that interactive fiction has continued to be great even after you stopped playing. * Choosing Twine over Inform 7 because of your absolutely enormous forelimbs. * LLMs as an extremely fancy Tarot deck.
Christian Borle American actor and singer. He is a two-time Tony Award winner for his roles as Black Stache in Peter and the Starcatcher and as William Shakespeare in Something Rotten!.[2] Borle also originated the roles of Prince Herbert, et al. in Spamalot, Emmett in Legally Blonde, and Joe in Some Like It Hot on Broadway, earning Tony nominations for the latter two. He starred as Marvin in the 2016 Broadway revival of Falsettos, which also earned him a Tony nomination. His first leading role on Broadway was Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie. He would later also star as Bert in Mary Poppins and Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He also portrayed Orin Scrivello in the Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors. Borle starred as Tom Levitt on the NBC musical-drama television series Smash and Vox in the adult animated black comedy musical series Hazbin Hotel.He has been nominated for five Tony awards and won twice, and he also won a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album for the original cast recording of Some Like It Hot in 2024.Holiday Movies to Watch (Theatrical + Streaming)In Theaters:• Five Nights at Freddy's 2 • Moana 2 • Wicked: Part 1 • Sonic the Hedgehog 3 • Kraven the Hunter • Gladiator II Streaming:• Disney+ – Wish, Percy Jackson, The Santa Clauses • Netflix – Family Switch, Leo, Rebel Moon • Prime Video – Candy Cane Lane • Peacock – Trolls Band Together, FNAF • Apple TV+ – Spirited, Napoleon (coming)3. Holiday Gift GuideFor Kids/Tweens:• Pokémon sets • LEGO sets • Nintendo Switch games • Mini arcade cabinets For Partners:• Smart mug • Vinyl turntable • Streaming bundles • Custom comic portraits For Yourself:• LED lightsabers • Gaming headset • Nerd subscription boxes • Collectibles 4. Hottest Games Right Now• Spider-Man 2.5 DLC • Fortnite Chapter 6 • Super Mario RPG Remake • Call of Duty: New Black Ops • Zelda: Echoes of Hyrule • Minecraft Legends Top Consoles:• Nintendo Switch OLED • PlayStation 5 Slim • Xbox Series S/X • Meta Quest 3 • Steam Deck OLED 5. Current Movie Box-Office Records• FNAF 2 breaking post-Thanksgiving records • Moana 2 dominating animated box office • Gladiator II strong adult turnout • Godzilla x Kong breaking IMAX monster records 6. AI & Hollywood (CBS Sunday Morning Highlights)• AI used in pre-visualization • Actor likeness rights concerns • New WGA/SAG rules: consent + compensation • AI won't replace actors but will replace technical labor 7. Netflix x Warner Bros. / DC DealFan reactions:• Excitement for exposure • Concerns about WB's financial strategy • Hopes for revived animationExec statements:• Not a merger • DCU storyline still controlled by DC Studios • Goal: global audience expansion 8. Top Video Games to Buy Now• Super Mario Bros. Wonder • EA FC 25 • Spider-Man 2 • Roblox • FNAF: Help Wanted 2 • Lego Fortnite 9. Top Consoles for Holiday 2025• Switch OLED • PS5 Slim • Xbox Series X • Meta Quest 3 • Steam Deck OLED 10. Recommended Old Christmas Movie“The Muppet Christmas Carol” (1992)11. Recommended Comic Book“Superman: Last Days of Krypton” (2025)
Movie of the Year: 1971Action Figure Draft, Part 1The Chaos Begins in the Action Figure Draft 1971In this week's Movie of the Year, Ryan, Greg, Mike, and Taylor enter the arena for the most brutal, strategic, and downright unhinged draft of the season: the Action Figure Draft 1971.Every Taste Bud must choose characters from 1971 movies (or TV productions), imagining them as highly posable, battle-ready action figures. These figures must then be assigned to six RPG-inspired roles: bard, cleric, druid, fighter, wizard, and wild card.The goal?Build a team capable of winning an all-out fight against the other rosters.And the twist that changes everything:Once a character is drafted from a movie, no one else can draft anyone else from that same movie.No backups. No consolation picks. Once it's gone, it's GONE.If you thought last season's drafts were chaotic…welcome to 1971.The Draft Rules: One Year, One Movie Per Pick, Zero MercyTo keep this battle as ruthless as possible, the Taste Buds lock in the following rules:Snake Draft FormatThe order reverses each round, forcing careful planning and last-second gambits.Draft RolesEach team must fill:Bard – charm, chaos, charismaCleric – healer, protector, mystical weirdoDruid – nature, magic, unpredictable energyFighter – the bruiser, tank, or martial artistWizard – supernatural, cerebral, or ranged powerhouseWild Card – whatever you dare unleashEligibility: 1971 Movies (and TV Productions) OnlyIf it hit screens in 1971 (big screen, small screen, arthouse, grindhouse), it's fair game.The Killer Rule: One Character Per MovieAs soon as a player drafts any character from a movie or TV title, that entire production is locked out forever.Pick a character from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? The rest of Wonka's weirdos vanish.Choose someone from A Clockwork Orange? Say goodbye to Alex's droogs.Reach into The French Connection? No detective backup for anyone.This rule transforms the draft into a battlefield where stealing a movie is every bit as important as drafting the right character.The ObjectiveCreate a team of 1971 action figures capable of absolutely wrecking the others in a hypothetical battle royale.Selecting the Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Wizard, and Wild CardThe Taste Buds dive deep into the weird, violent, soulful, experimental year that is 1971 cinema. With each category requiring a different kind of fighter, strategy becomes key:A bard might be a charming con artist, a manipulative cult leader, or someone who just screams enough to cause psychic damage.A cleric might heal, preach, or haunt.A druid might commune with nature or be a chaos gremlin.A fighter is your tank — your blunt instrument of violence.A wizard could be supernatural…or simply smarter and more dangerous than anyone else.And the wild card?Well, 1971 produced some bizarre characters. Anything can happen here.And because each movie gets only one character drafted, every pick is a race to snatch a film before someone else steals it out from under...
For Food & Family Month, the So Many Sequels crew unwraps one of the strangest and most iconic family films of all time, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). Gene Wilder delivers one of cinema's most unpredictable performances, and we break down why his version of Wonka is still the gold standard of chaotic candy moguls.From unsettling tunnel boat rides to bratty children meeting VERY questionable fates, we revisit the film's dark humor, musical numbers, and the surprisingly emotional heart at its center. The guys share their childhood memories of the movie, debate Wilder vs. Depp vs. Chalamet, and explore how the film became both a cult classic and a meme factory.It's nostalgic, bizarre, deliciously weird, and the perfect pick for Food & Family Month.
The cast of the Union Street Players' production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Musical! discuss their upcoming performances December 5th through the 13th.
