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Tag: Orlando

  • Tim Tebow Offered A Football Gig In Florida

    Tim Tebow has been off the field for a while following stints with the Jets and Patriots that were less than successful, but he may have another chance to get back to the game if he takes up an offer from Orlando Predators owner David Siegel.

    Siegel, who just took over ownership of the team, said he’s looking to recruit some big names now that the Predators have reached number one in their division. With two Arenabowl wins under their belts, the team certainly has what it takes to garner some national attention.

    “I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished with the team that we have. But when you have an owner like this and you come back to the Amway Center, it’s fair to say that our recruiting package just got a lot better,” Predators coach Rob Keefe said.

    Tebow isn’t far from them now that he’s bought some new sprawling digs in Jacksonville, his former home. And while some of his fans are hoping he’ll come play for the Jaguars, he hasn’t announced any plans to suit up again anytime soon. In fact, he’s working with ESPN as a commentator for the SEC Network.

    Tebow was released from the Jets last April after a disappointing season that hardly saw him on the field at all. Despite high hopes that he would bring some fire to the team, because they already had veteran QB Mark Sanchez, the coaches seemed unsure of what to do with him. Coach Rex Ryan said he still believed Tebow was a talented player, and wished him all the best.

    “We have a great deal of respect for Tim Tebow,” he said. “Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we all had hoped. Tim is an extremely hard worker, evident by the shape he came back in this offseason. We wish him the best moving forward.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Harry Potter Wizarding World’s Diagon Alley Opening Date Still Not Set

    Harry Potter Wizarding World’s Diagon Alley Opening Date Still Not Set

    If you’re excited to visit Universal Orlando’s latest and great upcoming Harry Potter themed attraction, Diagon Alley, you’re going to have to hold on to your wands, because it may be awhile.

    The date is currently not fixed, but plans are that it will open sometime this summer. According to Reuters, the park expects an attendance increase due to the new attraction. The last time the park opened a Harry Potter themed area (which was their version of Hogsmeade Village), Orange County saw a major bump in tax revenue.

    But Universal will have a problem if no one shows up because they didn’t give out a date.

    Hype has remained high so far. The new part of the park is being promoted on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, which is only a little unusual for a theme park. And this week, the stars of the movies will be doing some promotion as well:

    But despite the effort made by the park to drive up demand, some fans are a little put off that Universal isn’t setting a date up in advance. “I’m not at all happy with it,” Potter fan and student Jonathan Reyes told the Orlando Sentinel, “I’m not sure what they’re doing.” Reyes wants to visit the new attraction on opening day, but won’t be able to get time off to go without a date.

    What does Universal have to say for themselves?

    “We announce grand-opening dates when we’re ready … when we’re able to provide a perfect guest experience,” Tom Schroder, spokesman for the company, said.

    In other words, prepare to be surprised.

    The park plans to feature shops centered around merchandise and food from the Harry Potter world. On the menu is everything from pumpkin juice to butter-beer.

    All of which can be enjoyed if you go, but you’ll have to wait for Universal to give you the go ahead.

    Image via Universal Orlando Resort, YouTube.

  • Tonight Show To Florida For First Road Trip

    Road trip!

    Jimmy Fallon is taking the New York City based The Tonight Show on the road to sunny Florida. The host revealed on Tuesday, “We’re going where the sun shines, the weather’s fine, it’s always fun times and everything rhymes — that’s right we’re going to Orlando, Florida.”

    It will be the first time Fallon has taped outside of New York City since he took over the franchise from long time host Jay Leno.

    The talk show plans to tape four shows from Universal Orlando from June 17-19 at “Sound Stage 20” which is located on the Universal Studios backlot. The musical guests will perform on the Music Plaza Stage.

    The scheduled guests are Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, and Tracy Morgan. The road trip ties in with Universal’s unveiling of their new Wizarding World of Harry Potter Universal Studios theme park ride. The free tickets are unfortunately already sold out.

    Since Fallon took over The Tonight Show from Leno in February 2014, the show has dominated in the ratings, especially in the ultra important 18-49 demo. Fallon also has a large social media presence with almost 13 million Twitter followers.

