Author: Brian Glenn

Celebrating its 28th year, “Christmas in Spring” has touched the lives of over 18,000 family members living in poverty in the San Fernando Valley, providing them with holiday cheer during a time of year when their needs are often overlooked. As part of its annual “Christmas in Spring” community outreach event, hundreds of Universal Studios Hollywood team member volunteers came together in partnership with MEND (Meet Each Need with Dignity) to bring goodwill to 1,000 guests and families in need. Families supported by MEND will enjoy an afternoon of custom-prepared food and interactive festivities, from carnival games and face painters…

The construction walls around Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure have been taken down, meaning we’re one step closer to finally being able to experience the attraction, with a “Soft Opening” possibly happening before its June 13 Grand Opening at Islands of Adventure. Fans will now look to websites, blogs, and social media using the term #PotterWatch to see when the ride finally opens up. For those unfamiliar, a “Soft Opening” is essentially a technical rehearsal of a new attraction, or a final release candidate test for the ride. All the major components are installed and operational but some tweaks, changes,…

The Universal Monsters Cafe at Universal Studios Florida has updated its menu, focusing on more BBQ-centric dishes and themed dishes. Guests can order platters or combos of 2 or 3 meats, including brisket, chicken, ribs, and sausage. Each platter comes with 2 sides and cornbread. Combos include your choice of watermelon or Peach Cobbler. Combos range from $14-22, depending on the entree and the number of meats chosen. Besides the BBQ meats, guests can order the Black Lagoon Salad, which is a salad served with beef brisket, tomato, eggs, grains, kale, spinach, mixed greens, and buttermilk ranch. Wood oven pizza…

Both Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood have announced their Independence Day plans and are celebrating the 4th of July with festivities and fireworks. Included with park admission to Universal Studios Florida, guests can enjoy a character dance party with some of Universal Orlando’s most popular characters in the Music Plaza, with live music performances by the band Raydio and DJ M Squared. New this year, guests can order barbecue favorites for delivery from the new Monsters Cafe menu to the Music Plaza, directly through the official Universal Orlando Resort app. The festivities kick off at 5 p.m. at the…

SeaWorld Orlando has begun to tease for their upcoming 2020 roller coaster, releasing a new teaser video. Under the hashtag, #BreaktheIce, the teaser video promises “plunging thrills” and “predatory heights” in an Arctic setting, while bird screeches are heard over the video. https://twitter.com/insideuniversal/status/1134831227616333825 One can assume that we’re looking at a roller coaster with several high drops, themed around an Arctic bird. There are several birds of prey that inhabit the Arctic; most notably, several species of falcon. SeaWorld promises more details soon, so until then – it’s up for speculation. There is also the chance it could be based…

We’re back with a photo update around the Universal Orlando, and there’s a lot of new merchandise that has been released. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is getting finishing touches, and the Jurassic Park project is really starting to transform the Island. Let’s get started! Park Update Index » Universal’s Endless Summer Resort » Bigfire Restaurant » Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure » Jurassic Park Project » Monsters Cafe » Love is Universal Merchandise » Secret Life of Pets 2 » A Little Bit of this, A Little Bit of that Universal’s Endless Summer Resort Universal’s Endless Summer – Surfside…

Universal Studios Hollywood has announced that the “Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle” nighttime show will be returning this Summer, from June 22 to August 11. Illuminating a darker side of the Wizarding World, this spectacular new light projection experience will be a departure from previous “The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle” and “The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle.” “Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle” will bring more intense tones and drama that reflect the Dark creatures and wizards that challenge goodness in the Wizarding World. The show premiered in April of this year to much praise. Our review mentioned how…

Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and BD Wong will reprise their roles as Owen Grady, Claire Dearing and Dr. Henry Wu, bringing their characters from the silver screen to Jurassic World – The Ride, opening this summer at Universal Studios Hollywood As part of original content created exclusively for the new ride, Owen, Claire and Dr. Wu will shed light on their interactions with the dinosaurs along with facts and information about the imposing prehistoric creatures that first roamed the earth more than 65 million years ago. “Jurassic World—The Ride” will debut an original storyline that takes place within the…

Universal Orlando has announced Depths of Fear, a new original maze, will be featured at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights 29. In an all-new original story, guests will be transported to a deep-sea mining company that has been infested by the parasitic “Mouthbrooders,” who spew their acidic flesh-eating eggs upon unsuspecting humans, turning them into crazed hosts. As the infected are driven to madness, guests will try to escape, but as pressure begins to build, implosion awaits – will they make it out alive or fall deep into their watery graves? Halloween Horror Nights 29 will begin Friday, Sept 6,…

We’re a little under a month away from the official opening of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, with the new attraction set to open on June 13 at Islands of Adventure. Universal Orlando invited us out to get a sneak peek at the attraction, finally allowing our first up-close look at the coaster. We did not leave disappointed. While we only saw portions of the queue, everything we saw looked jaw-droppingly fantastic; and there’s still some work left to be done as we inch closer to the opening. Creators were excited to design an attraction based around everyone’s favorite magical…