Former Colts Owner Jim Irsay's Memorabilia Collection is Up for AuctionHis guitar collection alone is valued at over One BILLION Dollars This collection is largely known for its vast selection of musical instruments - often dubbed "The Greatest Guitar Collection on Earth” , which is estimated to be worth over $1 billion and includes instruments previously owned by -Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, and David Gilmour. Items also in the collection include:A 1963 Gretsch 6120 Country Gentleman, used by John Lennon on The Beatles' 1966 single "Paperback Writer"Lennon's 1964 Rickenbacker Rose Morris Model 1996, used during The Beatles' 1964 Christmas tour. Ringo Starr's first Ludwig drum kit used with The Beatles while touring Europe in 1963And Ringo's drum kit he played on the Ed Sullivan showMuhammad Ali's "Rumble in the Jungle" championship belt-rocking chair used by President John F. Kennedy at the white house- include Jackie Robinson's baseball bat from the 1953 season -Movie MemorabiliaA Wilson volleyball, used during the filming of Cast Away (2000)-a "golden ticket" from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)-Al Pacino's shooting script used during production of Scarface (1983)-Sylvester Stallone's early working script notebook for the film Rocky (1976-Jack Kerouac's original manuscript of "On the Road -Hunter S Thompson's Chevrolet, -The saddle used for Secretariat's Triple Crown run -documents handwritten by George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson, -The original manuscript of the Alcoholics Anonymous 'Big Book'.-And a more-than-200-year-old copy of the Declaration of Independence To subscribe to The Pete McMurray Show Podcast just click here
Go to http://factormeals.com/nostalgia50off and use code nostalgia50off to get 50% off your first box, plus Free Breakfast for 1 Year. Nostalgia Critic did an Old vs New on it, but for it's 20th anniversary, he's giving the whole film the review treatment. Have his thoughts changed over the years? Let's take a look at Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Join our YouTube Members - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiH828EtgQjTyNIMH6YiOSw/join Last weeks Nostalgia Critic - https://youtu.be/ctqABJh922A Check out our store - https://channelawesome.myshopify.com/ Support this month's charity - https://solvecfs.org/ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 2005 musical fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and written by John August, based on the 1964 children's novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. The film stars Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka and Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket, alongside David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Noah Taylor, Missi Pyle, James Fox, Deep Roy, and Christopher Lee. The storyline follows Charlie as he wins a contest along with four other children and is led by Wonka on a tour of his chocolate factory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week we're joined by very special guest, comic artist Harris Fishman AKA BeetleMoses as we discuss Roald Dahl's relationship to Tim Burton's 2005 adaptation of his book, how Wooly Mammoths helped propagate pumpkins in the Americas, and how the world's tallest man helped save some dolphins. A listener mail tells us about the GOAT of goats, the Christmas Gävle in Sweden.Episode Tabs:Charlie and the Chocolate Factoryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_and_the_Chocolate_Factory_(film)Study reveals ancient link between mammoth dung and pumpkin piehttps://insider.si.edu/2015/11/dull-mastadon-taste-buds-once-helped-pumpkins-wild-ancestor-thrive/World's tallest man saves dolphinshttps://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2006/dec/14/anotherdolphinListener Tabs:Gävle goathttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gävle_goat#Email your closed tab submissions to: 500opentabs@gmail.comSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/500OpenTabs500 Open Tabs Wiki: https://500-open-tabs.fandom.com/wiki/500_Open_Tabs_Wiki500 Open Roads (Google Maps episode guide): https://maps.app.goo.gl/Tg9g2HcUaFAzXGbw7Continue the conversation by joining us on Discord! https://discord.gg/8px5RJHk7aGet 40% off an annual subscription to Nebula by going to nebula.tv/500opentabsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The Twits, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda. Roald Dahl wrote some of the world's most loved children's books.But what do we know about the man himself? Was he really a spy? Was he a good husband? And why have some editions of his books been edited?Kate is joined by Rosie Gailor, who is on instagram as @rosieandroald.This episode was edited by Tim Arstall and produced by Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's been a minute since I caught up with the fabulous Trisha Yearwood and we're cookin' up a great conversation in this podcast episode! Fresh on the heels of the acclaimed release of her songwriting album, "The Mirror", we’re getting still more new music from her this year. "Christmastime" arrived on November 7, just in time for holiday listening! This twelve-song collection features sweeping orchestral versions of holiday classics, a reimagining of “Pure Imagination,” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and a duet written and performed with hubby, Garth Brooks, "Merry Christmas Valentine." Come on in and join us as we talk music, Christmastime, touring, and life! Trisha is the real deal! ~DelilahSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Send us a textDr. Johnny Wolfenstein, a brilliant but egotistical producer, brings a podcast back to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation. On Episode 694 of Trick or Treat Radio we have a Patreon Takeover featuring our good buddy Evil Corny! Corny selected the films Frankenstein (2025) and Opus for us to discuss! We also figure out what a good retelling of a classic tale needs to have, react to trailers for the films Good Luck Have Fun Don't Die, Dracula (2026), and we talk about our favorite Guillermo del Toro films! So grab a cup of communal Kool-Aid, stitch up a collection of body parts, and strap on for the world's most dangerous podcast!Stuff we talk about: Eli Roth, Ice Cream Man, Clint Howard, Inglorious Basterds, broflake, Evil Corny, From the Canopy Podcast, The Mad Ghoul, Alice Sweet Alice, Play Misty For Me, Assault on Precinct 13, Slumber Party Massacre, Creepshow, Alone in the Dark, The Faculty, Shadow of the Vampire, Seed of Chucky, Blood Paradise, Ronny Yu, Jennifer Tilly, John Ritter, Anne Hathaway, Ryan Gosling, The Crazies, Silent Hill, Pitch Black, Rhonda Shear, Wallace Shawn, Dial M for Murder, Damien: The Omen 2, Kim Hunter, The Kindred, Bad Ronald did a Basement Jack, Billy Jacoby, Frosted Flakes, Just One of the Guys, I Walked With A Zombie, Sam Rockwell, Gore Verbinski, Jojo Rabbit, Gentleman Broncos, The Bride, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jessie Buckley, Shape of Water, Francis Ford Coppola, Leonardo DiCaprio, Blacula, Idris Elba, William Marshall, Good Luck Have Fun Don't Die, Dracula, Luc Besson, Leon the Professional, Guillermo del Toro, Blade II, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone, Frankenstein, Hulk, Robert Eggers, Macho Man Randy Savage, Jeff Fahey, Body Parts, Mary Shelley, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Opus, Juliette Lewis, John Malkovich, Amber Midthunder, Mark Anthony Green, Rosario Dawson, Billie Holliday, Too Much Swash Not Enough Buckle, The Modern Brometheus, and Alabaster Peak.Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/trickortreatradioJoin our Discord Community: discord.trickortreatradio.comSend Email/Voicemail: mailto:podcast@trickortreatradio.comVisit our website: http://trickortreatradio.comStart your own podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=386Use our Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2CTdZzKFB Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/trickortreatradioTwitter: http://twitter.com/TrickTreatRadioFacebook: http://facebook.com/TrickOrTreatRadioYouTube: http://youtube.com/TrickOrTreatRadioInstagram: http://instagram.com/TrickorTreatRadioSupport the show
Annika Reece is a passionate performer and dance teacher who plays both a rat tapper and a lost boy in Deerfield's upcoming production of Shrek the Musical. With a lifelong background in dance and musical theater, Annika brings energy and experience to the stage, having previously performed in shows like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Oklahoma. She values the collaborative, community-driven spirit of Deerfield Theater, describing it as welcoming and top-tier, and appreciates the opportunity to work with cast members of all ages. Annika finds joy in both teaching and performing, seeing each as a way to learn and “fill her cup,” and she is especially excited about the dynamic ensemble work and big dance numbers in Shrek. She encourages everyone to attend, promising a show full of humor, heart, and entertainment for all ages.Performances at Caruso Auditorium, 1801 Montgomery Rd., Deerfield on:* Fridays, November 14 and 21 at 7:30pm* Saturdays, November 15, 22 at 1:00pm and 7:30pm* Sundays, November 16 and 23 at 1:00pmDeerfield TheaterPurchase Tickets This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deerfieldtheater.substack.com
