Smelling excrement may not be everyone's idea of fun, but for those who like to push the boundaries, Australia's most controversial new museum may be just what they are looking for.

Dubbed “the subversive adult Disneyland”, the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) is located in Tasmania and features around 400 works of art from Egyptian mummies to Young British Artists including Chris Ofili and Jenny Saville.

But the most talked-about piece is the Cloaca Professional, labelled the “poo-machine.” It was built by Belgian artist Wim Delvoye to mimic the actions of the human digestive system.

A series of glass receptacles hang in a row with the machine being “fed” twice a day on one end. The food is ground up “naturally,” the way it is in the human body, and the device produces faeces on the clock at 2 pm at the other end.

The smell is so powerful that not many visitors can take it. “It put me off because of the overwhelming assault on the senses,” said Diane Malnic, a Sydney-based accountant. Yet this was her second visit in five months, following a family holiday in Tasmania earlier in the year. This time, she flew without her husband and children just to have another look at the collection, interested in Delvoye's other pieces.

She took great care to avoid the “smelly” parts and still talked vividly about the “vomit room” which was part of an earlier exhibit no longer on display. “I wouldn't go back to see them,” she said, laughing.

The Cloaca is part of a series of at least five similar machines built by the artist, another of which will soon be exhibited at the Louvre. It is the most hated piece in the museum but also the most visited.

The museum, which opened in January 2011, is owned by eccentric and philanthropist David Walsh, who made his fortune as a professional gambler, and features one of the largest private art collections in the world with an estimated value of around A$100 million. Its motto is to shock, offend, inform and entertain. “It definitely challenges your interpretation of what art is,” said Malnic.

Pieces include Chris Ofili's Holy Virgin Mary, which features elephant dung and porn-magazine cutouts of genitals. It caused controversy in 1996, with then-New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani reportedly describing Ofili's work as “sick”. Another much-talked-about piece is the Matrix by Jenny Saville, a full-frontal large painting of a naked transgender man with his modified genitals exposed.

“It's confronting,” said Margarita Silva, a Melbourne-based dentist making during her third trip to the MONA. Detractors argue that some of the pieces don't belong to a museum, which is also what Malnic initially thought. But upon reflection, she said the Cloaca machine opened her mind and argued that perhaps it was the future of art.

For Silva, her favourites were a soundproof room of 30 Madonna fans who were individually filmed singing a capella the artist's Immaculate Collection album. The other was a waterfall with droplets spelling out a series of words.

Keeping with the MONA's sensibility, none of its art work is grouped or chronological, leaving viewers to walk at random. “Overall, it's a fantastic experience,” said Silva. The museum charges A$20 (about R160) for entry and has drawn around 389,000 visitors in its first year - Reuters

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Would you like to make magical vacation memories at Walt Disney World Resort? All you have to do is find a travel agent who specializes in Disney's "Magic Your Way" packages and tell him/her what you want. Your package will include a number of items for your Walt Disney World get-away.

Save Money With Vacation Packages
There are ways to save money by getting room only and package discounts at select Disney
hotels. Special discount codes can be researched on internet sites or by
calling 407-W-DISNEY and asking about discount options. A Number of travel
agents that specialize in Disney specials will have access to these special "mouse
discounts". On occasion you will have to pay a deposit of one night when you
book your Disney experience. Of course, some dates may be blacked out but for a
great discount, who cares?

Using A Travel Agent
Working with travel agents is helpful and it is no cost to you to use them. Disney travel
agent can help you negotiate all the details with planning a Disney's "Magic
Your Way" vacation package at Walt Disney World Resort. Search for a travel
agency that is trained in selling Disney vacation plans and is an "Authorized
Disney Vacation Planner."  A travel agent will give you his/her undivided attention and the best deals available.

Tips on Choosing an Agent
Select an agent who will send your money directly to Disney. On that note, make your check out to Disney and not to the agent.  Sadly, a number of families have lost their deposit by working with dishonest agents. Pay for your trip with a credit card. This gives you buyer protection in fear that something
happens.

Discount Information
Discounted "Room Only" rates are offered on specific dates and at certain resort properties. You can save up to 35% on a number of Disney World properties.

Bounce Back Discounts are offered to you when you check out from your current Walt Disney
World Resort vacation. The idea is to get you to go ahead and book your next
Walt Disney World trip while there on the premises. You have to make the
reservation before you check out but if you don't get a "Bounce Back" brochure
in your room, check on the 'in house' channel or ask at the hotel desk.

Florida residents get special discount offers throughout the year. "Florida Neighbors" discounts are offered to residents of South and North Carolina,
Georgia, and Alabama.

