Socal Mom by Donna Schwartz Mills

Tales From the Red Carpet

When I was a little girl in the pre-feminist 1960's, it seemed to me that the highest accomplishment a woman could aspire to was... Miss America. And I dreamed of someday wearing her crown.

I eventually realized that I was not going to be tall enough, or slender enough - or pretty enough - to get within 50 feet of a beauty pageant. So my aspirational fantasy evolved: I wanted to win an Academy Award.

I held on to that dream well into adulthood. The problem is, you have to actually accomplish something awesome in movie production to even be nominated, and while I spent a lot of years thinking and outlining and starting screenplays, I never actually finished writing one.

So I downsized my goal to see how many Awards shows I could attend.

This was easier than it sounds. In the 1980s, I had the kind of jobs that gave me entree to the Grammys and People's Choice Awards as a journalist... and attended the Emmys three times as a guest of some nominees (an experience I've written about before).

But I never did make it to the event I think of as the Mother of All Awards Shows: The Oscars.

If the Superbowl is the ultimate viewing and bonding experience for the American male, the Academy Awards plays that part for the American female. And in Los Angeles, Oscar night is something of a municipal holiday. Even out here in the deepest, darkest region of the San Fernando Valley, everyone knows at least one person who's a nominee. When the ceremony was held on Mondays, people left work early so they could watch - and the evening traffic on Oscar night was terrible.

I'm sure that's not the reason why the Academy switched the event to Sundays... but it's certainly made it easier to throw Oscar viewing parties.

As it is, the Academy Awards is one of the few big televised events that West Coasters get to see in real time (unlike the Emmys - and the Vancouver Olympics - which were tape-delayed even though they originated in our time zone. DON'T GET ME STARTED...)

Okay, so you all know how I feel about this. Now you'll know why I didn't hesitate when a representative from Kodak (one of the program's big sponsors) asked me if I was interested in watching the red carpet arrivals from the bleachers.

I figure that unless my daughter realizes her dream of becoming a film director (which simultaneously warms and strikes fear into my heart), this is about as close as I'll ever get to the gold statuette. 

And besides - it will be FUN.

So next Sunday, I'll be live tweeting (#KodakRedCarpet) and taking photos from (near) the Red Carpet as the megastars arrive, and I won't be alone: some of my favorite people in the blogosphere will be there, too. I've compiled a Twitter list of the people I know of who will be with me on the bleachers - follow us all here.

El Nino 2010

I awoke at 5:30 AM this morning to the news that there were already two SigAlerts on SoCal freeways.

That's right: We've been hit by the first of four winter storms expected this week.

This clip - sent to me by my sister - perfectly illustrates what happens in Los Angeles when we get to experience a little "weather." It cracked me up - because it's just so true. (And I am one of the first ones to freak out if I have to drive on wet roads.)

Christmas Spirit - SoCal Style

I'm in a cantankerous mood over at Los Angeles and 50-Something Moms Blogs today. The topic: the ever-earlier beginning of the holiday season.

It's a short post that only touches upon my very mixed feelings about the December holidays. It's short because -- as usual -- I spent Thanksgiving at my sister's home in the Sacramento area, and she doesn't look kindly on it when I hover over my computer when I should be socializing with the family. So the post was dashed off very quickly on Saturday (while she was in the shower).

In that post, I remarked on the fact that the soundtrack of our Thanksgiving meal was a selection of Christmas carols, and this struck me as a little bit strange. For one thing, I don't take my Christmas stuff out of storage until AFTER Thanksgiving. But that brings us to the other thing: We're Jewish.

As a Jewish American, I have always had a strange relationship with the Christmas season. When we were kids, it felt like the entire country was having a party and we weren't invited.

Of course, that's not really how it went. We had our own celebration: Chanukah, which is a nice little holiday. But even a fully lit menorah doesn't hold a candle to the seductive glitz and glitter of an American Christmas, with its shiny ornaments and lights and holly and wreaths and bells and Santa Claus... and all those presents.