J Gulinello ( http://www.HealthReclamationProject.com ) is in the studio tonight and we are going to have a grand old time discussing some of the Hottest Takeaways from Election Day 2025, and whatever else is going on in our lives. In the second hour, we have a special treat as Justin Polgar of YesCacao.com calls in to give us a tour of his chocolate factory. Unleash Your Brain w/ Keto Brainz Nootropic Promo code FRANKLY: https://tinyurl.com/2cess6y7 Mollee's Peptides: https://mindthymitochondria.com/ Sponsor The Show and Get VIP Perks: https://www.quitefrankly.tv/sponsor One-Time Tip: http://www.paypal.me/QuiteFranklyLive Elevation Blend Coffee & Official QF Mugs: https://www.coffeerevolution.shop/category/quite-frankly Official QF MERCH: https://tinyurl.com/f3kbkr4s Gold & Silver: https://quitefrankly.gold Send Holiday cards, Letters, and other small gifts, to the Quite Frankly P.O. Box! Quite Frankly 222 Purchase Street, #105 Rye, NY, 10580 Tip w/ Crypto: BTC: bc1q97w5aazjf7pjjl50n42kdmj9pqyn5zndwh3lng XRP: rnES2vQV6d2jLpavzf7y97XD4AfK1MjePu Leave a Voice Mail: https://www.speakpipe.com/QuiteFrankly Read Exclusive Quite Frankly Articles & Past Newsletter Features: https://www.quitefrankly.tv/newsletter-archives Quite Frankly Socials: Twitter/X: @QuiteFranklyTV Instagram: @QuiteFranklyOfficial Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/u5RutUcSMJ Official Forum: https://tinyurl.com/k89p88s8 Telegram: https://t.me/quitefranklytv Truth: https://tinyurl.com/5n8x9s6f GETTR: https://tinyurl.com/2fprkyn4 Gab: https://tinyurl.com/mr42m2au Streaming Live On: QuiteFrankly.tv (Powered by Foxhole) Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/yc2cn395 BitChute: https://tinyurl.com/46dfca5c Rumble: https://tinyurl.com/yeytwwyz Kick: https://kick.com/quitefranklytv Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/quitefranklylive Audio On Demand: Spotify: https://spoti.fi/301gcES iTunes: http://apple.co/2dMURMq SoundCloud: https://tinyurl.com/yc44m474
The Matrix at Cosm in LA opened on June 6th, 2025, which leverages Cosm's 87-foot, 12K+ LED immersive dome to show this classic film within a 16x9 frame while the additional space beyond the frame was filled with over 50 different scenes thereby expanding the worldbuilding beyond the frame. I finally had a chance to see it last month, and was really impressed with how much this additional space was able to increase the level of immersion, to amplify key emotional beats within the film, and create some truly awe-inspiring moments. I had a chance to speak with Alexis Scalice, Cosm's vice president of business development and entertainment, about Cosm's collaboration with Little Cinema, MakeMake, and Warner Brothers to launch their inaugural "Cinematic Shared Reality" immersive experience. The Matrix has a few more weeks of screenings before their second film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) opens on November 21, 2025. You can also hear more context from in Noah Nelson's No Proscencium podcast interview with Little Cinema's Jay Rinsky conducted ahead of the world premiere. And I also share some impressions of the two enhanced cinema productions of The Black Phone and M3GAN within Blumhouse Enhanced Cinema Quest App. These films have some similarities to what The Matrix at Cosm is doing, but at a much smaller scale and not nearly as effective as the expanded immersive worldbuilding in one of the greatest science fiction films of all time. The Matrix at Cosm is setting a quality high bar for this type of format that is going to be difficult to match. You can see more context in the rough transcript below. This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon. Music: Fatality
This episode examines the monumental strategic and technological changes sweeping through the cruise industry, from the urgent quest for net-zero emissions to the redefining of onboard experiences and fleet demographics.Decarbonization at a Crossroads (The Fuel Challenge): The industry is accelerating efforts toward achieving net-zero carbon emissions, focusing on a multi-fuel strategy. LNG remains the most practical choice for new ships in the near term, supplemented by drop-in fuels to meet IMO 2030 and 2040 goals. However, operators face hurdles, including supply constraints for sustainable options like bio-LNG, which requires complex solutions like the book-and-claim model to verify green attributes. Methanol is gaining traction, requiring specialized tank construction, as seen with ships like Disney Adventure. While biofuels offer easy retrofitting for existing fleets, feedstock constraints and sustainability documentation standards limit their scalability. Long-term options like hydrogen face significant challenges due to low energy density and the vast infrastructure investments required. Beyond fuels, digitalization is critical for optimizing energy use and delivering immediate emissions reductions through data analytics. Shipowners remain hesitant to invest heavily in unproven technologies without established supply networks and cost-effective options.The Icon Debut (Legend of the Seas): Royal Caribbean's third Icon-class vessel, Legend of the Seas, is set for a July 2026 debut, initially sailing the Mediterranean before repositioning to Fort Lauderdale for Caribbean routes. The ship will feature world-first entertainment, including the debut of Broadway's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at sea, alongside the renowned AquaTheater and the largest ice arena at sea, Absolute Zero. Culinary innovations include the Hollywoodland Supper Club, inspired by the Golden Age of Hollywood, and the Royal Railway's Legend Station, an immersive, story-driven dining experience tracing Marco Polo's Silk Route. Thrill-seekers can try the Category 6 waterpark and the Crowns Edge ropes course, which ziplines 154 feet above the ocean. The ship is currently in the outfitting phase following its August 2023 float-out.P&O's Adults-Only Shift: P&O Cruises is strategically opening its formerly adults-only ships, Arcadia and Aurora, to select family-friendly sailings starting December 2026. This shift addresses the increasing market demand for multi-generational holiday options. This change has generated mixed reactions, with some long-time passengers expressing concern that the children will disrupt the tranquil atmosphere cultivated over nearly 20 years. While families are excited for options on smaller, traditional ships, P&O will only provide family-friendly entertainment, children's menus, and amenities like bottle warmers, not dedicated kids clubs or babysitting services. Passengers booked before the change have the option to switch to another adults-only cruise or receive a full refund if they act by December 1, 2025.
Amazon has been out from its internet cloud! Raven talks about how it is affecting him in the new age of technology and why he's not happy about it! Users also agree with Raven as it's the product's problem! It's time for Student Teacher! Producer Justin, who's the smartest out of all of us, teaches about how ChatGPT is costing you money! And like most of the world, Anna and Raven don't believe the system! Were you born into a fandom?! One football fan loves his team! But they are disappointed in them! Anna and Raven ask the Office Squad what they have been a fan of since the start! Halloween Headlines continue for the Halloween season! Anna and Raven talk about how 10/23 is National Horror Movie Day! And how Porch Pirates are getting pumpkins! There are SOOO many Halloween Songs out there! So, Anna and Raven decide to create their own Halloween Song from listener suggestions about what is happening in the world! (It's not what you think)! Did you know that Halloween is One of the Most Loneliest Holidays?! Who knew! Anna and Raven ask YOU for ideas on what to do to not be so lonely! Anna's young daughter, Dakota, watched “Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory” for the first time! It's named One of the Most Terrifying memories in Movie History for Young Children! She was unmoved by Violet turning into a blueberry! Listeners call in to share what scene from a movie that scared them when they were a child? Ricky works in sales and lately has been taking his clients out to dinners much more often. What his wife, Sophie, has realized is that most of these dinners are with female clients. His wife thinks it's unnecessary and feels that it's shady. She's never felt jealously but the idea that once a week he's going out to cool restaurants with a group of female PA's and doctors is weird. He thinks she's lost her mind. Lately the medical spas he's been working with are female led and run, that's it. The industry of plastics is just becoming more women run and he needs to adapt to keep up. Jeanine has a chance to win $1800! All she has to do is answer pop culture questions than Raven in Can't Beat Raven!
On this continuation episode of the show, Brian and Kelly discuss questionable actions with pregnant belly, the quality of Tim Burton and, specifically, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Halloween Horror Nights, and so much more.Follow us on social media @thefriendsukeep, and check out our YouTube channel.Rate, review, and subscribe wherever you are listening. Make sure to have automatic downloads turned on, where applicable. It all helps us a lot.We love you and, as always, thank u for being a Friend!
Naz Kabbani - Founder & CEO @ Alora Podcasts that is building at the frontier of Media & A.I. Previously, Naz was a VC at BECO Capital ($900M AUM, the largest privately-owned VC fund in the Middle East) and Special Projects & Trading at Paradigm (one of the Crypto Industry's most trusted institutions with $12B+ AUM). Naz also grew up in the U.K playing for Manchester United and Manchester City Youth Academies.
Naz Kabbani - Founder & CEO @ Alora Podcasts that is building at the frontier of Media & A.I. Previously, Naz was a VC at BECO Capital ($900M AUM, the largest privately-owned VC fund in the Middle East) and Special Projects & Trading at Paradigm (one of the Crypto Industry's most trusted institutions with $12B+ AUM). Naz also grew up in the U.K playing for Manchester United and Manchester City Youth Academies.
