Amy's Favorite Things: Flashback

It's been quite a long time (so long that it's almost embarrassing) since I've been able to sit down and write something here.  Long story short, life threw me a couple big curve balls, and then with the holidays and catching the worst cold I've had in forever, it was just a lost cause as far as finding time to write!  But here I am, happy to be back with one of my favorite things to share with you.

I'm pretty sure that the pictures for this post probably won't be too exciting for anyone but me, but I'm still excited to share them with you because they are about Disney, albeit a part of Disney that most people don't know anything about: Flashback!  It's the annual production put on by groups of Cast Members from throughout the Disneyland Resort to raise money for the benefit of local charities.  Basically all of the different departments at The Resort are grouped into teams, and each team puts together a "mini-musical" of sorts.  It was one of my favorite things to be a part of because you meet people from all over the entire resort.  It's an experience filled with amazing friendships and awesome memories.

Here's a great little video that Disney Parks posted on YouTube last year around Flashback time:

Yup, that's me on the Hyperion Stage in the cloak with the roses!  The cloak, by the way, was a costume piece that was used in the production of "Beauty & The Beast: Live on Stage" at Disneyland from 1992-1995!

The show is performed in the Hyperion Theater in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot at Disney California Adventure Park, which being a true Disney nerd and having a love of performing, is such an awesome stage to get to perform on, plus (and most importantly) and all the proceeds from ticket sales go to local charities and the Cast Members VoluntEARS hours go to the Disney VOluntEARS program.  The very first Flashback started in 1998 and was held in the Golden Horseshoe at Disneyland Park, which is a much smaller stage, to say the least!

Each year there is a theme chosen to help coordinate all the teams shows.  Leadership teams are formed from Cast Members who write the scripts and pick music, come up with choreography and direct the casts in rehearsals.  The last year that I participated, the theme was "Flashback On Broadway", and our team's show was Twilight Zone: The Musical.

This picture shows some of the rehearsal silliness.  Rehearsals, though lots of hard work were also so much fun.  Here we were working on some blocking, and I was practicing my cheesy pose to hold while the narrator was talking.  Pretty cheesy, right?  I think we all have the overly-dramatic/cheesy pose down!

Rehearsals were held nightly in the rehearsal halls; Monday-Thursday from about 8:30-11:30pm.  Keep in mind, this was all volunteer time, and for me and the others, was usually after a long day including school and a working a shift in The Parks.

Before performance night, we'd have a "play day," where we would get to take the kids that are a part of the charities benefiting from Flashback that year, into The Parks for a day of fun.  That was always a fantastic time because for most of the kids, it was their first time at Disneyland!  Getting to experience the magic through their eyes was priceless!

On performance we have a panel of judges who determines which team has the most impressive production in terms of theming, choreography, vocal performance, and overall entertainment value.  My last year we did really well, and it was by far one of my favorite shows I've ever been a part of.

My character's name was Lola; I was basically a city-witch type character who placed a curse upon a man so that throughout his day everyone would spontaneously break out into song and dance.

This picture is of the main characters for the 2004 Orange Team cast: Marci Dodd (those who have seen the National Touring Cast or '07-'09 Los Angeles production of "Wicked" may recognize her; she went on from Disney to play some great Broadway roles including Nessarose and understudy for Elphaba in "Wicked"!), the amazingly talented and dear friend Jason Hammond, little ole' me, K.J. Van Nevel, and Christian Leon

In this picture I'm posing with a fellow cast member, Jon, who directed every Flashback team I was on, and wrote the shows as well.  Such a talented guy!  And P.S. - Just ignore the time stamps on all these pictures, it was WAY off!

I am so silly!  This is me hanging out in the Hollywood Backlot after the show, doing my best Vanna White impersonation of the Flashback sign affixed to a limo parked near the Hyperion.

This was one of my all-time favorite experiences while working for Disney.  Having the opportunity to be a part of raising a whole lot of money for places like the Boys & Girls Club of Anaheim, The United Way, and Special Olympics Orange County was such an honor, and doing it in such a fun place with some of the most awesome people I've ever met was absolutely amazing!  Even today, I still try to make it to the show if I can, because I know how much hard work, dedication and love goes into each show.