It is possible to enjoy the holiday season in America when you're not a Christian - but sometimes you're walking a very fine line. We were not one of those families that put up a tree and called it a "Chanukah Bush." However, we fully participated in our schools' holiday programs (which were allowed to be all about Christmas back then). And while that's where I learned to love Christmas carols, I never felt quite right singing some of them in school choir. My 9-year-old self was so afraid G-d would strike me down if I actually sang all the words in "O Come All Ye Faithful" that I would merely lip sync "Christ the Lord" at the end. 

We opened presents on Chanukah from my parents and grandparents, but there was still the matter of Christmas Day, which can be kind of lonely if you're not invited to enjoy a meal with your friends or neighbors. Most years, my parents would look for some way to distract us: A trip to Disneyland.

Read the rest of this post on my review blog here.

Tonight on PBS: Inventing LA

I have always loved entertainment media, so it surprised no one in 1975 when I declared Radio-Television-Film as my major.

I minored in Journalism. This was also unsurprising, as writing was the one skill I acquired in school that came rather easily to me. As a kid, one of my favorite toys was a little rubber stamp "printing press," which I used to publish a "newspaper" circulated among our immediate family and friends.

And don't forget that this was the Watergate era. J-schools were filling up with idealistic young students like me, who looked upon Woodward and Bernstein as heroes.

By this time, my transfer from UCLA to CSUN was permanent (although I did not realize it for another couple of years). We were fortunate that our faculty included a number of working reporters from local station KNBC... and the Los Angeles Times.

We did have a couple of other papers in the area, including the Los Angeles Herald Examiner and the Van Nuys-based Daily News (which at the time was owned by the Chicago Tribune). But for all intents and purposes, L.A. was -- and remains -- a one-newspaper town. And, as you will see on "Inventing LA," tonight's edition of POV on PBS, the fortunes of the city and its newspaper have been intertwined for more than a century.

This is must-viewing for anyone with an interest in the history of our region and how it came to be.

"Inventing LA" was one of the programs showcased at the PBS press tour back in August, and one of the ones I was most looking forward to. It recalls a period in history when newspapers were nothing less than the lifeblood of the community (which may be hard for younger audiences to fathom, now that the Internet has democratized and globalized news gathering).

But the history of the newspaper isn't just a story about media, or even of a city --  and might make for very dry viewing. What sets this documentary apart is its focus on the heirs of founder Harrison Gray Otis and his son-in-law, Harry Chandler... and is a fascinating portrait of a real-life "Dynasty." For all of the 20th Century, the Chandlers were the most powerful family in Los Angeles. The documentary tells the very personal story of the simultaneous rise of the city and the paper -- and the family feud sparked by third generation publisher Otis Chandler's quest to remake their publication into a paper of record. Otis succeeded, but in the end, the family voted to sell the jewel of their corporate crown to the Tribune Company. It has never been the same.

The documentary features interviews with several family members and former Times employees, including Otis' son Harry Brant Chandler and Tom Johnston, who replaced Otis as publisher in 1980. Both were present to answer reporters' questions at the PBS Press tour.

According to Harry, the documentary (which actually premiered earlier this year at the Santa Barbara Film Festival) "caused a few earthquakes in the family, but nothing that wasn’t anticipated." 

Harry spoke about his father's legacy: "He served well for 20 years as publisher but another side of him had a Harley Davidson heart and he wanted to have his own life. He got tired of fighting the family. I think he finally had enough and stopped fighting. He left and surprised a lot of people."

Tom Johnson agreed with that assessment. "I regret very deeply that Otis allowed himself to be pushed aside," he said. "I think he could have kept the paper from being sold." 

One of the final questions concerned the paper's legacy: Would Los Angeles have been better off if there had been no Chandlers?

Johnson: "I think in many ways this would still be a desert without the Chandlers... Without the power of the Chandlers and the Times and all the interconnectedness, Southern California would not be what it is today with its great strengths as well as weaknesses." 

DISCLOSURE: I do not consider myself a journalist. I did not tape record the press conference in August, so quotes above were taken from my fast notes... and while I believe I came home with a pretty accurate impression of the panelists' answers, they are not a word-for-word transcription.

I did not promise PBS I would write a post about this program and did not receive any monetary compensation for it. As someone with an interest in local history (and a rather large collection of books about Los Angeles), I found the subject matter fascinating and having viewed it already on a screener supplied by PBS, I think it lives up to its promise and is worthy of sharing here.