    The 39-year-old Fallon is known for producing content on the show that goes viral and gets people talking. He’s not just another monologue and interview guy. Fallon does everything from lip sync battle with guests to play charades to perform spot on musical impressions.

    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon airs on NBC weeknights 11:35/10:35c. Tonight’s guests include Hugh Jackman and legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. As always, The Roots will sit in with Fallon as the house band.

    Image via The Tonight Starring Jimmy Fallon, Facebook

  • Jessica Sanchez is Declared Cancer-Free and Returns Back to WKMG

    Traffic reporter Jessica Sanchez at WKMG-Channel 6 will be returning back to work following a one-year struggle with cancer.

    If you’re unfamiliar with Sanchez, you may remember the very outspoken journalist for her controversial response to a drunk interviewee during a live Superbowl report last January 31 in New Orleans.

    In the video a young female, who is obviously under the influence, interrupts Sanchez’s live standup. In response, the annoyed TV journalist informed the lady that her report was on STDs and asked if she ever had any.

    Of course the news report went viral and Sanchez received a mix of backlashes and support for how she handled the “videobombing.” Thus, WKMG saw something in her that others did not and she continued forward with her position as a traffic reporter.

    Sanchez was later diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, in which the station announced to the public in March 2013. In April she shared her story during a live broadcast.

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    Now, after extensive treatment and chemotherapy, the 33-year-old is said to continuously receive negative test results. Her oncologist has diagnosed her condition to be cancer-free.

    WKMG’s General Manager Skip Valet reported to the Orlando Sentinel newspaper that he is “pleased to announce that Jessica Sanchez continues to get positive news from her doctors” and looks forward to her returning on a part-time schedule.

    Sanchez, who is so excited about her reunion with WKMG, plans to come back to her job sometime next week.

    Since Sanchez is still reassessing her energy level, the station authorized her to start behind the scenes so she can retrain with new equipment and slowly build her way back up to being an on-air reporter. (image)

    “They want to see how I do with all of that. I want to go back and go back for good. I think it’s the best way to go back in part time and get used to everything,” she told the newspaper.

    One of the things Sanchez is most concerned about is reprogramming her body to wake up in the early morning hours for work. Besides that, she is more than ready to readjust to all the changes that have occurred since she has been away.

    As for the station, Valet confirms that they are more than sure that Sanchez is ready to start back work again.

    “It feels so good to say I see the light again,” she stated. “I see normal again.”

    The cancer-survivor plans to broadcast her return next week during an on-air newscast segment.

    Check out the “videobombing” report below:

    Images via Facebook, Facebook

  • Trayvon Martin Case Sparks Racial Debate

    With new details of the Trayvon Martin case emerging every day, speculation as to whether or not the shooting was racially motivated is growing within the African American community.

    The incident, which involved self-appointed neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman following 17-year old Trayvon Martin–who was unarmed and walking home from the store–before confronting him for looking suspicious, led to Zimmerman fatally shooting the boy after a scuffle broke out between the two. Zimmerman claims he acted in self defense, but a lot of people are wondering if the fact that Martin was African American played a part in it.

    Adding fuel to this fiery topic is the fact that Martin’s father, Robert, released a statement last week to the Orlando Sentinel which claimed that Zimmerman is of Hispanic descent and grew up in a multi-racial family.

    “He would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever …,” the statement reads. “The media portrayal of George as a racist could not be further from the truth.”

    The statement has raised many questions regarding racism and whether it’s strictly an issue for the white community, as reported on Fox News Latino. Writer Chantilly Pantino expresses concern that certain comments in a recent Breitburt.com article imply just that.

    The first paragraph of the article reads:

    “The media immediately portrayed the death as a case of white on black racism. CBS News, on its Crimesider website, immediately called Zimmerman a “white neighborhood watch volunteer.” Martin’s parents accused the police of racism for not arresting Zimmerman. There’s only one problem: Zimmerman is Hispanic.”

    Pantino explores the assertion that Zimmerman cannot be racist because he is Hispanic:

    “…Are we to believe then, that he can’t be racist because he’s not white? Is prejudice and discrimination restricted only to those who are direct European descendants?”

