Results tagged “universalstudios”

              

On Saturday October 3rd, celebrated chefs and vintners/spirit-makers from all over the nation gathered on the backlot of Universal Studios here in Los Angeles to showcase their best bites and sips as part of the popular 27th annual American Wine and Food Festival (AWFF), hosted by Wolfgang Puck and Barbara Lazaroff. The event is a big draw for food and wine lovers of all calibers, and offers an astonishing quantity of quality eats and drinks for the ticket price; although the pricetag is hefty ($300 advance, $350 at the door), the event is not merely a showcase for food and wine, but rather a wildly successful fundraiser for Meals on Wheels.

Last Friday Universal Studios premiered its Halloween Horror Nights which will run from 7pm to 1am on weekends and the occasional weeknight. It is a special after-dark event that requires separate tickets than the daytime entry. The regular rides and attractions, including The Simpsons Ride will remain open. Check out the schedule here.

       

Last week Universal Studios unveiled its newest attraction, The Creature from the Black Lagoon: A Raging Rocking Show". The show is a "Broadway-level contemporary musical adaptation" of the original Universal horror film. It features an original score and will be featured exclusively at the Hollywood Universal Studios.

Conan O'Brien isn't only The Tonight Show's new host (as of last night,) he's also the best tram guide in the history of Universal Studios (and North Hollywood.)

Tired of the same old movie for Christmas? A traditional white Christmas and an encounter with the not-so-traditional green Grinch await guests at Universal Studios. “Grinchmas” is included in the entry fee, with "tons of powder-fresh snow, meetings with The Grinch, Cindy-Lou Who and Max the Dog and a “Whoville” jubilation at the original movie sets where the classic “Dr Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” was filmed." Hours of operation Christmas day are 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Check out the video of opening festivities with none other than Mayor Villaragosa, who I'm beginning to think will be cutting the ribbon at shopping malls and judging cat shows if he keeps going like this.

It's Christmas and hey, not everything is closed. So here are some options of what you can do today...

               

It was Friday night, it had been a long work week and happy hour was over. What next? We found Halloween Horror at Universal Studios to be an excellent choice--a blast as you can see from the ghoulish photos. There's only have six more nights to get in on the action if you want to see it. It's well worth the price of admission, which you can even get cheap tickets still at Vons or Pavilions with a coke can discount. The event runs from October 24-26, 30-31, November 1.

              

The Simpson's Ride at Universal Studios takes up a large section of the park, almost making it Simpsons-land. The exterior section is carnival-barker-themed, and as Sideshow Bob warns, "Silly Simpsons. Don't you know every ride has to end by the gift shop?" The Kwik E Mart gift shop sadly does not sell Squishees (or those hideous pink donuts) but it is fun to browse around in anyways.

TMZ got hold of the 911 call when the fire Universal Studios was reported. It's amazing how calm everything sounds.

The fire at Universal Studios on Sunday that ripped through two "city blocks" was deemed an accident yesterday, but was not clarified until later. Now officials are saying a welders' blowtorch started the fire:

The gates of Universal Studios opened back up today after yesterday's fire, which burned a two-block area of film sets for more than 12 hours. The incident forced them to close the doors for the day at the theme park and CityWalk. Areas destroyed or damaged included New York Street, a part of Back to the Future's set and the King Kong attraction.

Universal Music Group's audio masters were not damaged in Sunday's fire at the Universal Studios backlot, contrary to one report, according to a UMG spokesperson.

"We had no loss, thankfully," said Peter Lofrumento, Universal Music Group’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications. "We moved most of what was formerly stored there earlier this year to our other facilities. Of the small amount that was still there and awaiting to be moved, it had already been digitized so the music will still be around for many years." -- Billboard

Yesterday's all-day fire at Universal Studios, which engulfed two city movie-set blocks (destroying a part of the King Kong tour and one of the Back to the Future sets), was finally knocked down late in the afternoon. An investigation will be going into what caused the blaze, but also one is being called to look into the low-pressure water system that ultimately hindered firefighters in battling the flames.