Halloween Fun at SoCal Attractions

It's October, which used to mean cooler days, fallen leaves and (oh yes)... trick or treating at the end of the month, which when I was a kid, was kind of an afterthought.

Somewhere along the way, Halloween became one of the country's major holidays, with chains of stores devoted to the event, and elaborate decorations that rival anything families put up at Christmas.

And so, Southern California's many themed attractions also get into the act. Here's a rundown of some of the spooky fun you can have in the area's theme parks:

Knotts Berry Farm - Our oldest major theme park has also been doing the Halloween theme the longest (since 1972). The 37th edition of "Knotts Scary Farm" opened last weekend, and it's not for the faint of heart. The folks at Knotts are serious when they describe their Halloween festivities as "adult scare entertainment": they do not recommend it for children under the age of 13 (or people like me, I'm afraid). But if you're into that, you'll probably love the mazes with titles like ""Doll Factory," "Lockdown: The Asylum," "The Slaughterhouse" and "Club Blood."

Mazes are also big at two other parks that are clearly going after the teen/young adult market.

I love the tagline for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios: "You'll Wish it Were Just a Movie."

They've taken their Hollywood connection and put it to use in their mazes, with traps from "Saw," an appearance by Michael Myer from the "Halloween" horror series (of course!), flesh-eating zombies from "Shaun of the Dead" and the masked miner from "My Bloody Valentine."

Entertainment includes a Bill and Ted Show, and a tribute to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (which is actually something I'd like to see).

And of course, there's still the tour, which takes place this month on a  backlot "Terror Tram."

Beginning tonight, you'll be able to thrill to Magic Mountain's Fright Fest: more mazes, roaming zombies, and scary clowns. Unlike Knotts, Magic Mountain is offering a Trick or Treat Trail, Scaryoke and Costume Contest for younger kids.

Note: Only children ages 12 & under are allowed to wear costumes to Six Flags Magic Mountain. No scary/gory costumes are allowed.

Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort: The mother of all SoCal theme parks jumps on the Halloween bandwagon in a big way. They've spooked up some of their most popular rides, decorated the park with pumpkins and ghosts and come up with spectacular new shows. I actually got a chance to experience this one last weekend - read all about it here.

Sea World Spooktacular: If live near San Diego, you won't want to miss the Halloween festivities at the home of Shamu, where you can commune with Sesame Street stars in costume, Clyde and Seamore's take on MJ's "Thriller" and trick-or-treating around the park. The party kicks off tonight with a special appearance by Jack Hanna.

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My Kid Gets a Cooking Lesson from a Master Chef

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There's a bit of light at the end of our home renovation tunnel: the kitchen cabinets are done and ready to be installed. The area's been re-plumbed. The electrician arrives today to upgrade our circuits. And I've been reading food magazines and cookbooks -- for fun. This is something I did when Gareth and I were first married... before I had this blog for my creative outlet. Back then, I would spend hours planning meals and anticipating their outcome.  Somewhere amid the piles of books and boxes piled up in our home is a collection of sauce-stained Bon Appetit magazines going back some 15 years. Is it any wonder that I packed on 60 pounds in the first 14 years of our marriage?

I admit that in recent years, I hadn't spent a lot of time in our old kitchen. With the kid's crazy schedule and my radical low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie weight loss diet, it felt kind of pointless.

And since our home renovation began, we've been living on nothing but frozen food and take-out.

A couple of times a week, I make it a point to shop at Gelson's. It's pricey... but they have gorgeous produce, excellent service and one of the best take-out counters in town -- including a mini-Wolfgang Puck cafe. My husband and I love the ready-made Chinese chicken salad (which Puck invented at his Chinois restaurant) -- and once you've tasted his Caesar dressing, you'll never buy Wishbone again.

Then, there's his famous pizza. My daughter can't get enough of it, and I am unable to leave Gelson's until we've ordered her a kid's pepperoni -- which she eats in the car on the way home.