Cerveris to play Scrooge Off-Broadway, Steinbreener’s granddaughter producing ‘Damn Yankees,’ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ on cruise ship Since 2016, “Today on Broadway” has been the first and only daily podcast recapping the top theatre headlines every Monday through Friday. Any and all feedback is appreciated:Grace Aki: grace@broadwayradio.com | @ItsGraceAkiMatt Tamanini: matt@broadwayradio.com | @BroadwayRadio read more
In this episode of Skip the Queue, Andy Povey sits down with Jérôme Giacomoni, co-founder and Chairman of AEROPHILE, the world leader in tethered gas balloons and immersive aerial experiences. Jérôme shares the story of how AEROPHILE began with a simple idea, to “make everybody fly” and grew into a global company operating in multiple countries, including France and the U.S.Tune in to hear about the company's signature attractions, including tethered balloon flights, the innovative Aerobar concept, and high-profile projects such as how you can experience flying the Olympic cauldron in Paris. Jérôme also shares how AEROPHILE has leveraged its unique platform to explore scientific initiatives like air-quality and climate-change monitoring and how he Integrates unique revenue streams from sponsorship and advertising.Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Paul Marden, with co host Andy Povey and roving reporter Claire Furnival.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on LinkedIn. Show references: https://www.aerophile.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerome-giacomoni-3074b7/Jérôme Giacomoni is co-founder of Groupe AEROPHILE and Chairman of AEROPHILE SAS. Since 1993, he has led the company to become the world leader in tethered gas balloons and balloon flights, operating iconic sites in France, the U.S., and Cambodia, and flying over 500,000 passengers annually. He also pioneered “flying food-tainment” with the Aerophare and Aerobar. Jérôme is a member of IAAPA, serves on the board of SNELAC, and is a Team France Export ambassador, earning multiple awards for entrepreneurship and innovation. Plus, live from the Day 2 of the IAAPA Expo Europe show floor, we catch up with:Rheanna Sorby –Marketing & Creative Director, The Seasonal Grouphttps://theseasonalgroup.co.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/rheanna-sorby-seasonal/Sohret Pakis – Polin Waterparkshttps://www.polin.com.tr/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sohretpakis/Thomas Collin – Sales Manager, VEX Solutionshttps://www.vex-solutions.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-collin-18a476110/Peter Cliff – CEO // Founder, Conductr.https://conductr.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-cliff/Laura Baxter – Founder, Your CMOhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-baxter-4a756466/Josh Haywood – Resort Director, Crealy Theme Park & Resorthttps://www.crealy.co.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-haywood-68463630/ Transcriptions: Paul Marden: Welcome to Skip the Queue, the podcast about the world's best attractions and the people that work in them. I'm your host Paul Marden, and with my co-host Andy Povey and roving reporter Claire Furnival, we're here at IAAPA Expo Europe. In today's episode, I go on a trip on Santa's Enchanted Elevator with the Seasonal Group, and Claire meets Peter Cliff from Conductr. But before all that, let's head over to Andy.Andy Povey: Good morning, everybody. I'm joined today by Jerome Giacomoni from AEROPHILE for our French listeners. I hope I've got that right. Jerome is the chief exec of AEROPHILE and has been the co-founder and president of AEROPHILE. And AEROPHILE supply helium-based balloon observation opportunities. I probably got the marketing on that completely wrong, Jerome. So please, can you share with our listeners what AEROPHILE is all about?Jerome Giacomoni: So AEROPHILE is a company I created with Mathieu Gobbi, my partner, 32 years ago, with a very simple idea, make everybody fly, you know, and we use a balloon to fly. So we have a tethered balloon. We have a huge, big balloon inflated with helium, a gas lighter than air. And we go up to more or less 150 meters high. up to 30 passengers. So we are linked to the ground with a cable, and the cable is linked to a winch. So you have to imagine that you have a winch that— when we go up—pulls when we go down. This is the exact opposite of an elevator because the balloon wants to go higher and higher. We have a lifting force of four tons.Andy Povey:Wow.Jerome Giacomoni:Yes, it's a big one. And so we need a cable to keep it. And thanks to this lifting force, we can fight against the wind.Jerome Giacomoni: And so the balloon can swing when you have some wind because the balloon is just pulled by the cable itself.Andy Povey: And trust me, listeners, they look absolutely spectacular. Just before we started recording, I was admitting to Jerome that I'm scared of heights. So I've stood and watched. The dining balloon, Futuroscope, never managed to pluck up the courage to try it myself.Jerome Giacomoni: This is another concept, Andy. So we have built two concepts. One is a tethered balloon, a real one with helium, with a cable, with a winch, and we fly by ourselves. The balloon flies by itself, okay? We did another concept 20 years after we created our company, so 10 years before now, in 2013, which is what we call the aero bar. It's a flying bar, and you have an inflatable balloon. to cover the gondola, but it's a fake. This is a real elevator, and you have a gondola with some winches and a metallic structure, and you go up and down. So what you saw in Futuroscope is not a balloon. It's a real elevator.Jerome Giacomoni: And the one you can see in Disneyland Paris, Disney World, Orlando or San Diego Zoo are a real balloon named a tethered balloon. So I'm glad you fell down into the trick. You caught me. Yes, I'm glad about that. But we have really two different concepts.Andy Povey: But the concept, the thing that the guest is experiencing, isn't really related to whether it's a balloon or a lift.Jerome Giacomoni: No. i think it's very different okay i think the aerobar is fun and you have the feet in the sky you feel the thrill of height and everything but you stop at 35 meters it's it's quite high for a ride but it's not a real flight And I think the balloon is a real flight. We have a balloon in Paris. We have a balloon in Budapest, Berlin. And you see the city from the sky at 150 meters high, which is very high. So you really experience a flight. With the aerobar, you have a ride, okay? So both of them are related to the sky, are related to the view, but one is really a flight, the other one is really a ride.Andy Povey: That makes absolute sense.Andy Povey: It doesn't reassure me on my fear of heights anymore, that I would like to go up three times, four times taller, higher than the one I saw first. Very interesting. So, listeners, we're often talking about technology and attractions. There's a huge amount of talk about augmented reality, about AI, about motion simulators. The reason, Jerome, we asked you to come and talk to us is because you don't do any of that. No—your experience is fantastic and it's new and it's unique, but there's no technology or very little obvious technology.Jerome Giacomoni: Yes, quite little. You know, it's amazing because we do this for now 32 years, as I told you. The first balloon was inflated in 1994. We have sold 120 balloons in more than 40 countries. And each time with the balloon, you have a magical effect, you know, because the balloon itself is very nice— because the balloon itself is a show from people looking at it from the ground. And because... The flight experience is amazing because you are really in the sky. You are really looking at the ground, at the landscape. You have no noise, you know, when you take a helicopter or plane. You have a lot of noise. You are in an enclosed airplane or helicopter. Here you are outside. You are on a balcony flying at 150 meters. And wherever we are, always we have like a magical effect of the flight. And with the flying bar, we decided to do something different— where we say, 'Why drink on ground where you can drink in the sky?'Jerome Giacomoni: So we add the drink to the ride, you know. So you are on a table and you have what we say in French conviviality. So we share a drink. We go at 35 meters and you have the thrill of the view of the height and also the conviviality of drinking. So this is another concept, but both of them are universal. And wherever we do it, we have sold 20 aero bars worldwide.Jerome Giacomoni: Everybody is very happy to have this kind of ride. I would say we are on the side of the main market. You know, we have two niche products. The balloon is a niche product. And the AeroBar is a niche product where we have another experience than a normal ride, like a roller coaster or a flume or a spinning coaster.Andy Povey: You say you're a nice product, but the balloon in Paris for the Olympics, where you lifted the cauldron, had phenomenal numbers of visitors watching. That wasn't something you could go on.Jerome Giacomoni: Yes, it was an amazing opportunity. You know, sometimes life gives you some presents.Jerome Giacomoni: And imagine that we were contacted by the Olympic Organisation Committee one day, and we believed it was a joke. And they said, 'We need to talk to you.' And then we discovered that instead of flying humans, they asked us to fly a cauldron. So the Olympic cauldron. And we have like one year and a half of design and manufacturing.Jerome Giacomoni: And then, at 11 pm, 25, the balloon has to fly in front of everybody. I can tell you it was a very stressful time. But so nice and so amazing to have experiences. So, yes, the balloon suddenly was visible by everybody. And that's back now in Paris, isn't it? Yes. First of all, the balloon has to stay only twice— 15 days. You know, you have the Olympics and the Paralympics. So we were open only 30 days in total. And the success was so huge that every night, you have dozens of thousands of people coming to look at it. That's why the mayor of Paris and the French president decided to keep it.Jerome Giacomoni: And just after the deflation of the balloon, they call us back and say, 'Jerome and Mathieu, we would like to have the balloon back.' So we work again with the city of Paris and the French presidency, and we agreed to put the balloon.Jerome Giacomoni: Three times, three months. So from June 21st, in France, this is a music event, you