In fact, it's that time of year again!  The Flashback Kick-off was Monday night and Disneyland Resort Cast Members have begun rehearsals for this year's Flashback, and ticket pre-sales are already underway.  One of the friends I made back in my Flashback days, Binh, has been the highest ticket seller for this event for the past two years, and she'd love to go for a three-peat as the top ticket seller this year, too!  But, she needs our help in selling Flashback pre-sale tickets!  Here is all the information you might need to know:

Show dates & times: Wednesday, March 7th & Thursday, March 8th at 8:00pm
Location: The Hyperion Theater inside of Disney California Adventure Park
Ticket Prices: $20 - Orchestra, $16 - Mezzanine, and $11 - Balcony
When ticket money is due: Wednesday, January 18th

The Charities benefiting from your ticket purchases: Orangewood Children's Foundation and Halcyon Anaheim Interfaith Homeless Shelter (they are pretty awesome charities, check them out!).  This year's theme is "Flashback at Play"!  If you're interested but need help telling your friends/family/date what Flashback is about so you can convince them to come with you, they have a website you can check out and share.

Also, keep in mind that if you're unable to attend you can still donate to a ticket and contribute to two great local charities!

If you're interested in attending or supporting flashback, connect with me on twitter (@amyululani) and I can get you connected with my friend Binh to make that happen.

So there you have it!  One of my favorite experiences from my Cast Member days and my favorite thing for this post.  I want to wish the 2012 Cast and Production Team all the best as you prepare for this year's show, and as they say on stage, break a leg!

Amy's Favorite Things: Scrump

Perhaps it's my Hawaiian heritage that allowed me to really connect with this movie, but "Lilo & Stitch" is one of the Disney flicks I love and never seem to tire of watching.  It also provides my favorite thing for this post:  Scrump!

What I love most about Scrump is that she's not necessarily the most beautiful looking doll, but Lilo still loves her, whether she's as nice as the dolls the other little girls have or not; Lilo made her out of love.  She's not the world's most perfect doll, but she's the world's most perfect doll for Lilo!  She has crooked stitching for a mouth, two different-sized buttons for eyes, a lop-sided head and a few pieces of scraggly hair.  I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel that way (LOL)!  And I love the story that Lilo has for her.  "This is Scrump," Lilo says at one point in the movie when she's introducing her doll to the other girls.  "I made her.  But her head is too big, so I pretended that a bug laid eggs in her ear, and she's upset because she has only a few more days to...", and that's when the other girls disappear, disgusted by the doll.  Upset, Lilo throws the doll and starts to run off, but then comes back, grabs Scrump and squeezes her tightly.  Lilo loves Scrump no matter what.  It's a love we all can hope for.

Now the real reason behind why Scrump is my favorite lies with a story about another little girl.  The summer after my senior year of high school, some neighbors we had at the time who were very close friends of ours were foster parents.  They had fostered dozens of kids over the years and had adopted two, a little boy and girl.  One day in July, they received a call that a baby girl had been abandoned at the hospital and was going to need to be placed in foster care, and it appeared that it would be a pretty easy case for foster-adopt if they were interested.  They told the social worker that they were interested and made their way to the hospital to bring home the tiniest baby I've ever seen.  I remember seeing her when they got home from the hospital and being afraid of breaking her if I touched her, she looked so fragile.  But from that first moment I held her, there was some sort of special connection between us.  While going through the hoops required for the foster-adopting, I even went through the Live Scan process so that I could babysit. I became her "second mommy," as she called me.  I started taking her to The Park with me as a baby, and eventually decided to splurge and got her an annual pass for a few years.  It's amazing how quickly she became as fascinated by all things Disney as I am!

Just look at the way she is gazing at Mickey.  Love at first sight!

She was about four years old when the "Lilo & Stitch" movie came out.  Of course, we watched it together many times.  We had been playing at The Park one day when I discovered The Emporium was selling merchandise from "Lilo & Stitch".  We were both checking out the display of new toys when both of us reached out and  grabbed Scrump at the same time.  That was that!  We both left The Park that day the proud new owners of Scrump dolls of our very own.  When I thought about it, Paulie was like my own little Lilo, and those dolls became a special part of our relationship.

Even as Paulie grew up and got rid of old stuffed animals and dolls, I noticed that she always kept her Scrump doll.  Her family has moved away and I don't get to see her as often, but the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Paulie is Scrump, and all the fun times that we had together taking Scrump on our different adventures through The Park.

