LAWYER PHILPOT TAKES A MOMENT, LOOKS AT HIS CLIENT, CONSULTS HIS NOTES THEN TURNS TO FANNY FARKLE.

PHILPOT: Dr. Farkle, oh come now, D Day, George Patton.

FILOMENA FRANCIS RISES TO HER FEET.

FRANCIS: Your Honor counsel is arguing with the witness.

JUDGE JULIA: I’ll permit the question. Dr. Farkle obviously is an historian, it’s within her expertise to compare her husband to the most massive invasion in history and to one of the great iconoclasts of that war. She’s perfectly capable of defending her comparison.

PHILPOT: Thank you your Honor. Dr. Farkle any other comparisons you’d like to make so that we can deal with them all at once.

FANNY FARKLE: Oh I suppose any military campaign would do. Any zealot would do as well. Rasputin comes to mind.

PHILPOT: Rasputin, the mad monk who captivated and some would say, controlled Czar Nicolas’ family?

FARKLE: You just said it.

PHILPOT: So your husband of 20 odd years is a crazy religious figure?

FANNY: Well, as I said Fred is a loving husband and a good man. He certainly isn’t evil!

PHILPOT: Thank you for clarifying that mistaken notion I had inferred from your testimony! Is it fair to say that if anything, he loves you and his children so much that he merely wants to make the most of any Disney World trip so that everyone has the maximized magical time?

FANNY (hesitates): Well I am not a psychologist but as you said I do know Fred. And as I  said I will let the Judge assess the facts.

PHILPOT: The facts?

FANNY: Well Ok. So you’re standing on the line for Space Mountain. The line is so long that it is outside the building. The sign on the stanchion says something like “90 minutes from this point.” People are falling over from the heat. Children are begging for relief. But we plow on. Fred uses his iPhone to play Disney World trivia games with us and with folks who want nothing to do with the game to make the time pass. We persevere. The line inches forward and as we are perhaps 30 minutes from getting on the ride. Fred keeps looking at his Mickey Mouse watch. Then his iPhone beeps a calendar warning. He looks at me and the kids and says, “We have a reservation at the Crystal Palace for lunch. We have to leave the line.”

The children groan. I think that the people in the line are happy for at least two reasons that we are leaving. One is that there are four LESS people on the line. The other is that they are sick of Fred’s trivia game. And we leave the line!

PHILPOT (rattled, searching to refute): Well had you eaten?

FANNY: Well know we hadn’t had breakfast so we could get to Early Magic Hours and it was about 1:00.

PHILPOT: Were you hungry? The children?

FANNY: Well yes, I was but …

PHILPOT: So your husband had wisely booked an ADR for Crystal Palace for a delicious buffet lunch. He certainly had not anticipated that the Space Mountain wait line would be so long, perhaps because of a ride malfunction no one could have planned for and felt that that the trade off was in everyone’s best interest.

FANNY: I suppose you’d have to ask Fred.

PHILPOT: Thank you. I will. No more questions your honor.

Rich may be the only blogger who; had an ORIGINAL Davy Crockett coonskin cap (and wishes he still had it); watched Disney’s Wonderful World of Color in black and white; watched the Disneyland opening ceremonies on that same black and white; AND rode the original It’s a Small World in the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. In addition, he is a college professor, and a grandfather of six whom he is thoroughly dis-doctrinating as often as possible.

The post Farkle v. Farkle: Counsel You May Cross-Examine Mrs.–I Mean, Dr. Farkle appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

The post Farkle v. Farkle: This Case is FAR from Dimsissed! appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

by Richard Bernato

Fred’s lawyer does not immediately rise to his feet on Judge Julia’s direction to deliver his opening remarks. He shrugs his shoulders, shakes his head, sends disapproving but also hurt glances at the plaintiffs. He turns to Fred whose head is buried in his hands. He pats Fred’s shoulder and gives him a reassuring glance as if to show that he feels very sorry for his client.

Judge Julia (having none of this): Mr. Mason, perhaps you have no remarks to offer me or this jury?

Mason: Oh no Your Honor, I do, I certainly do, most certainly do. And I beg some pixie dust for your patience. It’s just that these charges, these complaints, you know, they have really hurt my client, very much so.

Judge Julia: We are not about hurt in this court Mr. Mason. Deliver your remarks please, and quickly.

Mason: Your Honor is being absorbed in Mickey Mouse, in the most magical place on earth, a crime? We know that is is not. We submit that Fred’s ardent commitment to family and equally ardent admiration for all of what Walt Disney World can offer a family combined to drive this devoted husband and family man to make decisions and make special plans for them so that they all could wring every last drop out of their magical experience.

Teenage Daughter lets out an audible groan and rolls her eyes in teenaged disdain

Judge Julia (peers over her glasses again, to Daughter) : Young lady we will have none of that. The only person with permission to groan is yours truly.

Judge Julia ( to Defense Lawyer): Are you finished Mr. Mason?