As of shortly before 4 p.m. Sunday, no knockdown of the massive fire at Universal Studios had been announced. "We expect containment in about a half hour," explained Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Ron Haralson. "We are concentrating on one sructure, the film vault."

Universal Studios opened to the public early this afternoon, is expected to open tomorrow despite the blaze that destroyed portions of the local landmark and darkened the skies with thick smoke. With concern for the well-being of many iconic and well-known parts of the decades-old theme park on the forefront of many minds, others also have voiced concern about whether the MTV Movie Awards, slated to take place in the Studios' Gibson Ampitheatre this evening, will happen.

            

For residents of the South East San Fernando Valley and adjacent environs, the stench and sight of smoke from the fire that broke out in the early morning hours on the backlot of Universal Studios has dominated the skies today; for most everyone else in Los Angeles this story has dominated the news.

The fire that broke out early this morning continues to burn on the Universal Studios backlot in Universal City.

                                         

It was a fun-filled day Saturday at Universal Studios in spite of the relentless heat. Stars posed on the yellow carpet, stiltwalkers danced, fireworks exploded, kids feasted on cupcakes and cotton candy, and a human cannonball shot out over the crowd. And all this before the ride even opened!

 

Today is the long-awaited official opening of the Simpsons ride at Universal Studios! (See lots of photos of the ride here)

                 

Universal Studios has just unveiled Krustyland, a magical theme park within a theme park. Monday will be the official opening of The Simpsons Ride, the area's main attraction. The Simpsons Ride is a virtual adventure much like the Back to the Future ride that previously occupied the location. Dome screens, measuring an expansive 80-ft in diameter, and a groundbreaking digital projection system bring the viewer right into the ride. The vehicles elevate nine feet on a scissor-lift motion based platform.

KNBC Broadcaster: "Well Ed, is it one of these matters where the Kenyans and Ethiopians, let's be honest here, they see a white guy out front and they don't take him seriously?"

A verbal spat turned into a shooting incident today on the 101 Freeway.

Since the recent opening of LACMA's Broad Contemporary (BCAM) a flurry of international eyes have been on Los Angeles, and an ensuing flurry of words have issued forth in review. It seems irresistible to review the Broad without also reviewing the city that houses it, which was precisely the tact taken by Chris Haslam in London's Sunday Times today.

Approximately 5,000 people came to the Gibson in Universal City and paid between $25-$250 to hear presidential hopeful (and TRAILS the California frontrunner, if you believe recent polls) Barack Obama explain why he's in the race. His speech brought tears from women, commanded several standing ovations, and even made this little kid near us shut his trap for 45 minutes. Bon Jovi wannabe's The Goo Goo Dolls played, James Brown wannabe Ne-Yo performed, and...

Quick, yet deadly: this weekend's Malibu Fire is 90% contained. We thought NBC had a policy of not giving car chases attention, a respectable position to take. Those days must be over. Anyway, it's always interesting when a car chase gets off freeway at the exit by your house like the one this morning on the 101. That would make number eight on our list for witnessed car chases. More cost effective and more...

My high school drama club participated in our local haunted house, and we were merciless. One woman had to be taken away in an ambulance after an actor concealed in a hole in the ground grabbed her foot. So these things really freak me out. I don't believe in zombies and monsters, but I do believe in unpredictable aspiring actors. THE BIG ONES: Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights looked so intense I turned down an...

Have you entered LAist's contest to win Arcade Fire tickets yet? Head on over and comment to become eligible: are you a wine drinker or a beer drinker when at the Bowl? Or, are you like some people we know who bring in a couple of forties and a bucket of fried chicken? An infant was shot and killed last night in MacArthur Park; the baby was hit by a stray bullet while his...

Photo at Universal Studios by nopantsxris via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr

Studio City may actually be what out-of-state folks are talking about when they imagine L.A. (I personally had always wondered...) Wide boulevards lined with palm trees and shops, neighborhoods yielding houses used on TV sitcoms, plaques on the sidewalk commemorating John Wayne films, and filming going on around nearly every corner; as Vankman said to Vigo, it's "the sweet life out in Southern California's beautiful San Fernando valley". For Los Angelenos, it's either a...