ANIMAL MAGNETISM IT'S A DOG-AND-PONY SHOW AS UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD UNVEILS TWO NEW ATTRACTIONS.Byline: Jerry Rice Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962 in Crawford, Mississippi) is a former football wide receiver in the NFL. Rice is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NFL history, consistently showing exceptional performance and strong work ethic on and off of the field. Staff Writer Kids love video entertainment. Parents want kids to get some physical activity. Universal Studios Hollywood offers an answer: interactive attractions based on popular cable TV shows - namely, ``Nickelodeon Blast Zone'' and ``Animal Planet Live!'' which open Friday. ``We have a lot of exciting rides and attractions - many action-oriented and adventure-oriented,'' says Mark Shumate, creative director of the Nickelodeon Blast Zone. ``We wanted to fill out the mix a little bit more with a couple of family-oriented attractions.'' The result is an interactive play area featuring such Nick favorites as ``Rugrats,'' ``Wild Thornberrys'' and ``SpongeBob SquarePants'' (you'll have to ask your kids about that character). Nearby, there's a new spin on live animal shows with an 18-minute presentation featuring everything from pigeons to pigs. Nickelodeon Blast Zone continues a long-running Universal Studios association with the No. 1 cable network for kids. Several Nick shows are produced at the company's Florida theme park, and last year saw the debut of a ``Rugrats''-themed stage show that is being incorporated into the new area at Universal Studios Hollywood. ``Nickelodeon has a very big following,'' Shumate says. ``It's familiar to a lot of people - especially the family audience.'' The 30,000-square-foot Blast Zone has been in the works for about a year, and construction started last fall. ``The design process goes through several phases,'' Shumate says. ``In the beginning, we do something we call 'Blue Sky,' where we sit down and start to imagine all the possibilities. Soon after, we feed in all the constraints. ``Through the process, we focus on a specific attraction we feel will provide excitement and fulfill the needs and desires of our management.'' In addition, input is gathered from surveys of park-goers and focus groups. The finished product ``Nickelodeon Blast Zone'' is divided into several areas: ``The Rugrats' Magic Adventure,'' a 20-minute live stage production that started last June, starring Tommy, Chuckie and the other popular bouncing babies from the animated series and movies. The show is inspired by the ``Angelica angelica (ănjĕl`ĭkə), any species of the genus Angelica, plants of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family), native to the Northern Hemisphere and New Zealand, valued for their potency as a medicament and protection against the Magnificent'' episode, in which she dreams of becoming the Lance Burton Lance Burton (born William Lance Burton on March 10, 1960 in Louisville, Kentucky) is an American stage magician who performs nightly in his own show at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. of the preschool set. ``Nickelodeon Splash!'' As the name implies, it's a water play area with lots of streamers Streamers is a play by David Rabe. The last in his Vietnam War trilogy that began with The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel and Sticks and Bones and huge dump buckets. It is anchored by a 30-foot-tall version of the cable network's signature orange rocket. When the ``launch'' sequence starts, fog starts to bellow bellow one of the voices of cattle. Usually refers to the arrogant call of the bull used to announce territorial rights. Abnormalities of the voice include hoarseness as in rabies, or continuous repetition as in nervous acetonemia. See also low, moo. and the ``engines'' shoot out hundreds of gallons of water. Participants can get close and be drenched drench tr.v. drenched, drench·ing, drench·es 1. To wet through and through; soak. 2. To administer a large oral dose of liquid medicine to (an animal). 3. , or stand back to stay dry. For the truly daring, there is a water-play challenge to go through, complete with hoses, fountains, dump buckets and geysers The examples and perspective in this USA may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. This is an alphabetical list of notable geysers, a type of erupting hot spring: ``There are all kinds of things to get you wonderfully wet on a warm summer day,'' Shumate says. ``Also, there are ways to work the challenge on a cooler spring or fall day if you don't feel like getting terribly wet.'' ``Wild Thornberry's Adventure Temple,'' a rough-and-tumble ball play area in the guise of a mysterious structure deep in the jungle. Throughout its interior are some 25,000 molten lava-colored foam balls that can be fired from blasters and dumped on unsuspecting new arrivals. Also inside is a giant temple idol opposite the entrance that, when roused, rumbles and hurls balls in all directions. ``Nick Jr. Backyard'' has lots of things for little kids to climb on, swing on and slide down. There's even a little water play area. ``This area is a little bit quieter and a little more gentle - especially suited toward our youngest guests,'' Shumate says. While the attraction's primary target audience is preteens, Shumate predicts the Nickelodeon Blast Zone will be a hit with others, too. ``Judging from the response I'm getting from the contractors, we may get older kids coming to play - kids in their 40s and approaching 50,'' he says. Animal magnetism animal magnetism, n theory advanced and practiced by Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer in the late 18th century as a healing technique, according to which a natural fluid exists throughout the universe, in and between all people and earthly and heavenly bodies. Joe Zenas has done the opening and closing ceremonies at the Atlanta Olympics, eight Super Bowl half-time shows and the event marking the hand-over of Hong Kong Hong Kong (hŏng kŏng), Mandarin Xianggang, special administrative region of China, formerly a British crown colony (2005 est. pop. 6,899,000), land area 422 sq mi (1,092 sq km), adjacent to Guangdong prov. from Britain to China. And now he's bringing an entire cable network to a 2,008-seat arena at Universal Studios Hollywood with ``Animal Planet Live!'' Essentially, it's all Animal Planet, all the time (at least for the 18-minute duration of the program). ``It really covers the whole breadth of the network, from the cute and funny shows they have to their adventure series to their sporting shows,'' Zenas says. For those unfamiliar with the cable channel available in 67 million homes, the titles of some of the shows that inspired the stage experience are self-explanatory: ``The Planet's Funniest Animals,'' ``Emergency Vets'' and ``Wild on the Set.'' ``We formed a partnership with Animal Planet to rework re·work tr.v. re·worked, re·work·ing, re·works 1. To work over again; revise. 2. To subject to a repeated or new process. n. the old animal actors show and bring in a new format,'' Zenas says. The theme is a television studio run by animals. It opens with a pig on stage with a camera on his back (the ``ham cam,'' get it?) shooting the audience with the images projected on a 9-foot-by-12-foot TV screen. Then the action segues into the studio. Interspersed are various clips from Animal Planet shows. ``It's a very unique presentation with live animals, live actors and video elements as well,'' Zenas says. ``An animal show on its own is a difficult thing, but incorporating it with videos and animals that don't always behave and take their cues at the same time adds to it. We have built a lot of flexibility into the show.'' The actors include birds, dogs, a monkey, python Python, in Greek mythology Python, in Greek mythology, a huge serpent. In some myths the infant Apollo slew Python at the oracle of Gaea in Delphi; in others Apollo killed the serpent in order to claim the oracle for himself. , raccoon raccoon, nocturnal New World mammal of the genus Procyon. The common raccoon of North America, Procyon lotor, also called coon, is found from S Canada to South America, except in parts of the Rocky Mts. and in deserts. and vulture vulture, common name for large birds of prey of temperate and tropical regions. The Old World vultures (family Accipitridae) are allied to hawks and eagles; the more ancient American vultures and condors are of a different family (Cathartidae) with distant links to . And, yes, they work for kibble kibble baked dough that is crushed or cracked. Prepared usually by extruding and then heating-drying the dough. Used as dry food for dogs and cats. . Although there's no word on whether they'll honor the impending im·pend intr.v. im·pend·ed, im·pend·ing, im·pends 1. To be about to occur: Her retirement is impending. 2. Hollywood strikes, it appears unlikely. ``Our goal is to keep things fresh so locals will have a new experience when they come back,'' Zenas says. ``We want to make things more contemporary and freshen up Verb 1. freshen up - make brighter and prettier; "we refurbished the guest wing"; "My wife wants us to renovate" refurbish, renovate gentrify - renovate so as to make it conform to middle-class aspirations; "gentrify a row of old houses"; "gentrify the old some of the stuff that's been around for a very long time.'' The new attractions fit nicely with Universal Studios Hollywood's goal of extending movie and television experiences. Besides the new additions, other things to check out include rides based on ``Jurassic Park'' and ``E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,'' and stops on the Studio Tour for ``The Mummy'' and ``Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas.'' In the works are attractions based on the new ``Mummy'' sequel and ``Shrek,'' the upcoming animated movie from DreamWorks. ``What we do here is storytelling,'' Shumate says. ``We want to bring movies and television to life for people. We want to show them an experience from a new perspective.'' ANIMAL PLANET LIVE! AND NICKELODEON BLAST ZONE Where: Universal Studios, 100 Universal City Plaza City Plaza is a shopping mall in historic downtown St. Albert, Alberta, Canada. This shopping plaza features heritage architecture and a European small shop ambience. It is home to BITNETS, the award winning technology business, other upscale offices and boutique-style shops. , Universal City. When: Opens 9 a.m. Friday; park hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily (box office opens at 8 a.m.) Tickets: $43, ages 12-59; $37, 60 and older; $32, ages 3-11 (California residents 3-11 one free admission with one paid adult through April). Call (818) 622-3801. CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1 -- 2 -- cover -- color) Monkey on your Back? Animal Planet Live! and Nickelodeon Blast Zone - new at Universal Studios Hollywood - will give the kids something to do (besides bother you!) over spring break (3) The Nickelodeon Blast Zone will be taking on all comers all who come, or offer, to take part in a matter, especially in a contest or controversy. - Bp. Stillingfleet. See also: Comer Friday as Universal Studios unveils its new attractions. (4) Paint is applied to a volcano in Nickelodeon Splash, a water play area that is part of the Blast Zone. (5) A volunteer from the audience is surprised when trainers at Animal Planet Live! place a boa constrictor boa constrictor largest of all snakes; squeezes its victims in a deadly grip. [Zoology: NCE, 317] See : Deadliness on her lap. Cristina Salvador/Staff Photographer |
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