Mason: Yes your honor and at this point we move to drop all charges in this case as it is clearly a frivolous and unnecessary waste of the court’s time.

Judge Julia: I will take that under advisement and report my decision tomorrow. (she pounds gavel, rises and exits the courtroom)

What will Judge Julia’s decision be? Will this case be dismissed? Wait for the next post!

Rich may be the only blogger who; had an ORIGINAL Davy Crockett coonskin cap (and wishes he still had it); watched Disney’s Wonderful World of Color in black and white; watched the Disneyland opening ceremonies on that same black and white; AND rode the original It’s a Small World in the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. In addition, he is a college professor, and a grandfather of six whom he is thoroughly dis-doctrinating as often as possible.

The post Farkle v. Farkle: The Defense’s Opening Statement appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

There can be many factors (location, funds, special offers etc) as to why many of us have to book our Walt Disney World vacations far in advance and often have months or even years to wait until our next trip.

We all have different ways of filling our time and counting down to that all important departure date so today I thought I would share a particular favourite of mine – THE DISNEY PLANNING DAY!  This particular way of creating a little Disney magic can be shared with your partner, family or a group of friends….that way everyone going on the WDW trip can get involved.

My mother and I are both Disney nuts and love nothing more that researching and planning each other’s next trip to the World. We usually get together about six and a half months before a trip and have a Disney themed day. Not only do we read, talk and eat Disney but I’ve even been known to wear my favourite WDW t-shirt for the day to get into the spirit!

The morning will start off by getting out our vacation paperwork and any reference books we’ll want to refer to. If possible we’ll also usually have two laptops open; so that we can cross-reference websites and information!! We’ll play some Disney-themed music in the background (or one of those great Magic Kingdom audio guides by Lou Mongello!) and then we’ll look at everything we want to achieve that day. It’s usually things like looking at park hours, crowd calendars, behind the scenes tours or ADR’s. The availability of the information that you want to look at will often determine when you schedule your planning day.

After a couple of hours of browsing the Internet and singing along to our Disney music it will be time for lunch. As part of the planning day we like to have a lunch that reminds us of some of our favourite foods to eat in WDW; such as mac ‘n’ cheese, biscuits and cupcakes. Whilst snacking on our lunch we’ll watch a Disney planning DVD or one of our favourite Disney films.

Once we’re full of our American fare we’ll have another couple of hours researching and planning. It’s lovely to see how much information you can find in one day and make notes of what else you’d like to do before your trip.

The best thing about Disney planning days is that they can be changed to suit you and your family. If you’re not into ‘extreme planning’ like my mum and I, why not have a day revisiting the parks and resorts on various Disney websites? If you want to get your children involved why not use the day to draw up a list of the top five things you each want to see or do during your vacation?

If you have a long time to wait for your vacation you might have more than one planning day; if so you could take it in turns to choose the music you listen to or the film you watch. You could even let your children make the WDW themed lunch; learning recipes and cooking makes the day educational as well as fun!!!

Why not comment below and share how you build up the magical anticipation of your next trip to Walt Disney World! 

Emma Godbold lives in the East of England and has been visiting Walt Disney World since she was a teenager. In between trips, Emma can be found reading about Disney history or researching and planning her next Disney vacation. She also writes her own blog at www.daydreamingdisney.com.

The post Missing Disney? Host a Disney Planning Day! appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Do you know what it’s like for one of your idols to tell you that you are going on vacation? I do. Here is how the story goes (cue the flashback sequence.) It was a dark and stormy night (okay, so maybe it wasn’t. But it makes everything more dramatic!) I had a bad day-I got a bad test grade, I forgot a piece of homework at school and had to memorize a poem the next day and I hadn’t even started memorizing it yet. It was a Wednesday – February 1^st to be exact-which meant that it was the day of the week Lou Mongello does live shows regarding Disney news right here on the website (or as we say in my house, it is “box night.”) I was considering not even watching it because I was in such a bad mood. “It will cheer you up!” My mom said. “Fine,” I responded. I logged into the box with my username (MakAttack98) and password (did you really think that I was going to tell you that?) and started chatting with my box family. Mom was right.  My mood changed instantly. Lou scrolled down the attendance sheet and noticed that I was online. “Makattack!” He said. “It’s so good to see you! And you will see why soon!”

What?

This show was only a few days before the 5th anniversary of WDW Radio and there was a contest. We sent in pictures that related to WDW Radio and they created a slideshow with it. 10 random pictures were selected to win a prize. When Lou said that, I thought that I was lucky enough to be one of the 10 people. I would soon learn that that wasn’t the case.

Not in a long shot.

Lou got started a little bit late and the podcast went on as usual. As the show ended, Lou, Beci and Scott faded away, being replaced by the WDW Radio logo. When they reappeared, all of us box people started talking to the three people on the other side and each other. BacksideofWater and I were starting to talk about our favorite rides in Magic Kingdom when Lou said “I have a surprise for somebody in the box.” And the crowd (aka the chat box) became silent, everybody wondering what it was and which lucky box person would get it.