Value Season
Walt Disney World continuously adjusts the dates of Value Season and the number of days in
the season for all of resort rooms.  Check with your agent for details – going to Disney during the value season not only saves money but can help you see more smaller crowd levels.

Tickets and Passes
Of course you might want to order your tickets ahead so that you won't be spending valuable
time waiting in line at the theme parks or water parks.

Discount tickets are usually attainable from brokers who buy the tickets to offer them
as a premium when selling condos or apartments in the area. Don't spend your
vacation time listening to a high-pressure sales pitch for buying a property
you probably don't want and can't afford.

When choosing your ticket consider the number of days you will be vacationing with Walt Disney World Resorts and purchase accordingly.  For multiple day visits it is suggested that you upgrade to the "no expiration" option as well as the "park hopper" option. Add a "Fun and more" option for activities like golf, Disney Quest or a water park.

Enjoy Full Fun Without Paying A Full Price
There is no reason to pay full price for a Walt Disney World Resort 'Magic Your Way' family
vacation when you can get large discount offers that will make your trip cost
less. You could even save a decent amount of money to have the opportunity to
spend an extra day or two.

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Commuters traveling early this morning down Los Angeles highways had a rare opportunity to spot a piece of Disneyland history speeding alongside as Disneyland and D23 transported an iconic character from the Anaheim theme park to be part of the upcoming Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit in Simi Valley, opening July 6, 2012.

Beginning on I-5 from Disneyland Resort to the 134 freeway, winding to U.S. 101, and ultimately taking CA Route 23 to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, the instantly-recognizable Maleficent head formerly used as part of Disneyland’s “Fantasmic!” show climax was transported by truck, visible to passing motorists.

The giant dragon head made a pit stop at the Disney Animation Building at the Walt Disney Studios. And it ultimately arrived at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. The Maleficent dragon will be one of the largest pieces on display among more than 500 items from Disney’s history to be installed as part of the exhibit curated by the Walt Disney Archives.

This particular dragon head was used at Disneyland for years, until being replaced in 2009 with a new high-tech version of the dragon. The former head was seen in “Fantasmic!” along the Rivers of America battling Mickey Mouse while essentially mounted on a “stick.”

Its replacement is a far more believable full-bodied dragon, though early technical difficulties left fans to dub it “Murphy,” a reference to Murphy’s law. Today this new dragon performs regularly at Disneyland during the popular nighttime show.

But soon the old head, a blast from Disneyland past, will once again be visible to the public as part of the massive exhibit launching this summer at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, continuing through April 2013.

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With a footprint the size of San Francisco, Orlando’s Walt Disney World rivals the scope of any major city as a destination. It has six theme parks; myriad places to stay, including villas, hotels, and campgrounds; golf courses, a sports complex, a boardwalk, and a downtown; and a wide range of dining options. Factor in the crowds — WDW is home to four of the top eight most-visited amusement parks worldwide — and a visit to Disney World can be a little overwhelming. Consider these tips for navigating this vacation metropolis.

Research available attractions and experiences before your trip. With four full-scale amusement parks and two water parks, Walt Disney World offers too many options to absorb in a single glance of a park map when you walk through the gate. Study before you go. WDW is happy to school you via its website or free DVD. Worthwhile books include The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World,Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World, and Fodor’s Walt Disney World With Kids.

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But it won't be the only one for long. Opened in 2009 by a pair of billionaire brothers, this ark is merely the biggest in a proverbial flood of Noah-themed attractions sweeping the globe. If a real deluge comes, don't worry: There will probably be an ark somewhere nearby to save you.

In Kentucky, the operators of a creationist theme park are taking advantage of state tax incentives to build a second life-sized biblical vessel in the heartland, The Daily reports. After a series of delays, they intend to break ground at the end of 2012, provided they can raise $US5 million to $US10 million in private donations.

In the Netherlands, an ambitious carpenter built a half-sized ark in 2004, and has nearly completed a full-sized, seaworthy wooden ark - stocked with live rabbits and peacocks - that is expected to open later this year.

A flotilla of smaller arks has also been launched across the map in the last several years. In Los Angeles, the Skirball Cultural Centre boasts a $US5 million kid-sized ark that was opened in 2007 and is intended to teach children "the value of community, and (to) help build a better world". In Turkey, Greenpeace activists assembled a replica of the vessel in 2007 to raise awareness of climate change.
Even Hollywood is getting in on the act, with Russell Crowe set to star in multi-million-dollar retelling of Noah's story.