Wolfgang Puck has been synonymous with pizza for such a long time that I think people have forgotten how radical it seemed when he left Ma Maison (THE chic restaurant of choice for 1970's Hollywood) and made a pizza oven the centerpiece of Spago -- which quickly became the chic restaurant of choice in the 1980's.

So I guess you could say I'm a longtime fan, and when I was invited to bring my daughter to meet him at a blogger event at his casual L.A. Bistro, how could I refuse? The purpose of the gathering was to taste samples from his line of frozen pizzas, and I was urged to bring a friend along. I invited my buddy, Mary Ellen, whose eldest daughter is one of my kid's best friends.

Mary Ellen is a fan of Puck's, too -- but I got the feeling that our girls would have been more excited if the celebrity chef in question was someone they've seen on television, like Gordon Ramsay.

"He invented the California pizza," Mary Ellen told them. No reaction from our jaded little teenagers.

"He does all the food for the Oscars," I told them. That seemed to make just a little impression; they perked up a little.

I reminisced that one of my biggest regrets about leaving the Tonight Show when I did was that I missed the fabulous wrap party, which was held at Johnny Carson's house and catered by Puck -- who personally served some of the dishes. "If I'd only known he was going to retire, I'd have stuck it out two more years," I sighed.

The restaurant in Westlake Village was nearly empty when we arrived, just before noon. We were led to a long table set up near the exhibition kitchen, and were eventually joined by about a half dozen more bloggers and writers (and their families)... so many of us that the staff had to add several tables.

The kids were each given a chef's jacket with the logo for Puck's food empire. They all looked adorable (especially some of the younger ones).

Wolfgang Puck entered his restaurant with his wife and three of his sons. I was surprised at his youthful appearance (he definitely doesn't look like a man of 60). He apologized for being late and made it a point to shake hands and introduce himself and shake hands with each and every one of us.

"First, we need to clear the table," Puck announced. In an instant, the wait staff was there, removing all the settings they had just laid. I got the feeling they didn't know what was planned for us, either.

"You kids are going to make your own pizza," the chef said. He passed around a small towel and instructed the children to wipe their tables clean. Then, he sprinkled flour in front of each of the kids and instructed them to use their hands to spread it over their tables. 

The waiters returned with plates of pizza dough. Puck placed a dough ball in front of each child and showed them how to knead and fashion it into a round for the crust.

I was surprised at the man's energy -- and how well he related to the kids. He had remembered all their names, and chatted easily with them as he spooned a little marinara sauce on their crusts. I couldn't imagine Gordon Ramsay having that kind of patience.

"Who likes their pizza with cheese?" he asked. A number of little hands went up. "Who likes pepperoni?" A few hands remained in the air. "Who likes smoked salmon pizza?" Only the parents' hands went up for that one.

The wait staff whisked the kids' pizzas into the oven and led them to another long table that was now set for them to eat. Mind you, all of this was going on during a normal lunch service. By now, there were lots of diners watching us and wondering what was going on. After all, you don't walk into one of Puck's many restaurants and expect to see the man himself. You certainly don't expect him to see him give a cooking lesson to a bunch of kids in chef's gear.

The pizzas were ready and served to the kids. In the meantime, several full pizzas were placed on another table. These were the frozen ones: We sampled the Four-Cheese Tomato, the Four-Cheese Tomato Pesto and the Barbecued Chicken.

They were GOOD (especially the pesto one). Not as good as the fresh one my daughter made (of course, I sampled that too!) -- but they were really tasty. I would not be ashamed to serve one as an appetizer at a cocktail party... and I just may buy a couple to keep on hand just in case.

I chatted with Stephanie, Puck's publicist who invited me to the event. She wanted to be certain I knew that the company's philosophy of using fresh local and organic ingredients extended to their commercial products (as much as possible). She also told me of his work with school districts to upgrade school lunches to include fresher, more nutritious ingredients.

"How does he get the tomatoes to taste so fresh after being frozen?" asked my friend Mary Ellen.

That , it turns out, is a trade secret Stephanie wasn't about to spill.