know, the Day of Music. To September 14th, which is a day of sport. So every year until the Olympic game of LA, we will operate the balloon for three months in the summertime. Fantastic.Andy Povey: So, Jerome, you operate in lots and lots of different countries all over the world. I think it's 14 countries that you've been.Jerome Giacomoni: No, we sold, but we operate only in the US and in France.Andy Povey: Ah, okay. Interesting.Jerome Giacomoni: We own ourselves, we operate ourselves, six balloons in the 120 we have sold. So we operate three in Paris region. One, the Parc André Citroën, where we have the Generali balloon since 1999. One in Disneyland Paris since 2005. So we are in Disneyland Paris for now 20 years. Time is flying. And the last one, the Cold Run, which is a very specific event that we operate now for one year and for the next two years. And in the US, we operate Disney World Orlando in Disney Spring since 2009, and San Diego Zoo Safari Park since 2005, and Irvine. South of LA since 2007. So we operate now six balloons for a long, long time, except the cold run. And we keep selling balloons.Jerome Giacomoni: We sell more or less five to six balloons every year.Andy Povey: And how do you find the differences between the French culture and you're on either side of America, so the differences between the different coasts of America and France?Jerome Giacomoni: Yes, we... We are in the US, but we are also in Mexico, in a lot of countries in Asia. In the Middle East, we have a beautiful balloon in Dubai. We have a beautiful balloon in Seoul. So we work a lot with very different cultures. You know, it's very interesting to sell the same product to different cultures. So I would say... The main difference probably lies in the contract. It's very funny when you make the contract. I would say a 'yes' is not the same 'yes' depending on the culture. But everybody is, you know, you... You love people when you work worldwide. You learn a lot, you discover a lot. You have to learn with different cultures. And I have the chance in my professional life to experience that and to meet people from all over the world. And, you know, my job is to go on site, and discuss with someone, and see if it's possible or not to have a balloon at this place.Jerome Giacomoni: So it's always a beautiful job because I travel in a lot of countries in beautiful spots.Jerome Giacomoni: We don't succeed a lot because, if not, I would have sold thousands of balloons. We have always constraints with local authority, with food traffic, etc. But always, it's a pleasure to meet people. And once... The balloon is accepted by the local authority when the customer has a finance for it. Then start more or less a one-year work together between installation, work on site, inflation, and training of the team. And after... They fly with their own wings, even if we have no wings with our balloons.Andy Povey: Very good. And I imagine that you don't put balloons into ugly places.Jerome Giacomoni: We did, sometimes for specific contracts. Ugly, I won't use this name, but not very obvious, logical site. But it has happened. Sometimes we do for small events or for specific needs.Jerome Giacomoni: But yes, most of the time, the sites are very interesting.Andy Povey: So there are other things you're doing with the balloons. So the air quality messaging that you have above Paris. Tell us more about your opportunities to influence in other areas.Jerome Giacomoni: Yes, you know, the balloon is not only a ride, a passenger ride, but it's also an amazing opportunity for communication and for advertisement. So in the city center, like Paris, Berlin, or Seoul, the balloon is used also as a giant advertising billboard. So you have two revenues. You have the revenue of the passenger, but you have also the sponsor revenue.Jerome Giacomoni: When we started the balloon in Paris, it was extremely difficult to get the authorisation to have a balloon in Paris centre. We are two kilometres south of the Eiffel Tower. But you remember, we had the famous Millennium, the Y2K. uh and and so the mayor faris was looking for a new idea and we propose a balloon And they gave us only a one year and a half contract. And the investment was quite huge. And we told him, OK, we can do it, but we cannot do it for only one year and a half. Except if you accept that we have a name on the balloon, a naming and a sponsor on the balloon. And the mayor say yes. And we start another business where we put sponsor on the balloon. And this is a very good business because it makes a... activity immediately profitable so we did that in Paris in 1999 and in 2008 the balloon was like 10 years old because when you fly you have your the balloon is huge we talk about a 32 meters high balloon we talk about like a 12-story building.Jerome Giacomoni: So everybody knows the balloon in Paris. Everybody can see it. And so, when we fly, we have 400,000 people who immediately see us. So we decided to give citizen aspect. And we start— pour changer le couleur de la balle selon la qualité de l'air. C'était en 2008. Et parce que nous l'avons fait, nous avons des scientifiques... coming to us and say, 'Hey, this balloon is a wonderful platform to measure air quality because you make like a carrot of the air from zero to 150 meters. Jerome Giacomoni: Can we bring some scientist instrument on the gondola? And we say yes. And then we start to make science. And then we start to make scientific publications, scientific publications. And then we start a new business where the balloon is not only a tethered gas balloon for passenger, it's only... advertising billboard and now it's only a scientific platform and so this is very interesting and the last things we have done in 2024 no this year in 2025 is to use the balloon for global climate change. As you know, we have two main gas pollutants for the climate change, CO2 and CH4. And the balloon is a perfect platform to measure evolution on CO2 and CH4. So we are working with a European group named ICOS. gathering all the best laboratories in Europe, who are making a huge study on how CO2 and CH4 how they are in each city.Jerome Giacomoni: And Paris has been chosen as a pilot city. So we are very glad to work with them. And so now the Balloon is also working on climate change. And we will have big, big, big LED screen. So we make some technology sometime, as you said, to inform people on the temperature elevation in Europe and in the world. And the news are very bad, as everybody knows.Andy Povey: But that's fascinating. I love the integration you've been able to take from this unique proposition and apply it to different markets, different problems.Jerome Giacomoni: You know, Andy, I think we have to exit from the box. My message to... all people who are listening to us.Jerome Giacomoni: Okay, passenger rides is very important. It's a key market for many of us. But sometimes we can use... another way to find new flow of revenue, like advertising, and we can be also helpful to our other citizens, like working freely for scientists to make measurements on pollutants of the air. This helps with both air quality and also climate change.Andy Povey: It's a beautiful concept, Jerome. I love it. Love it.Andy Povey: So, final question. Your experiences are obviously very unique. What advice would you have for a venue and possibly a smaller venue that doesn't have the resources to be able to build something 150 metres high or put something 150 metres into the air? What advice would you give them on how to make a compelling experience for visitors?Jerome Giacomoni: I really believe that you have to stick on your roots, okay? I mean that people want authenticity.Jerome Giacomoni: And as you know, we are very keen on balloons, as you can imagine. So we make in our, you know, Paris, it's in Paris where you have the first flight. Yeah. In 1783. Montgolfier, brothers. Yes, with the Montgolfier brothers, with Charles, the scientist. So we really stick on our roots. And I think where you are in Brittany, where you are in Japan, you have to follow your own road and your own path. By feeling what could be the good idea, but also what is your feeling inside you. You need to have something different that you feel very confident with.Andy Povey: Beautiful final thought, Jerome, I like it a lot. So listeners, stay authentic and be passionate.Jerome Giacomoni: Exactly, the right word is passionate.Paul Marden: Next up, let's get some soundbites from the show floor.Rheanna Sorby: My name's Rheanna. I'm Marketing and Creative Director for the Seasonal Group. We are curators of Christmas magic all year round. Wow, wow.Paul Marden: So you make Christmas special?Rheanna Sorby: We're the Christmas elves.Paul Marden: Awesome, awesome. I can see you've got such a great set of stands. What have you got here that you're exhibiting for the first time?Rheanna Sorby: We have Santa's Enchanted Express, which is a three-minute experience that transports customers and guests from a very festive train station to the North Pole in just under three minutes. So it's quite a Christmas miracle. And it also transports on nine pallets. So it's a great return on investment for customers there if it's 24 people on. We also have our elevator experience, which went viral last year. And then we have VR, animatronics, and a lot of our famous items, like the snowman here, just dressed as a little, it's some sort of operator.Paul Marden: Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. So we don't have a lot of luck with lifts at the moment because the team got stuck in a lift yesterday for about 45 minutes. Stop it. We got rescued by the... Well, I didn't get in the lift. I walked because there wasn't enough room. But two of them had to be rescued by the fire brigadeRheanna Sorby: Okay, so this might be triggering. Well, you know.Paul Marden: Oh, no, I found it hilarious.Paul Marden: I was hugely supportive on the outside, yelling into them.Paul Marden: But Santa won't let me get stuck in a lift today, will he? Absolutely not.Rheanna Sorby: No, there's an emergency exit. Excellent.Paul Marden: So what's new and innovative then about the Santa Express? What are you bringing to market?Rheanna Sorby: So a lot of our clients, we sell business to business. They're struggling to get people into shopping centres and we're finding that we need to create retail theatre. So that is something I see as a massive trend moving forward. People want nostalgia. They want an experience, something memorable. But also our customers need a way to return investment as well. So they hopefully will spend something with us and then ticket the experience. So that's something that we're pivoting our business towards. Trying to create a brand new experience every year. A lot of people are struggling nowadays, cost of living.Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely.Rheanna Sorby: It's difficult, so we're trying to find a way that brings the Christmas magic to people's doors.Paul Marden: We are, where are we at the moment? We're in September, so we've still got a couple of months left before Christmas 2025, but that must be over for you.Rheanna Sorby: No, the quality of the street is on the shelves. It's already happening. The install season starts literally on Monday for us. Really? Yes. When we get back, we land and then we start installing.Paul Marden: And so this is the busy time. So let's talk about Christmas 2026. What are the trends that you see coming along at that point?Rheanna Sorby: Whimsical, whimsical. So we've got Wicked number two coming out. And we've also had all like the Whoville, that sort of style, the Grinch. So imagine pastels, furry trees, things that don't quite make sense, a lot of whimsical wonderland, I would say, trend-wise. But equally immersive experiences and how we can bring magic to you.Paul Marden: Wonderful, wonderful. Thank you ever so much. Rheanna, it's been lovely to meet you. Thank you for coming on the podcast. And let's go and visit Santa in his lift, shall we? Yeah, excellent.Paul Marden: And here it is. So we are surrounded by suites in an old-fashioned lift. And there's our doors closed.Paul Marden: Oh, how amazing is this? We're going up.Paul Marden: Ice like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The Great Glass Elevator. This is amazing. We're up over the clouds. Just stunning. There's a train there. I think we're going to follow into the tunnel after the train. Yes.Paul Marden: Got cold, now we're underground. Now we're in the tunnel.Paul Marden: And I think this might be Santa's factory.Paul Marden: Let's get ready.Paul Marden: Merry Christmas. The big man's chair as well. Can I take a seat in the big man's chair? Ho, ho, ho.Sohret Pakis: Hi, Paul. My name is Shorhet Pakis. I'm the brand ambassador for Polin Waterparks.Paul Marden: What are you launching this year at IAAPA? What's new for you?Sohret Pakis:Last year, we have won two big awards for a themed water slide, which is... Stingray it was in Nantes in France and it was something big because you know it was like Europeans best water slide number one and I have a brass ring award winner about two million number one but last night in Porta Ventura Stingray has won the second time best water slide of Europe award. But we have something new about it. Last year when I was telling about Stingray, it was an eight-person slide. This year we have something new. Now the capacity went up to 10, especially when we're talking about all these queue management issues. So that's something wonderful. And also, you ask, what is new? This year, we have something very exciting. A parrot-themed stingray. It's the same slide, but it's parrot-themed.Sohret Pakis: It's coming to Dubai by January. It's going to be open.Paul Marden: So can I ask you, what makes that innovative? What's new about that?Sohret Pakis: Actually, it's a very specifically themed waterslide. You know that POLIN has been pioneer in RTM manufacturing and U-texture. It's kind of a composite material technology which we can make waterslides look. Look like a character, actually. We are the company who did this first because we said that storytelling is very important. Yes, but you know, slides are just slides. So we just wanted the slides look like the characters in that story. Of course, behind that, there is huge material technology, composites technology, design technologies. Actually, that's the time when we introduced King Cobra years ago. And now with Stingray, we took it much further. So actually, the team looks perfectly like a Stingray, but at the same time, it's a water slide with so many features. It has two big towers and between the towers, there's a bridge. From each tower, two slides start with a very special mist roofing and very special bridge where you can just see what's happening all over the slide.Paul Marden: So the queuing experience is enriched so it doesn't feel quite so long and boring because you can watch what everyone is doing.Sohret Pakis: It is, yes.Paul Marden: Super impressive. So we have been asking everybody to think about what are their predictions for 2026?Sohret Pakis: Everybody is talking about AI. Everybody is talking about immersive. So AI, of course, will make a huge difference in operation, especially.Paul Marden: In what way?Sohret Pakis: Actually, in guest satisfaction, because personalisation is very important in our industry. Whoever comes to the park, they are the heroes at the park. And so actually, if the park can make them feel that they are the heroes, truly— if that's their birthday, if that's their wedding anniversary, so whatever. If the park can make you feel that you're special, and thanks to technology, now it's possible.Paul Marden: Absolutely. That's so interesting. Thank you so much for your insights and for joining us on Skip the Queue. Thank you.Thomas Collin: I'm Thomas, I'm from VEX Solutions, so we are a VR company at the start, and now we're going to the arcade with mixed reality as well. Okay, so that's a nice link. What are you launching here at IAFA? So here for the first time we are introducing VEX Party Dash. The Party Dash is a mixed reality arcade machine. So automated, people can go on it, play on it. You have two huge screens that are really highly interactive. You can walk on the screen, you can touch the screen. The goal is really to make you moving. So that's what we want to do with the Dash.Paul Marden: That's amazing, isn't it? So we're watching people at the moment. You can see lights up on the floor that they're stepping on and on the wall.Thomas Collin: What is really the key aspect of this product is that it's highly attractive. People, they just go around, they stop by it, they want to try it. Actually, we can say, 'Hey, come and try it,' because we watch you, we see you. So we can say, 'Hey, come and try it.' And people stop by, they play it. It's highly immersive, but also highly active. Yes. You're just not standing on an arcade, sitting down. No, you're really moving around. So, this is really good for kids and families. Absolutely. That's what we see.Paul Marden: So, where do you see this being used? What sort of attractions will take this?Thomas Collin: Actually, with this product, it can go either in the attraction side or either at the arcade side. So, you can play it as one game, and you can play a three-minute game like an arcade, or you can actually book for 15 minutes. Since there is not a single game, but multiple games, you can play different games, you can play different levels inside the main gate. So you have a high replayability. Because we want you to come back, we want to attract the gamers, and then make them come back.Paul Marden: 15 minutes with this much activity sounds like quite a tall order. It's a workout.Thomas Collin: It's a workout. It's a workout. Yeah, yeah, yeah.Peter Cliff: Hi, my name is Pete Cliff. I'm from Conductr. We're here in Barcelona and it's so exciting to be back at IAAPA. Now, what we're super excited about this year is talking about our collaboration with Norwegian Cruise Lines on Great Stirrup Cay. It's their new water park. It's a great project. We're excited to talk to people about it. It's also lovely to be back in Barcelona. It's been, I think, about six years since we were last back here, and it's always one of my favourite European cities for IAPA. It's great to meet with people from the industry, reconnect with old colleagues and friends, and really see what's happening. There's a huge amount of innovation and special projects that are launching all over the show floor. So yeah, great to be back, and can't wait to see what the future of the themed entertainment industry has to offer.Laura Baxter: My name is Laura Baxter. You may know me as the girl with the purple jumpsuit on LinkedIn. I am the head of marketing for Black Gang Shine, but have most recently just announced that I've gone into freelancing and I've launched your CMO.Paul Marden: And I have to say, the jumpsuits work because I was about 50 metres behind you earlier on and I spotted the Your CMO logo on the back of the jumpsuit, so well done for that. We've talked to a lot of suppliers with stands that are exhibiting. From your perspective, this is your first time stepping over to the dark side and coming to an IAPA. What's the experience like for you? What are you here to get out of the show?Laura Baxter: I'd say it's twofold. Mainly it is for networking. Obviously anybody who's anyone in the industry is here. But also, it's inspiration because I want to be able to talk about new and exciting stuff with... Potential clients that I may have and ideas still for Black Gang as well. So, when you walk around show floor, which is just so vibrant and there's so much going on everywhere—you turn, you can draw inspiration from so many of the suppliers here.Paul Marden: What have you seen that's innovative?Laura Baxter: There's a huge amount of stuff being done with tech and it's very interesting because I think that's where a lot of people are going to think that they need to go, because that's the way of the world now, and the next generation don't know life off of a screen and they're expecting to have these incredible digital experiences.Laura Baxter: I'm not convinced that is the way to go. But yes, it's still impressive tech. So for me, there are things that I stand back out and look at and I'm like, 'Whoa, that's really, really cool.'Laura Baxter: I'm not so sure it's potentially what consumers want, though, controversially.Paul Marden: It's really hard, isn't it? Because as a parent of young kids, you want them off the tech as much as you possibly can. But you need a hook. To be able to attract them, don't you? So there's been some amazing stuff here that bridges that gap between the real world and the tech world. So, summer season 2025 is over. What are your predictions about summer 26 and what operators should be thinking about right now?Laura Baxter: It's a really tough market, we all know that. Budgets are tight for households, so there is an awful lot more