According to the Bible, Noah built a massive ark of "gopher wood" in order to save the world's creatures from a catastrophic flood sent by God to wipe out wickedness on Earth. The boat, the Bible says, measured 150 cubits long, 20 cubits wide and 30 cubits high - taller than a three-story building. (A cubit is said to be the distance between a man's elbow and fingertips.) So after thousands of years, why is this ancient craft suddenly coming back into vogue? Creationist zeal certainly plays a part.

"We want people to see that the Noah account is possible, that it's plausible and logical," said Mike Zovath, vice president of Answers in Genesis, the group building the Kentucky ark. "If they see that could have happened, then other accounts in the Bible are also true, and then there's a need for a saviour to explain that this sort of thing could have happened."

But apart from spreading faith, proprietors think that arks could be big business. Answers in Genesis expects the Kentucky ark to draw between 1.6 million and 2 million visitors the first year it opens, generating $US4 billion for the state in a decade. With ambitions that grand, the group anticipates an audience that isn't just evangelicals. Mr Zovath said non-evangelicals would account for 70 to 80 per cent of visitors.

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A spectacular fire-breathing dragon entertains guests as part of the cast of "Fantasmic!" the long-running spectacular presented on the Rivers of America in New Orleans Square and Frontierland in Disneyland. Disneyland is marking the 20th anniversary of Fantasmic! With a series of late-night events for annual pass-holders.

The park will present Fantasmic! At 11:30 p.m. on May 14, 15, 21 and 22 and keep Adventureland, Frontierland and New Orleans Square sections of the park open until 1 a.m. following each night’s performance.

Regular Disneyland on those dates –on Mondays and Tuesdays – are 9 a.m.-10 p.m.
People must RSVP to attend, and most will have to go to the Disneyland Resort to do it.
Tickets are handed out at the resort’s main entrance ticket booths. There, pass-holders will be issued a voucher good for four people, but the other three people will have to show their annual passes on the day of the event.

Pass-holders will have to return to the ticket booths on the day of vent to be issued wristbands to view Fantasmic! and remain in the park after closing. Distribution will begin at noon. Disneyland restaurants will be serving special menu items from 4 p.m.-1 a.m. for the celebration. The Café Orleans and other park eateries had special menus for the park’s last late-night experiment on Feb. 29, and the park also sold holiday-themed foods for Lunar New Year and Mardi Gras. Fantasmic! Is a 20-minute extravaganza staged on Tom Sawyer’s Island and the Rivers of America, two of Disneyland’s original attractions. It includes actors, animatronics, five of the boats that transport guests on the river during the daytime, film clips projected on walls of fog, and fireworks. It tells a story of Mickey Mouse fighting powers of evil mustered by Disney witches, including several decades of characters from Disney feature films.

Fantasmic! Made its debut on May 13, 1992. The show was rebooted in 2009 with the addition of Flotsam and Jetsam, the eels from “The Little Mermaid,” gliding through the water in front of spectators, and a 45-foot animatronic dragon that shoots a 35-foot plume of flame out of its mouth. Some park guests spend hours lounging on the cobblestones of New Orleans Square to get prime viewing spots for the nearly 20-minute show.

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TOKYO - (AP) -- A bus carrying dozens of vacationers to Tokyo Disneyland has crashed on a highway, killing seven passengers. Police say the other 38 passengers and the driver were injured in Sunday morning's accident on a highway in Gunma, north of Tokyo.

The bus crashed into a roadside wall. Steel wall panels sliced the vehicle in half. Police are investigating the cause. They say all the passengers are believed to be Japanese nationals, mostly young adults. Police were having difficulty identifying the bodies. Six of those killed were women. The crash happened as Japan head into the "Golden Week" holidays this week.

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It sounds like the fairytale plot of a Disney film. But for Yeadon teenager Abbie Hill, joining the Disneyland Paris entertainment team has become a thrilling reality. The 18-year-old has been picked from more than 400 hopefuls to land her dream job at the massive attraction.

Abbie, who visited the Disneyland as a child, has been offered a six-month performance contract to the delight of her mum, Jude, and step-dad Phil Cole, himself an actor of no little standing. Mr Cole said: “Only ten years ago Abbie had visited Disneyland Paris on a family holiday and she was equally in awe and in terror of the Disney princesses and villains alike.

“Her bedroom is even now still full of Disney DVDs and plush toys, so she is still somewhat in shock at the knowledge she will now be not only going back there, but working and living there too. “As one of her friends said to her: ‘I can’t believe you are actually going to be living at Disneyland’!

“This is something of a continuing of the Disney dynasty in our family, as it was ten years ago that I was appearing in Beauty and The Beast for Walt Disney Theatrical, in their international tour of the stage musical – and now my step-daughter is following in those footsteps.