I'm not sure if she still has her Scrump doll, but I still have mine, and I have continued to love that funky little doll.  Every time I look at her I think of little Paulie and all the fun we had together, but most importantly I think of love.

And that is why Scrump, as unconventional as she might be, is one of my favorite things.

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Chad (AND Amy's) Favorite Things: Goofy's Sour Balls

Various Goofy's Candy Co. selections on display

After standing idly by while Amy and Mark have been doing their own "Favorite Things" posts, I decided it was high time for me to get into the act!

Unfortunately this created a bit of a power struggle within the organization as once word got out about my choice, Amy claimed to have liked my favorite "much longer than me", so I had to include her in my post.  Darnit!  But, it's all good, and I do mean Goofy's Sour Balls good!  I've recently become addicted to these little balls of wonder (there are currently two bags of them floating around my house and one in my car), and since it was because of Amy that I am, I guess I can include her in this one.

Up until quite recently, I was a taffy kind of guy.  No trip into The Park would be complete without a trip into the Main St. Candy Palace to replenish my stock, but this all changed during "Family Fun Weekends" while we were in line for some Character Meet and Greets.  We had been line for quite a while, so Amy left to go find some snackage for herself.  Care to take a guess what she came back with?  Between the three of us we had killed the entire bag within minutes.  Not the healthiest of things to do, to be sure, but I've been hooked ever since.

I won't bore you with all the details about what makes a sour ball a sour ball (you bite into them and they're sour; seems pretty self-explanatory) but I think what I like about these particular sour balls is that they are in fact quite soft when you bite into them; not quite like a gummy worm but much softer than a "Lemon-Head" or the like.  They come in several flavors:  Lemon, Lime, Orange, Cherry and Grape.  The bags themselves will run you $3.45, which isn't bad at all when you think about it, and you have a couple of choices from which to choose.  You can buy bags that consist of only Cherry-flavored sour balls, or you can go for the assorted bag (which we always do) which have all of the flavors I listed above.  Unfortunately, Cherry is the only flavor special enough to have a bag all on its own, but Amy and I are both dreaming of the day when Grape will be allowed to as well.

So, where you can buy this candy of choice for the Days In The Park team?  The question that might be better posed is, "Where can't you buy Goofy's Sour Balls?"  If it's a store, and it's at The Resort, then very likely they have a candy section and if they do, you're almost assured of finding the entire line-up of Goofy's Candy Co goodies, and that includes the sour balls.  They're everywhere!

If you're a fan of sour candy in general (some aren't we realize) then we think you'll be very pleased with Goofy's Sour Balls.  They're really flavorful, not overbearing (like an "Atomic Warhead" or something that's out to kill you on purpose), and an entire bag will typically last your family for quite a bit (unless you're like us and your addiction is full-blown).  This particular Park sweet comes highly recommended by all of us (even though it is my favorite).

Now, if you'll excuse me, my saliva glands are in full effect and I need to go eat some sour balls.

Amy likes to torture me by texting me random pics of opened bags of MY favorite thing

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Amy's Favorite Things: Tulip Time!

There are few places that experience the kind of landscaping changes that Disneyland Park does.  I think it's one of the things that makes The Park a special place.  Every time you come, if you're observant, you will notice new flowers and plants.  The plants change minimally with every season.

This, of course, brings me to another of my favorite things that comes in a very short period of time between late winter and early spring:  Tulip time!

Once January ends, I am always on tulip patrol, anxiously awaiting the planting of the new tulips for that particular year.

Something about the process of the flowers blooming is quite intriguing to me.  I'm not sure if it's the color of the flowers or their shape; they fascinate me so!  I know that the next time I am at The Park, there will be more blossoms.  And the anxiousness of how long into the season they will last is one that keeps me on my toes, and each time I enter into Town Square, the first thing I do is check to see if they are still there.

What colors will we have this year?  Last year they planted an assortment of purplish-pink and white tulips and this year it looks like there will be yellow tulips in Town Square.

I know it is said that we should take the time to stop and smell the roses, but perhaps in anticipation of springtime, sunshine, and blue skies, we should take some time to stop and enjoy the beautiful tulips.  So that's exactly what I'm going to do; stop now, and let you enjoy the tulips!

***These pictures are a last minute addition of the most recent shots I have... took them this morning and absolutely love them. When I saw all the new flowers I did a little happy dance. Oh yes, tulips are one of my favorite things! Aren't they beautiful?!

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Amy's Favorite Things: Cinnamon Tea Lattes

We're taking a slight break (unforeseen) from our usual Saturday Slow-Down posts (and our final one from the Animation Building) this week.  We hope to pick that up again next week.  In the meantime, enjoy a brand new Amy's Favorite Things instead!  Yummy!!!

The last time we met for "Amy's Favorite Things," I introduced you to the amazing Cream Cheese Pretzels.  I also made brief mention of another one of my favorite things at The Park, as it was in the picture with the pretzels, the Cinnamon Tea Latte!

The Cinnamon Tea Latte is my preferred hot beverage of choice in The Park. They are the perfect way to warm up on a cold day or chilly evening.  Sometimes I'll even grab one for the ride home!  You can purchase one at the Market House, and currently they are priced at $2.69 a cup.

I was first introduced to them by a friend who referred to it as "crack in a cup", and upon my first sip, I realized why.  First of all, they are highly addictive.  As soon as finished the last drop, I wanted another one.  I'm not going to lie, there have been particular nights where I've had two.  And there may or may not have been one time that I consumed three in one day.  Like I said, I discovered pretty quickly how it got the nickname "crack in a cup"!  The second reason is that they are quite sweet.  It probably doesn't help that The Market House always has some fabulous looking cookies that are hard to resist (and it's not unusual for me to grab a white chocolate chip raspberry cookie while there as well), but the Chai tea-lover in me always enjoys every last drop.  While hot and sweet, what I especially like about the Cinnamon Tea Lattes is that it doesn't give me that caffeinated-kick that will keep me up all night long like a cup of "leaded" coffee does.

A word of warning:  Don't be surprised to find a long line in the Market House.  Evenings especially tend to be a busy time there, as well.  But when I'm desperate for something sweet and tasty to warm me up, that first sip is worth the wait!  So next time you're in The Park and looking for something new to try, drop into The Market House and order a Cinnamon Tea Latte, find your favorite spot to people watch on Main Street, and enjoy the sweet goodness!

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Amy's Favorite Things: Cream Cheese Pretzels

There are so many things to love about The Park.  I think that any Resort enthusiast would agree.  From attractions that thrill us and make us laugh, restaurants and food that makes our taste buds dance, to specific characters we've loved for years; even specific seasons and decorations that we love to experience and photograph, and parades and shows we'll wait any length of time to watch.  Yes, there's even merchandise that we can't wait to spend our money on.  I'm sure by now you've picked up on a bit of the Vinylmation obsession that Chad, Mark, and I have.  We all have our favorites.

(Random sidenote:  I should tell you that it's taking every ounce of restraint for me to keep from busting out into a verse of "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music right now!)

But, I figured since Oprah gets to do a whole show about all of her favorite things, and since I don't have my own television show but instead have the opportunity to write here (and Chad says I can write about whatever I want to -  hehe!), that I would begin writing about some of my favorite things at The Park.  Who knows, maybe it will be something that someone out there has never experienced before.

So it is with great excitement that I want to share with you one of my favorite things.  In fact, it's one of my favorite treats to enjoy in The Park:  The Cream Cheese-filled Pretzel!

Here they are, pictured with one of my other favorite things, the Cinnamon Tea Latte, which I'm sure will be mentioned in a future post.  YUM!

It is exactly what it sounds like, a pretzel that has been filled with cream cheese.  It's the marriage of two very delicious elements that, in my humble opinion, work very well together.  So far, I've discovered that you can find these pretzels at Coke Corner on Main Street, at an ODV pretzel cart in Tomorrowland just to the right of the Star Trader, and at the beer wagon in Disney California Adventure's Pacific Wharf area.  If I recall correctly, you can get one for about three bucks and some change.  That said, I'm usually less concerned with how much I have to pay for it and more concerned with finding a place to sit down and enjoy my pretzel.

So if you haven't tried one before, I'd encourage you to try one.  The first time I experienced a cream cheese pretzel I was splitting one with three of my friends and after my first taste I was hooked!

And there you have it, the first of my favorite things!  Now get out there, enjoy The Parks and start making a list of your own favorite things.  And have a pretzel while you're at it.

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