We turned around and discovered that the staff had set our original table. Puck invited the parents to sit an enjoy a taste from the restaurant menu: Chinois chicken and Caesar salads (yup - the same ones I buy at Gelson's), and main dishes ranging from steak to goulash to salmon. The meal was finished with a couple of the restaurant's signature dessert -- vanilla bean cheesecake with berries, and a slice of lemon coconut cake.

We walked out of there happy and full - and with a goodie bag that included a copy "Wolfgang Puck Makes it Easy," a cookbook that included recipes for some of the great food we tasted.

"Is the recipe for the pizza dough in there?" my daughter asked.

It sure is. And with the new kitchen (and a nice new range!) coming closer to reality, it won't be long before I can once again spend afternoons putting together a nice meal. Even pizza.

DISCLOSURE: I received no monetary compensation for writing this post. I was fed a fabulous meal and walked out of the restaurant with a can of soup, a pound of coffee, a sample of Puck's iced coffee drink, a restaurant gift card (denomination unmarked), two coupons for free frozen pizza and the aforementioned cookbook. The experience of meeting the chef and observing him teach those kids to cook was priceless.

Things to Do This Summer: The Getty Center

Thanks to the ongoing construction zone that is my home, we did not take my mum-in-law on as many sightseeing jaunts as we'd planned for her recent visit. But I did manage the drive down the 405 to the Getty Center.

Aside from being the best-endowed art museum in the world, the Getty offers great value for harried moms trying to figure out what to do with their bored kids this summer: For one thing, admission to the museum and grounds is ALWAYS FREE. (Note: That goes for the Center's sister facility in Malibu.)

Yes, you do have to pay $10* to park -- but you can spend that same ten bucks whether you are arriving solo or carrying a mini-van full of kids -- who will enjoy the tram ride up the hill to the museum complex. It may not be Disneyland... but it's a heckuva lot cheaper! 

The museum curators have come up with a full program of events and activities tailored for families, sure to entertain your young ones while giving them a taste for fine art. These include a "Family Room" with hands-on art activities, family tours, "art cards" which challenge your kids to solve a "mystery" as they explore the galleries and more.

This summer, the museum is scheduling "Family Art Stops" (described as "a half hour hands on gallery experience geared for families with children ages 5 and up)"  "Tuesday through Friday at 2:00 p.m.

Weekends are especially heavy with family events at the Getty, with gallery tours every Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m., "Art Lab" workshops running from 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Garden Concerts for Kids from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

My mother-in-law was actually kind of bored with the paintings - but she loves a good garden, and the one at the Getty was commissioned as a work of art. There's a nice, rolling lawn where the kids can let loose a little, while you can relax and enjoy the gorgeous flowers and city view.

There are plenty of spaces to dine outdoors. You are free to bring your own lunch and set up in the picnic area outside the tram station, or you can take advantage of healthy offerings in The Cafe. And if you feel like splurging with all that money you saved on Disneyland admissions, you can enjoy a gourmet meal in The Restaurant. (If you do choose the latter, be sure to ask the maitre'd for the kids' menu. It's not listed on the website nor displayed in the dining room, but they DO have one!)

Now that my daughter will NOT be spending all of her time at the gym, I have a feeling we'll be taking advantage of more cultural activities like the ones at the Getty. After all, the price is right...

*NOTE: ONE HOUR AFTER PUBLISHING THIS POST, I WAS FORWARDED THE FOLLOWING PRESS RELEASE FROM THE GETTY:

GETTY ANNOUNCES NEW PARKING FEES

LOS ANGELES-The J. Paul Getty Trust today announced parking rates at both the Getty Center and Getty Villa will increase to $15 effective July 1, but parking at both sites will be free for evening programs after 5pm. Admission remains free. [STILL A BARGAIN, IN MY OPINION.]

Visitors attending evening events throughout the week, including theater, music, film, lectures, and other special programs at both the Getty Center and Getty Villa, will be able to park free after 5pm.

Museum visitors also can take advantage of free parking after 5pm on Saturdays at the Getty Center, when the Museum remains open until 9pm.

The Getty Center is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10am to 5:30pm, except for Saturday, when the Museum and the Restaurant are open until 9pm. No parking reservations are necessary. Museum admission is always free.