thought going into their spending and what they're doing and where they're choosing to take that little bit of disposable money that they do have. Therefore actually I don't think next year operators should be thinking about huge innovations or new attractions. I think they need to strip back to basics and nail their customer service. I think guest expectations now are so high. because they're parting with money that is a little bit more precious to them than perhaps if they don't leave at the end of that day having had a good experience they feel ripped off they're going to go straight to review platforms they're going to let it all out and actually you need to be focusing on making sure that every single touch point with that customer is bang on and we're talking pre-visit as well from the your website journey to buying it to the follow-up emails to the pre-visit emails to that first person they meet on front of house to the ride operators to the events team if you have that kind of entertainment on park if you are not nailing your experienceLaura Baxter: You are going to lose out well.Paul Marden: I think we should end it right there. That there is a nugget of gold.Paul Marden: So I am here with co-host Andy Povey and our good friend Josh Haywood from Crealy down in Devon.Josh Haywood: Hello.Paul Marden: It's the end of day two. What have you seen, Josh? What's blown your socks off?Josh Haywood: Good couple of days so far. We're probably into 40,000 steps, which is great. I think technology is the thing that struck me this week so far. Just the small changes that some of the operators and some of the manufacturers are putting into their existing kits. So, for example, I attended a seminar this morning about bowling. and normally temping bowling is temping bowling. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But now there's augmented reality, and they've got features on the lanes, and it's not about just taking all the pins down, it's taking pin one and six out, and all those things they're trying to do to reinvent older, more traditional attractions, which I think I find really interesting. Yeah. I think some of the seasonality stuff, the Christmas and Halloween stuff has been really good. We sat on a train and went on a journey and the seats rumbled and the sound and the visual effects, they were great.Paul Marden: I saw that. There was no room for me to go and sit on that train. It was amazing.Josh Haywood: I thought that was really good. And, you know, I've been really impressed with generally the show. I think you can get around it all as well. It feels really friendly. I think the sun shining always helps as well. It's not too tough, is it?Paul Marden: I mean, the last time we were in Barcelona, we were all wearing face masks. Absolutely, yes. So it's really refreshing to be back here. And not have that.Josh Haywood: Absolutely. And not have to queue to get in as well. I think that was interesting on the first day.Paul Marden: Oh, did they see you and then just wave you through?Josh Haywood: Red carpet was up for, of course, award-winning theme park and resort. Paul Marden: Mr. Hayward. Did you say award? Winnie and obviously you're on the back of your two awards in the theme park awards last week. How was that? And then we've got some really exciting news from Creeley.Josh Haywood: I saw it at the press this morning. Yes, so a couple of things happened last week. So first of all, we had our anniversary 25 years of Maximus the Coaster. The Vekoma Coaster, 25 years. The first coaster in Devon. It was Devon's first coaster, over half a million riders later. It's done 2 million miles around the track. It's great. So we did a sort of event for that, and we used it to sort of make some announcements about future attractions, which I'll tell you about in a minute. But then we went to the Theme Park Awards last week at Wickste Park, where... We've been the recipients of a few bronze and silvers, and we go being little old us and hope for the best. And then the award I really wanted to win was one of two: the best for families and the best for value. And when the family award came up, they said, 'In bronze is such and such, in silver.' And I was like, 'Well, there you go.' That's all that's left for another year. And then when they said the win at gold was cruelly for best for families, we were delighted. I got a bit emotional about it. I think we would just work so hard over the years to be the best in the Southwest, certainly. And certainly since we put Sootyland in as well. We won the award for Toddlers.Josh Haywood: So it was a double wham. And within 10 minutes as well. It wasn't separated. Within 10 minutes, I just got my breath back from the first one. And then we were up on stage again taking that second award. Oh, it's tough, isn't it? Which was great, yeah. Multi-award winning. Multi-award winning theme parking resort. Devon's finest. Most right in Devon. We're just going to... absolutely bleep the hell out of this for the next 12 months because who knows we may not win it again so we'll just shout from the treetops about this and then we also won thanks to martin rose and rose events uh silver for best entertainment event for the city show It's still very popular, the legacy brand. People love the Sooty show. And as I said at the awards, we sell loads of those puppets. People love a Sooty and a Sweep. So it's been a really good collaboration for us.Paul Marden: We were at our first away day for our Merak team back a few months ago down at Creeley, and I found a little sooty puppet underneath the lectern. I was absolutely chuffed to bits. And there he was, just sitting at the front of the away day, watching everything going on with Sue next to him.Josh Haywood: He's still popular. We understood when we put Cityland in, it wasn't going to be Peppa Pig. world and we didn't think for a minute we'd even sort of get to those heights of Thomas Land at Drayton Manor but it certainly hit a chord with the older market certainly the nannies and the granddads who remember such from when they were kids and you know it's a legacy brand and it works but what we have done really well is sort of corner that market for younger children and toddlers and we Sort of took some comments over the last 12 to 18 months that we may be missing the mark when it comes to the 8 to 12-year-olds, which we were pretty good at five or six years ago. So we've decided this year that we're going to invest in some thrill attractions. So we've just launched news that we've got two new rides going in next year. One, I can't tell you exactly because we're still going under. Got some planning issues, but we're going to have the Southwest tallest ride and the Southwest first inverted ride. So a multi-million pound investment going in and hopefully that will give us another boost that we need to kick on again. We've still got new accommodation going in. We'll still be doing new events and shows for next year.Josh Haywood: So it's going to be a bumper year for Crealy. Absolutely. I really look forward to that.Paul Marden: I look forward to you being on the launch ride.Paul Marden: Me down on the ground watching and videoing.Josh Haywood: What they have said, which is really interesting, we spoke to an operator, there's only one other ride like it in the UK, and that operator said, whatever you do, make sure when you put the ride in, you fit a hose pipe and a tap right in. Because you may be washing the seats down more than you would usually on your current ride. So, yeah, it certainly will add that next level of ride experience to our family market.Paul Marden: Yeah, I think that's super important, isn't it? Mr. Povey, what have you seen today that has blown your socks off?Andy Povey: I'm really looking for the place to go and get some more soft, comfortable socks. I've walked so much. I've stood around and listened to so many fantastic talks, had so many brilliant conversations. I'm done. My feet hurt. I need to sit down and have a beer.Paul Marden: Well, I hate to break it to you, but there's another day left. And there's still more interviews to do. Still more opportunities for us to get some interesting stories on Skip the Queue.Andy Povey: Look forward to that.Paul Marden: Gentlemen, I think we're about done. So thank you ever so much. It has been a joy. And Mr. Povey, see you back here tomorrow. Josh, wonderful as always.Josh Haywood: Maybe see you at OrlandoPaul Marden: Oh. Absolutely, yeah.Josh Haywood: We'll do it againPaul Marden: Thanks for listening to today's episode. If you liked it, leave a comment in Spotify or Apple Podcasts. If you didn't, let us know on hello@skipthequeue.fm. Today's episode was a team effort for Sami and Emily from Plaster, Steve from Folland Co., as well as Claire and Wenalyn from Skip the Queue HQ. We're back again tomorrow for more fun from IAAPA, including Andreas Andersen from Liseberg, one of Scandinavia's most visited parks. See you all tomorrow. The 2025 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsTake the Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey Report
In this bedtime story, Bernice wakes up from the most delicious dream. She visited a chocolate factory hidden deep in the mystical forest! At breakfast, she tells Mama and Papa Bear all about it. ✔️ Perfect for ages 4+ ✔️ Themes: • Imagination & Creativity • Family Connection • Emotional Awareness • Joy & Gratitude Sleep Tight!, Sheryl & Clark ❤️
In this episode we cover the incredible, improbable, extraordinary life of the wildly talented and controversial author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and more: Roald Dahl. Get the After Dark episode and more at patreon.com/artofdarkpod or substack.com/@artofdarkpod. x.com/artofdarkpod x.com/abbielucas x.com/kautzmania […] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Send me feedback!Dad Talk is generally politics free zone. I break the rule slightly today to discuss what we can learn about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as the immigration debate rages.SUPPORT THE SHOWGet a 10% discount by using the code LibertyDad BlackGunsMatterOR, use the referral linkRumble Rants: Click green dollar sign during the showRumble Subscription: Click subscribe $5/monthFIND ME ELSEWHERELinktree
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was meant to be a commercial to sell chocolate, but it became life lessons that are stickier than gum, bigger than TV, bigger than greed, and a heavyweight still today. And that's the honest truth.