“Jude and I are very proud of her fantastic achievement.”Abbie’s good news could not have come at a better time, as earlier this year she had suffered a setback after attending several rounds of arduous auditions – along with thousands of other students – for a place at five of London’s top drama schools.

The competition was so fierce that Abbie, despite her predicted Triple Distinction Star for the Diploma in Musical Theatre at Leeds City College, failed to secure a place. So when she spotted a newspaper notice for Disneyland Paris auditions a few weeks ago, she jumped at the chance and decided to give it her all.

Abbie, who has performed leading roles for a number of local amateur groups including Stampede Theatre Company, now can’t wait to begin entertaining a much larger audience in France.

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Disney (DIS), the world's largest theme park company, on Monday announced a deal with Starbucks (SBUX), the world's largest coffee chain, to open stores in its theme parks at Disneyland Park and Walt Disney World Resort.

The first of six Starbucks cafes will open in June at Disney California Adventure. For Disney, which has often been criticized for the limited food and beverage choices at its parks, this is a huge move forward. For Starbucks, which is running out of ways to expand in the U.S., this is a slam-dunk move in a captive market ripe for growth.

"I don't expect to see Mickey drinking coffee any time soon," says Ron Paul, president of the research firm Technomic. "But from a marketing perspective, you have two iconic brands coming together, which has to be a positive."

While the full size and scope of the deal was not revealed, the logical extension is for Starbucks to ultimately open in all Disney Parks inside and outside the U.S. For now, however, it plans to open at the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom. "We know food and beverage offerings are an important part of the memories our guests make at Disney Parks," says Maribeth Bisienere, vice president, food and beverage line of business for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "Many of our guests have shared their passion for Starbucks with us."

At Disney California Adventure, Starbucks will be located in the Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Café on Buena Vista Street, a place that transports guests to 1920s Los Angeles, when Walt Disney arrived in California and a cup of coffee was the perfect way to jump-start a busy day. The store's location plays off the Spanish/Mexican architecture of the period, and baristas will wear 1920s-inspired attire. The café will serve Starbucks items including coffee and espresso beverages, Frappuccino blended beverages, and breakfast sandwiches and pastries.

The move could nudge some folks to come to Disney parks a bit earlier — for that Starbucks cup o' joe — or even stay later, says Paul. That is precisely what Disney wants, of course. Starbucks is not completely new to Disney. In June 2009, the company opened a store in Disney Village at Disneyland Paris, which has been a hit.

"Starbucks and Disney have many things in common," says Arthur Rubinfeld, president, global development, for Starbucks. "We share a passion that every experience with our brand exceeds our customers' expectations." He says Starbucks customers have asked for a Disney park tie-in through MyStarbucksIdea.com since the consumer site launched more than four years ago.
No word on any Disney Parks planning to open inside Starbucks stores.

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Back when Walt Disney World was just one park in a big empty wilderness south of Orlando, there was a strange bird with a head shaped like an orange that bobbed about the Magic Kingdom.

The Orange Bird was actually a creation unique to the Florida theme park in conjunction with the Florida Citrus Growers' sponsorship of the original incarnation of the WDW-version of Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, an attraction that existed in California's Disneyland.

Back in 1971 when the Magic Kingdom opened, it was called Tropical Serenade and featured animatronic birds and flowers doing their thing for more than 25 years before transforming into The Enchanted Tiki Room -- Under New Management with the voice talents of Iago from Alladin and Zazu from The Lion King in 1999.

Fire damage to that attraction in Adventureland in January 2011 led the way to Disney refurbishing it to its current iteration, Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. The current version now shares the name and is similar to the original version from Disneyland with no sign of Iago or Zazu. And while the new version doesn't re-employ the Tropical Serenade title of the 1971 attraction, the throwback approach it was given fits nicely with the idea the Orange Bird would make a comeback as well.

The bird greeted families at Sunshine Tree Terrace, which also hocked citrus drinks and Orange Bird gifts. The Orange Bird was gone from Walt Disney World by 1981. Last year, Orange Bird merchandise made a comeback to the park and today, D23 representatives announced that the character would make its return to Adventureland.

Now more than 30 years later, the Orange Bird has returned to the signage for the terrace and also on "quirky drink cups." One bit of history that isn't returning, at least not yet, is the Orange Bird character who walked around the park. But the actual, original bird figurine itself will retake its perch at the terrace.

"This is the Orange Bird that guests could see at the Sunshine Tree Terrace back in the '70s and '80s," said Steven Vagnini, archivist for the Walt Disney Archives. "It represented one of the original characters of Walt Disney World when it originally opened so it's very exciting to see him back."

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