    There have been many reports over the years of suspected Hispanic/African American hate crimes, including one involving the 2006 death of a 14-year old girl in Los Angeles, which adds more weight to the argument that perhaps the fact that Zimmerman is Hispanic doesn’t excuse him from possibly being racist.

    And there are other avenues of thought to consider, such as why Zimmerman continued his pursuit of Martin despite a warning from police to leave him alone.

    This is certainly not an issue that will go away anytime soon, and the debate that has been raised will more than likely draw out for many years with no easy answer. The general public has flooded social media sites with their opinions and will continue to do so as the investigation into the shooting goes on.

    (image)@OohSquigglyLine
    josé juan.    People are trying so hard to paint George Zimmerman as a racist that they’re forgetting to paint him as a murderer(image) 12 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@bmoreconnected
    Andy Ellis    Giving george zimmerman the benefit of the doubt, and assuming he is not a racist does not mean he did not kill trayvon because he was black(image) 56 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@PointWellTaken
    Booker T. Fair    George Zimmerman (the murderer of Treyvon Martin) was NOT a police officer. He was a racist pseudo vigilante that murdered an innocent kid.(image) 18 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@Miami_Chica
    Amber Ortiz-Moreno    I figured George Zimmerman was Latino but just bc he is doesn’t mean he isn’t racist. Lord knows a lot of Latinos are racist against blacks.(image) 5 days ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • TSA Screeners To Be Booted Out of US Airport

    In November 2010, the federal Transportation Security Administration put a freeze on airports opting to use privatized security services instead of the agency’s own employees, but a provision in a Senate bill passed last month has opened the door for airports to once again apply to replace TSA screeners with private security.

    The TSA is not a very popular agency, with taxpaying consumers complaining about the agency’s bureaucratic disorganization and apathy, its massive $8.1 billion budget, and its controversial use of invasive body scanners. Now Orlando Sanford International Airport–one of the busiest in the United States–is planning to take advantage of the new legislation and opt out of TSA-run security screenings.

    According to the Miami Herald, the airport’s president announced Tuesday that he will again apply to use a privatized security service, which will operate according to federal standards and under TSA oversight.

    Though the legislation allowing the opt-out was passed over a month ago, at present only 16 airports have applied to make the switch, despite the TSA’s reputation of poor customer service, and even allegations of abuse. “The TSA has been keen to downplay the opportunity for airports to dispense with their screeners,” reports InfoWars, “fearing a mass exodus that could undermine the justification for the agency’s continued existence, especially given the fact that its reputation has been repeatedly savaged by a number of scandals.”

    As word spreads about airports’ ability to opt-out of TSA-run screenings, and especially if major airports like Orland Sanford set a precedent by successfully applying to privatize, we may see the TSA get the boot from even more airports in the months to come.

    Image Source: Private Officer News.

  • City Of Orlando Cuts Costs 62 Percent With Google Apps

    The city of Orlando loves Google, and it’s not hard to understand why – according to the city’s own estimates, switching to Google Apps cut its IT costs by a massive amount.  So now Orlando’s CIO, Conrad Cross, is returning the favor (and maybe helping Orlando secure a special prize) by spreading the Google gospel.

    Google LogoCross wrote a post that went up on the Official Google Enterprise Blog this afternoon, and in it, he stated, "If we were to keep our current system, we estimated it would cost $133 a year for each of its 3,000 employees – or $399,000 including annual software licenses.  Google charges $50 per user, or $150,000 delivering more than 60% in savings."

    Cross then encouraged other cities to perform their own analyses, and added, "[i]f the savings are compelling . . . move quickly – you’ll see the move into the cloud is relatively fast and painless – and ultimately very cost-effective."

    This isn’t the last you’ll hear of Orlando’s CIO, either.  He’s actually due to take part in a webinar on March 31st, and will discuss this development with a product marketing manager from Google.

    If Cross’s willingness to speak is due to gratitude, it’s completely understandable.  Some sort of contractual obligation wouldn’t reflect poorly on him, Orlando, or Google, either.  But here’s one other possibility: Orlando officials, who have already expressed an interest in Google’s experimental fiber networks, have found a good way to earn the search giant’s favor.