New Union Street Players President Sarah Bentzinger discusses her excitement to lead Pella's local theatre troupe this year, her background in theatre, and the group's performances of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this winter.
Doug Besterman is a much in-demand orchestrator, arranger, and composer whose works span Broadway, film, television, and concert stages. Doug's been nominated for the Tony Award six times, winning for The Producers, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Fosse. With a career that includes numerous other iconic productions such as Young Frankenstein, Sister Act, and Anastasia, Doug has helped shape the sound of modern musical theater. Recent Broadway credits include Death Becomes Her, SMASH, and BOOP! Internationally, his work has been heard in London, Berlin, and Hamburg in productions such as Rocky, Sister Act, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Guys and Dolls.Doug's film and TV orchestration credits include Mary Poppins Returns, the live action films of Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid, Chicago, Frozen,Smash, and Schmigadoon. He's contributed to countless live broadcasts and awards shows, including the Oscars, Tonys, Emmys, and Kennedy Center Honors.As a composer, Doug has written scores for Breathe, Little Did I Know, The Big One-Oh, and the new musical Crumbs. His arrangements have been performed by extraordinary artists ranging from Barbra Streisand to Beyoncé, and by ensembles including the Boston Pops and the U.S. Military Academy Band. Doug continues to champion musical storytelling across all media, including through the Arrival Arts Initiative.Doug's Website: https://dougbesterman.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DougBestermanMusic/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dougbesterman/ Arrival Arts:Website: https://www.arrivalartsinitiative.org/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577010220015Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arrival_arts_initiative/
TradeThrive - Sales, Marketing & Automations For Contractors
In this episode, I dive into the DDD principle—Do, Document, Delegate—and share why it's such a game-changer for business owners, especially in the home service industry. I break down how I've applied this principle in my own businesses, with real examples of where it's worked and how it can take stress off your plate. I also use a chocolate factory analogy to show how scaling and coaching fit into the picture when you're building efficient systems. This one's all about learning how to run your business instead of letting it run you.Free 1-1 Business Coaching Session Signup: https://calendly.com/dripjobs/breakthroughSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2v0D0SNSBofqJJE6zApEE1DripJobs Demo: https://calendly.com/dripjobsteam/dripjobsdemoGusto: https://gusto.com/i/tanner269OpenPhone: https://openph.one/referral/8Kc17aqFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/173750747824373/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: http://Instagram.com/officialtannermullen
Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. He is the host of the podcast Open Book with Anthony Scaramucci. A graduate of Tufts University and Harvard Law School, he lives in Manhasset, Long Island. Books mentioned in this episode: 1. King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation by Scott Anderson 2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl 3. The Iliad by Homer 4. The Odyssey by Homer 5. The Nazi Mind by Laurence Rees 6. Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O'Neill 7. The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World by Niall Ferguson
Well, well, well... Another episode, another Draft! get saucy with us while we go over our favorite and least favorite sauces.. Get saucier with us as we discuss our favorite and least favorite kids who visited Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory! Eff you, Veruca Salt! And the sauciest we have ever been is in this episode! Movies of the sauciest of saucy varieties, for example, The Pink Cougar, or There's C*m on Mary, or C*m in 60 Seconds. Are they real titles? Did Skuzzy or someone we know come up with these titles? You will have to listen in to find out all the Porn Titles we go over and find out! Wrap yourself before listening to this one, it might be a bit dirty...
It's time for another Mind Gap Podcast! This week, Doug and Justin explore the weirdest food combinations they secretly love and some of their less savory eating habits. The dorks then delve into their main topic of discussing the most traumatizing scenes from kids' movies. Some of the films discussed are The Neverending Story, The Lion King, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Watership Down, E.T., and My Girl. By the end, our guys finally start to figure out why they're carrying around so much emotional baggage! Things are wrapped up with another round of Patch Notes: Real Life Edition, where Doug reads out patch notes for real life and Justin has to decide if they're good or if they should be scrapped as garbage. Check out our YouTube channel where we livestream our new podcast episodes every Tuesday at 8pmCT and our video game stream every Saturday at 8pmCT. Be sure to like and subscribe for this content as well as episode highlights, Doug Watches Awkward Videos, Justin Plays Video games, and more! We have MERCH now! Follow us on all of our social medias and other platforms!
Henry talks with Fox 9 News Anchor Kelsey Carlson about comparing the Minnesota State Fair to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, having a routine, the concern of Amber Alerts and more.
Explore the journey of Milton Hershey, the mind behind the iconic Hershey's brand, as hosts Ben Kinney, Chad Hymes, and Bob Stewart delve into his story. From early failures to industry dominance, discover how Hershey revolutionized candy production and built a thriving community in Pennsylvania. The episode covers his innovations, resilience, and unique approach to business and philanthropy, crafting a legacy beyond chocolate. Tune in to learn how Hershey's vision for quality and community shaped an enduring brand and why chocolate remains a symbol of American entrepreneurship. --------- Connect with the hosts: • Ben Kinney: https://www.BenKinney.com/ • Bob Stewart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/activebob • Chad Hyams: https://ChadHyams.com/ • Book one of our co-hosts for your next event: https://WinMakeGive.com/speakers/ More ways to connect: • Join our Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/winmakegive • Sign up for our weekly newsletter: https://WinMakeGive.com/sign-up • Explore the Win Make Give Podcast Network: https://WinMakeGive.com/ Part of the Win Make Give Podcast Network
Tuesday - Record heat, hot pools, tourist traps, chain steaks, Kratom use and American cuisine. We review the making of the squirrel scene from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for WYDTN. It's Only Money with Scott Brown with Edgewater Family Wealth on where does the 401k go when someone dies and how much money do people all over the world have. Rauce Thoughts on enjoying time away from wife and baby. Plus, JCS News, JCS Trivia & You Heard it Here First.
Love and Torah – what's love got to do with it? This study series is based on the “Two Great Commands” – love Yahweh and love your neighbor. As he begins this lesson, Rabbi Steve Berkson explains that in the Christian world, it is just love and no Torah, and then asks the question, “What does that look like?” He explains that your expression of love toward the Creator is submission, as Messiah Yeshua said, “If you love me, keep my commands.” What does the movie Charlie & the Chocolate Factory have to do with the Kingdom of Elohim? Rabbi Berkson then turns to Psalm 119 to show us the heart of King David and what he wrote about his love for the Torah of Yahweh. Rabbi Berkson once again dissects the words in these passages so that you will have a deeper understanding of what Yah expects of you, so that you can do it and receive the blessings. To learn more about MTOI, please visit our website at https://mtoi.org. https://www.facebook.com/mtoiworldwide https://www.instagram.com/mtoi_worldwide https://www.tiktok.com/@mtoi_worldwide You can contact MTOI by emailing us at admin@mtoi.org or calling 423-250-3020. Join us for Shabbat Services and Torah Study LIVE, streamed on our website, mtoi.org, YouTube, and Rumble every Saturday at 1:15 p.m. and every Friday for Torah Study Live Stream at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time.
The Jim Rome Show HR 3 - 7/7/25 Randy and Jason Sklar discuss the MLB All-Star snubs and have some thoughts on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Apple TV MLS Analyst Taylor Twellman joins the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This week, we look at candy bar advertising. Millions are spent marketing candy bars every year. We'll talk about how the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was owned by a candy company. And we'll reveal whether it really was Phil Collins inside that gorilla costume in that famous Cadbury Dairy Milk commercial.--------Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use codeTERRY at checkout. Download Saily app or go to https://saily.com/terry Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week we discuss a true classic: WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY! We talk about how this is both the definitive version of Willy Wonka (and he also kinda sucks), how the songs all feel like an afterthought, and how much we love Veruca Salt. Produced by Andrew Ivimey as part of The From Superheroes Network Visit www.FromSuperheroes.com for more podcasts, articles, video series, web comics, and more.