Less than four months remain until the debut of Halloween Horror Nights and this bit of news was released today. It would appear that we’re going to see another popular horror franchise make it’s way to Universal Studios Hollywood – this time, that franchise is Saw. I am a fan of the concept, and has been proven to me over the past two Horror Nights I have been to, that will be sufficient when all is said and done.

In an exclusive to Amusement Today, officials at G. Martin & A. Vleminckx Amusement, Ltd. have confirmed that the Montreal-based company will build China’s first wooden roller. The ride is currently slated to open during the 2009 season.
The recipient of the country’s first wooden coaster is Overseas Chinese Town, a new park being constructed in Sheshan, Songjiang, Shanghai. The coaster will be situated on an island near the park’s main entrance. As guest pass through the front gate, the ride’s structure will appear as a bamboo curtain.
The as-yet-unnamed coaster is …

Our buddy Joel, better known as the Coaster Critic just posted a great interview with Louis Alfieri, the designer of Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit.  A few highlights from the article include:

It’ll feature 30 songs from 5 genres with 3 legacy artists and 3 contemporary artists in each genre. Songs to be announced soon!
A Day Ride and A Night Ride; The track will be eluminated and the LEDs of course will enhance the night ride.
5 cars on the track at the same time (I think he meant 5 trains with two …

Terminator has finally opened up at SFMM. It has been getting some really great reviews, but the theming is so so. Jake was there for opening day and he should be getting on here sometime soon to get some more info and  a review. A few RCPro members have posted some great pictures of the coaster. In particular I love the enterance sign. I’m still not a fan of the stuff they put on the side of the trains.

Six Flags Magic Mountain’s salvation has arrived in the form of Terminator Salvation: The Ride. This GCI (GCII?) woodie packs a punch both on-ride, off-ride, and in queue that is unmatched throughout the rest of the park. With better than Batman theming, better than X2 soundtrack, better than Revenge of the Mummy queue, and better than Roar! track, Terminator is the full package, and exactly what the park needed.

We now know when the much anticipated (By me at the very least) Creature of the Black Lagoon show is set to debut: July 1st, 2009 at Universal Studios Hollywood. 

Here is the press release that went along with this announcement. You can expect me to get out to Universal Studios this summer – I miss the park something awful, and I am thrilled to check out this new show!

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD, THE ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL OF L.A.,
PRESENTS “CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON—A RAGING ROCKIN’ SHOW,” A HIP, MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF UNIVERSAL’S …

After applying at Knott’s yesterday morning, a friend and I decided to go to the Disneyland Resort for a couple of hours so we could check out the newly themed Mickey’s Fun Wheel (Knott’s is only ten or fifteen minutes from Disneyland by city streets). So here are a few pictures from Disney’s California Adventure and Disneyland, enjoy!

The Food and Wine festival is in full swing at California Adventure, and while I have not taken part in it before, it’s a relatively big deal around here (mostly for those in …

The LA Times Travel Blog recently posted pictures of Six Flags Magic Mountian’s Terminator Salvation coasters trains. I believe this is the first time I’ve ever seen diamond plate on a coaster. It looks awesome. On the other hand, I hate the molded sides. I think they look cheap and out of place. They would of looked better as more diamond plate or some type of brushed aluminum.

I got an email from our buddy Marty today informing us about a new construction blog for Hersheypark’s Boardwalk: The Seaquel addition. It’s an interesting read thus far, and I would definitely recommend it to all of you!
So after you’re done voting in our poll of the week and guessing our latest mystery coaster, go check out Hersheypark Hits The Road.

Manta, the brand new Bolliger and Mabillar Flying Coaster has “soft opened” at Sea World Orlando. For those unaware, a “soft opening” means any opening of a  new attraction before it’s official opening (Manta’s is Memoprial Day Weekend, the 23rd I believe). A soft opening is generally used to test out the ride systems and gather guest feedback in order to enhance the experience for guests that come out to ride opening day.