The Getty Villa is open Thursday-Monday, 10am to 5pm. Admission is free, but advance timed tickets are required. Tickets are available at www.getty.edu or (310) 440-7300. Same day tickets are frequently available.

For an up-to-date calendar of events, and complete information on visiting the Getty Center or Getty Villa, visit www.getty.edu.

Coyotes!

My British mum-in-law is bemused by much of what she's seen so far in SoCal.

She thought it strange that we don't let our cats out to roam the neighborhood - until my husband told her about the presence of bears and coyotes in the hills above our home.

He snapped this photo last month while he was on a job site in Malibu. The canine with the large canines was just yawning (whew!) and seemed uninterested in him or his Honda (they were about 30 feet away; gotta love good zoom cameras).

Coincidentally, right after our conversation about coyotes, I received a press release from my friends at KCET, announcing that they will be the subject of this week's episode of Socal Connected:

Once thought to be inhabitants of hillside canyon communities alone, coyotes have not been a major threat in Southern California.  But, as Judy Muller reports in “Urban Coyote,” that may be changing.  Recently, coyote attacks have been on the rise, particularly in communities such as Huntington Beach, Long Beach, neighborhoods surrounding Griffith Park, Sherman Oaks, Studio City and Woodland Hills.  What can you do to protect yourself, your family and your pets, and what does this mean to Southern California?...

...Experts have several recommendations on how to prevent a coyote attack.  Some tips include:
•    Keep cats and small dogs inside (indoor pets live an average of at least ten years longer) and never leave them unattended outside
•    Never leave pet food or water outdoors
•    Clean up fallen fruit from your trees (coyotes particularly like peaches and avocados)

The show will air on KCET Thursday night at 8:00 (and repeats on Friday at 8:30). My mum-in-law and I will be watching.

It's A Small World After All

 A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that I'd spent Saturday at Disneyland. The occasion was an opportunity to preview the update of the classic ride, "It's a Small World," which reopened today after a renovation that took nearly a year.

Several folks (including writers and bloggers for family websites) were invited to check out the changes... and potentially appear in a Disney promotional video.

"We're going to have to go on the ride three or four times in a row," I warned my 12-year-old. "Are you OK with that?"

She nodded. She figured it was a small price to pay for a shot at fame and fortune on TV... and a day at the park.

"And you need to look like you're enjoying it!" I added.

"Will I be on Disney Channel?" she asked. I indicated it was possible (after all - ANYTHING is possible).

"It's a Small World" is the kind of Disneyland attraction you tend to either love or hate -- with no in-between. You can't argue with its message: that we are all family together on this earth and as such, we need to learn to understand one another and all get along. I know I got that message back in 1965, when I first saw this ride at the New York World's Fair (where it debuted the previous year -- it was transplanted to Disneyland in '66).

But by the time I was my daughter's age, I'd decided that enjoying "It's a Small World" simply wasn't cool. For one thing, there was that song: the mother of all earworms, written by the Sherman Brothers, who are masters of catchy tunes you can't get out of your head. (Listen to a number of 1960's era Disney soundtracks - like "Mary Poppins," "Jungle Book" and "Winnie the Pooh" and you'll know what I mean. If you have small children at home, you likely already do.)

And then there was my mom.

My mom LOVES "It's a Small World," and would have a fit if anyone suggested we skip it one trip. And when you're a teenager, anything your mom loves is AUTOMATICALLY uncool.

I carried those feelings well into adulthood... until I had a child of my own.

Megan was just 18 months old the first time I took her to Disneyland, on a Sunday after I'd finished a particularly grueling week at work. She was still in a stroller, and so young that she got in free... but she was also too little to get much out of any of the rides...

...except for "It's a Small World." I left her stroller outside the attraction, carried her into the little boat, and watched her eyes grow wide as we floated through the gentle ride with the happy music and doll-like figures. She was delighted by it -- and so was I. I was able to experience it with new appreciation.

As the years went by, I discovered something else about "It's a Small World," and this is one of those insider secrets that is the reason people read blogs like mine, so listen closely: The attraction is on the lengthy side, and it's got great air conditioning. So if you've been at the park for hours, and your feet are getting tired and it's a REALLY HOT summer day... "It's a Small World" will allow you to rest in cool, cool comfort for a full 12 minutes (or longer!)