“So I got an email,” Lou continued, “from Christy about somebody who wanted to do something special for somebody that is very special.” Beci interjects “Am I going to cry?” To make a long conversation short, a short bus joke was shared, a commercial break went on for too long, Beci questioned whether tonight was definitely the night, Lou tried to text Christy to confirm and a food reference was made in the next minute. We also found out that this lucky person is going on the WDW Radio Cruise.

“And the person who will be joining us on the cruise is…” That is when I noticed the camera. To my left, my mom was holding a video camera. We never record anything.

That is the moment when I realized it had to be me …. But it couldn’t be me because we had discussed it and the answer was a definitive no so maybe it’s not me after all!

“And I am super psyched…” Lou continued, “For MakAttack.”

I jumped off the ground so hard that the chair I was sitting in was propelled backwards and I caught a few inches of air before I landed safely back to the ground-well, not so safely. When I pushed myself off the ground, I was so excited that I actually hit my toe on the computer desk. I believe that I might have broken my brother’s ear drum as I rolled the chair back to where it belongs. Then it hit me. I was going on my dream cruise. I lost it and burst into tears. AND I AM PROUD.  Watch my mom’s video here:  THE REACTION!! 8:)

“Your mom and dad sent us an e-mail and thought that there was no better way for you to have heard about it, Makena, than by being here on the box.”

“Oh my gosh,” Beci replies. I remember everybody in the box congratulating me as if I just got a window on Main Street.

“I can’t wait to hug MakAttack!” Lou exclaimed while “Love Boat” was playing in the background. My brother asked my dad “Am I going, too?” My father laughed and responded “Yes, we are all going, Austin. You too!” I guess because WDW Radio is more of my thing than his, he thought I was just going to go on a cruise by myself. Encouraging comments came flooding in like “represent the box people well!” and “see you on the other side, MakAttack!”

“We are going to Aquaduck together and I will scream like a girl!” Lou said. Somebody in the box wanted a speech. I was too overwhelmed. I felt like a princess for a moment in my life-and I loved every second of it.

Later that night, dad mentioned another surprise. That surprise was that we were going with three other people-close family friends. The daughter of their family, Courtney, didn’t know yet. She goes to the same school as me, and we are almost like sisters so it was hard not to tell her that we were going on a cruise. That Thursday night, we invited Courtney and her family over for dinner to announce the vacation-but that is a story for another time. I was going to my other home for the first time since 2006.

And those of you who are just reading this blog now, you’re late. Where have you been? I love your computer. No not you… I mean it’s alright but that’s-that’s high tech. Yeah. Anyway, so you are not completely lost, here is a recap of what has been going on. I’m Makena. Hi! I love WDW Radio and I used to think that I was never going to see the Disney Dream ‘til I had a dream that I was on the Disney Dream and Lou Mongello and the rest of the gang was on board. Oh, don’t I know it was amazing. So my parents, Ted and Tonya, stepped in and told Christy to tell Lou that I was going on the Dream in November and then he told me. That’s what’s going on. Got it? Good. You don’t? Then that’s your problem, because you’re late. And you think about that next time! (If you didn’t get this whole paragraph, you need to ride Ellen’s Energy Adventure one more time.)

On a serious note, I truly want to thank Lou Mongello. I don’t think he realizes how much he means to me. He introduced me to a group of people who are just like me and became my extended family. He treats me as if I was his daughter (shout out to Marion). Thanks for everything, Lou!

Of course, none of this would have happened without the help of Christy. My parents emailed her with an idea and she spread the word to Lou. She is also responsible for where I am in the first place. If you don’t know, NJChristy invited me to contribute to the teen and kids blog in November after I entered the “My Thanksgiving Goes Disney” contest.  My first blog was posted on December 2. She is my “Box Mom” just like Lou is my “Box Dad” and I love chatting with them every Wednesday. I am excited to see both of them on the cruise (I have met Christy before and hope to see her a few more times before the cruise and will meet Lou June 9th.) And this is the story of Breaking The News – Celebrity Style.

Next week you can read about multiple ways to break the news that don’t require much explanation.  Just fun, sort of simple ways to share!

Last week’s “Where in The World” picture didn’t even get a guess. So here is another chance to say where this picture was taken.

See ya REAL soon!
~Makena W.

Quote of the Week: “Your windshield is bigger than your rearview mirror for a reason: Keep looking ahead in life and not at what’s behind you.” ~Lou Mongello

Makena is a 13 year old middle school student who spends much of her free time researching Disney. She enjoys sharing Disney facts and even plans Walt Disney World vacations (including searches for secrets and Hidden Mickeys) for friends and family.

The post WDW Radio Kids & Teens Day: Breaking the News, Celebrity Style appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.