THE PLACES TO BE THIS SUMMER; WHEN FORCE LOSES GRIP, THEME PARKS STAND READY TO AMUSE AND ENTERTAIN.Byline: Fred Shuster Daily News Staff Writer The galaxy is in turmoil. Humanoids are hurled down slippery cliffs. Strange creatures zoom by on powerful skates, ducking, diving and flying through the air. Lasers explode over once-peaceful lakes. Cyborgs and their killing machines patrol a frightened populace. A sneak peak at the new ``Star Wars'' film? Nope, just summer at the local theme parks - namely Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags Magic Mountain Six Flags Magic Mountain is an amusement park located just west of the Valencia neighborhood of Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 29, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company,[1] , Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm Knott's Berry Farm is a brand name of two separate entities: a theme park in Buena Park, California, and a manufacturer of food specialty products (primarily jams and preserves) based in Placentia, California. and Raging Waters Raging Waters is the name of three water theme parks located in Sacramento, San Dimas, and San Jose, California, USA. They are the largest water parks in the state of California. - as new rides, spills and attractions gear up to take a bite out Verb 1. bite out - utter; "She bit out a curse" let loose, let out, utter, emit - express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily words); "She let out a big heavy sigh"; "He uttered strange sounds that nobody could understand" of the summertime blues  This article or section resembles a .Please help [ improve this article] by removing excessive trivia, irrelevant praise and criticism, lists and collections of links that are of . . Oh, sure, you can grab your lightsaber and get in line with other Jedi fans to see George Lucas' latest extravaganza before anybody else. But we'd rather splash down on the Wedge, a watery free-fall that sends riders over the edge of a 50-foot slope set 100 feet above Raging Waters. Or we might check out the futuristic ``Terminator 2: 3D,'' a heart-pumping virtual adventure combining live-action stunts and state-of-the-art technology that opens Thursday at Universal. The parks clearly hope business picks up after last year's slump, caused partly by El Nino, the effects of the Asian financial crisis and changing demographics. But some places are apparently in a kind of Force-field holding pattern, perhaps aware that for many families this summer, a day out is going to mean a trip to the local multiplex to see ``Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace.'' Disneyland, for example, isn't unveiling anything enormous but is offering a batch of new attractions in a revamped Tomorrowland. One addition called Innoventions allows visitors hands-on access to current technologies in an array of interactive games, devices and exhibits. Knott's is aiming squarely at the kiddies this season with ``Snoopy's Extremely Cool Summer,'' a parkwide celebration of family entertainment, including daredevil skate demonstrations, a slapstick slapstick Comedy characterized by broad humour, absurd situations, and vigorous, often violent action. It took its name from a paddlelike device, probably introduced by 16th-century commedia dell'arte troupes, that produced a resounding whack when one comic actor used it to stunt musical, an on-ice parade and elaborate laser show. The park opened its white-knuckle wooden coaster GhostRider six months ago, along with Supreme Scream Supreme Scream is a vertical ascending and descending amusement thrill ride located at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, USA and was designed and manufactured by S&S Power, Inc. of Utah. , a descending thrill ride that also happens to be Orange County's tallest structure. Summer at Magic Mountain is also one for the pint-size set. The park has renovated its six-acre interactive Bugs Bunny World featuring a host of rides, activities and a petting zoo. In addition, the Valencia park splashes into summer with Hurricane Harbor, a tropical-themed waterpark with almost two-dozen slides and attractions. The wet stuff, of course, is Raging Waters' raison d'etre rai·son d'ê·tre n. pl. rai·sons d'être Reason or justification for existing. [French : raison, reason + de, of, for + être, to be. . Out in San Dimas, the tropically landscaped oasis boasts rides, slides and that new uphill Wedge, which opens Memorial Day weekend. Shaped like an extreme sports extreme sports Sports events characterized by high speed or high risk. Such sports include aggressive inline skating, wakeboarding, street luge, skateboarding, and freestyle bicycle events (wherein tricks such as back flips are performed on a bicycle). half-pipe, the versatile Wedge towers 50 feet above the park, hurling riders down a slippery vertical drop only to propel them up to the opposite edge and back - up to eight times - at speeds up to 40 miles per hour. ``No other water ride has so much choice about how you experience it,'' says Raging Waters general manager Kent Lemasters. ``Riders can challenge themselves to experience different combinations of speed, direction and position.'' The attraction allows thrill-seekers the choice of riding solo, double or triple on inner tubes that can be boarded frontward, backward or sideways for a free-falling ride. Think speed, think splash; wear bathing suit. Universal's ``Terminator 2: 3D,'' created by ``Titanic'' writer-director James Cameron
James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is an Academy Award winning Canadian director, producer and screenwriter. , boasts the world's largest 3-D screen along with explosive live action. The 12-minute film, a sequel to Cameron's Oscar-winning ``Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' thriller, is set in 2029 in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , part of a world policed by evil cyborgs. To save humanity, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Edward Furlong - reprising their roles from the original film - take on an evil corporate behemoth behemoth (bē`hĭmŏth, bĭhē`–) [Heb.,=plural of beast], large, fanciful primeval monster, like Leviathan, evoking the hippopotamus mentioned in the Book of Job. and its army of deadly machines. ``We wanted to do something spectacular,'' Cameron said. ``There's an enhanced sense of reality that comes from the high-resolution 65mm film format we chose, mixed with the illusion of depth offered by 3-D.'' At the Magic Kingdom's now-open Innoventions, guests board a ``loading pod'' where a robotic host introduces the Anaheim attraction's five thematic areas: Transportation, Health & Fitness, Home, Information and Entertainment. Guests then enter the building where more than 120 games, displays and activities are available. The purpose of the attraction is not to predict the future, says Bruce Gordon, the show's producer. ``We have designed this experience to be fun, theatrical and entertaining - a lighthearted attraction that allows our guests to try out all of the latest cool and interesting products and to answer the question, `What is this going to do for me in my life?' '' he said. Opening June 19, Knott's Snoopy Snoopy world’s most famous beagle. [Comics: “Peanuts” in Horn, 542] See : Dogs Snoopy imaginative dog. [Comics: “Peanuts” in Horn, 542–543] See : Illusion summer includes an extreme sports showcase by world-class skateboard, BMX BMX abbr. bicycle motocross BMX Noun 1. bicycle motocross: stunt riding over an obstacle course on a bicycle 2. bike and in-line skate athletes; a stunt musical featuring the Wild West Bandits; a patriotic on-ice parade through American song and dance starring the world's only skating beagle beagle, breed of dog beagle, breed of small, compact hound developed over centuries in England and introduced into the United States in the 1870s. It stands between 10 and 15 in. (25.4–38.1 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs between 20 and 40 lb (9. ; and a multimedia laser show exploding nightly over Buena Park's usually peaceful Reflection Lake. The shows are designed to compliment GhostRider, the longest wooden coaster in the West, said Matt Schliesman, Knott's vice president of entertainment. ``From daredevil BMX and skateboard athletes to rough-and-tumble stunt performers to the most graceful ice dancers, we've got thrills covered this summer,'' he crowed. Opening June 5, Magic Mountain's Bugs Bunny World provides 16 rides and attractions like the Canyon Blaster mini-coaster; Daffy's Adventure Tours with Daffy Duck at the wheel; Foghorn fog·horn n. 1. Nautical A horn for sounding warning signals in fog or darkness, used especially on ships, buoys, and coastal installations. 2. A booming, insistent voice. Leghorn's Barnyard Railway, a real coal-burning choo-choo; and a Merrie Melodies Carousel. Meanwhile, the park's Hurricane Harbor waterpark, which opens May 15, has 22 slides and attractions such as Black Snake black snake, name for several snakes, not all closely related, that are black in color. In the United States the name is applied chiefly to the black racer and to the black rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta), both partly arboreal in their habits. Summit, with two of the tallest enclosed speed slides in the region; Lizard Lagoon, a 7,000-square-foot pool for teens and adults; and the Reptile Ridge high-speed body slide complex. Hurricane Harbor began operation in 1995 and has become one of the park's most popular destinations, especially after additional slides were installed two years later, said Magic Mountain general manager Del Holland. The waterpark, he explained, appeals to ``a younger, more active audience.'' Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal City: open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ($39, ages 12 and older; $29, kids 3 to 11); (818) 622-3801. Magic Mountain, Valencia: hours vary ($36, general; $9.99, kids under 48 inches tall); (818) 367-5965. Disneyland, Anaheim: hours vary ($39, ages 12 and above; $29, kids 3 to 11); (714) 781-4565. Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park: hours vary ($36, ages 12 and above; $26, kids 3 to 11); (714) 220-5200. Raging Waters, San Dimas: weekends until June 1, then daily ($22.99, general; $14.99, kids under 48 inches tall); (909) 802-2200. CAPTION(S): 6 Photos Photo: (1--3--Cover--Color) RIDE OF YOUR LIFE Check out our area theme parks' latest attractions (4) Younger children will love the rides, activities and petting zoo at Magic Mountain's Bugs Bunny World. (5) Skateboarding, bicycling and in-line skating daredevils entertain this summer at Knott's Berry Farm. (6) Arnold Schwarzenegger reprises REPRISES. The deductions and payments out of lands, annuities, and the like, are called reprises, because they are taken back; when we speak of the clear yearly value of an estate, we say it is worth so much a year ultra reprises, besides all reprises. 2. his cyborg role in Universal Studios Hollywood's high-tech ``Terminator 2: 3D,'' created by ``Titanic'' director James Cameron. |
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