Other rest-your-feet attractions are the Disneyland Railroad that will take you from one land to another around the park... "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience"... and Star Tours.

But I digress. The point of this post is to tell you about the ride.

One of the first things we noticed was that the old fiberglass boats have been replaced by ones of molded plastic (think of the Little Tikes line of backyard play equipment). While I miss the old boats, these are apparently sturdier and easier to maintain. (I saw a post online where someone speculated that the new boats are also bigger to accommodate the fact that Americans on average weigh more than they did in the 1960's. Disney denies that rumor -- but it would make sense.)

The next thing we noticed was that Disney characters now appear among the ride's children of the world: Peter Pan and Tinkerbell in London, Pinocchio in Italy, Lilo and Stich in the South Pacific, etc. Disney says the ride features a total of 29 Disney and Disney Pixar characters. I don't remember seeing nearly that number -- so I suppose that will be my challenge on my next visit to the park.

It is possible that some of the characters had not been placed yet when we saw our preview, as it was obvious that park employees were still putting finishing touches on it... there were cans of paint and brushes, ladders, bubble wrap and other debris scattered in corners around the ride (which I began noticing during the second go-round).

The other huge change is the addition of the United States as one of the countries of the world. In the original version of the ride, the US was represented at the end with (in 1964 vernacular) a little cowboy and Indian. Now, there is a nicely sized representation of a cornfield (I guess they chose the Midwest), as well as a depiction of Hollywood. You can get a feel for how it looks in the video below:

I know people who don't like it when you mess with the classics. Some are complaining that the new configuration negates the original "peace on earth/let's all understand one another" message of the attraction, and accusing Disney of injecting marketing into it by the inclusion of the characters.

I really think folks should lighten up. It's a theme park. It's entertainment. Does Disney integrate the rides with all their other products and market to its guests? Yeah. That's just good business, and the company would be crazy NOT to do that. There is a reason why my parents introduced me to the classic Disney films and that I in turn did the same with my daughter.

That does not mean that I enjoy finding myself in a gift shop before I can exit every attraction, or that I'm being tempted to purchase family photographs whenever we get off a thrill ride... but I'm pretty good at saying "no." Lately, I tell my daughter that she can purchase any souvenirs with her own money, and that works like a charm.

When we'd finished the ride, one of the Disney crew asked my daughter if she wanted to appear on camera for an interview... and she came down with a sudden case of shyness. "I thought you wanted to be on Disney Channel," I coaxed. She changed her mind.

I ended up doing the interview, but I'm pretty sure they won't use it. I told them about thinking the ride was uncool when I was a kid. Somehow, I don't think that's the message they want out there.

Disney On a Diet

We spent Saturday at Disneyland, which might be - as they say - the happiest place on earth... but hasn't always been so for people on a diet. Sure, you can bring your own food into the park and stow it in a rented locker...

... but the place is SO BIG, and you spend so much time walking from one end to the other, that you may not feel like heading back to the locker when hunger strikes. And that tends to occur a lot, because everywhere you turn, there are kiosks selling delightful smelling churros, ice cream, popcorn, hot dogs, etc., etc., etc.

This problem is doubled if you hold a "park-hopper" ticket, which allows you to wander freely from the original Disneyland to its younger sibling, California Adventure.

There are plenty of sit-down dining options, too - which traditionally offered fare like hamburgers, pizza and fries.

But a couple of years ago, the Walt Disney Company announced a new directive to provide healthier kids' meals for their guests. "This is a terrific initiative because it makes it easier for parents, even while on vacation, to provide their children with a well-balanced meal with kid appeal," Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said at the time. "An overwhelming majority of parents tell us they prefer the more nutritious meals for their children over other options."

The change is noticeable: from fresh fruit cups sold at some of the kiosks alongside the sweets... to a child's spaghetti lunch that includes a nice piece of poached chicken and apple slices.

And from what I've seen, the directive to improve the nutritional offerings for kids has spilled over to adult meals. With a little planning, you can get through an entire day at Disney without straying from your diet... if you so choose.

Below is an informal rundown of your best bets in both parks: