WooferBearATL

I think that it's likely that the parks have already sold. They are just waiting for a transfer of ownership to take place.

Can't preach to a Yankee. They always think they know best. And remember, Southern By The Grace of God, Man.

Oh, I almost forgot the shows at Opryland. That park was just stunning! Absolutely Stunning! The shows were awesome, and I'm not just talking the country shows. Ahhhh, what a loss it was when they turned the park into a mall.

That's where the Bush parks can teach everyone else a thing or two. Think about it! They don't have nearly the budget that say a Disney or a Universal has but they can compete and even surpass in the theming areas to a major extent. Just think about it. Even the flowers look fake at Disney World but everything is natural and nice at Bush Gardens.

Seriously, when you sit down and think about it - Paramount really blew such an opportunity to exploit the parks to their fullest. And when I say exploit, I mean in a good way. There are so many opportunities that were lost that could have cost next to nothing. The perfect example was jzarley pointing out Survivor Auditions. How exactly does a corporation allow that type of thing to happen?

Yeah, it was absolutely crazy. I remember the people in Entertainment thought that they had just won the lottery when Paramount took over. The Entertainment Department under KECO had always been given a nice and healthy budget, but everyone thought under Paramount that they would be the "Golden Children." I remember that there was even talk of all the Paramount Shows (Like Entertainment Tonight, etc) being able to utilize broadcasts from the park as well. All this just never materialized under Paramount. As far as with Celebration - I'd put that show up against anything that Disney or Univeral has ever done. It really was a show that would have made it on Broadway had it been scaled up.

Let's compare "Celebration" to any show that Paramount has done. Hell, it even had an album that they sold with it at the park!

There really is not a lot left to decline from. Looking back over the old show programs, we've fallen a long way.

I would really like to see a company come in that put a value on live entertainment. Of all the things I miss the most from the Old Kings Island, it's the entertainment.

I don't think anyone is complaining about what the company does as a whole. I think that it's a shame that Kings Island or any organization that caters to crowds would have a location closed on such a busy day, though.

References please. Making a good product and marketing it correctly has very little to do with Biblical Principals.

And it is dependant on how the mall writes the lease for the store space. Many malls write directly into the lease the hours that a store or restaurant must be open.

I've never understood why a mall would agree to have a store or restaurant that was closed on a normal operating day. Just my opinion.

Being closed on Sunday's is important in life? Please explain this to me.

LOL! The folk that run Chick Fil A are not Mormon! The family is big time Southern Baptist as are many in Atlanta. (Chick Fil-A started in Georgia, ya know!) Truett Cathy, wanted to ensure that every Chick-fil-A employee and restaurant operator had an opportunity to worship, spend time with family and friends or just plain rest from the work week. That is why they close on Sunday. The company is based upon Christian principals. Their basis is written as follows: statement of corporate purpose says that we exist "to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A."

This course of thinking is a kin to saying Paramount had no interest in running the parks other than to receive publicity. And, though, in my opinion this is what has happened; I'm certain that many would disagree. I think that it's only onward and upward from here.

I think the best bet is to have a private investment group. A group that has the primary focus being running theme parks is the solution. I think we're going to see great things at all the parks.

Funny, I'm not sure how you anyone is taking from that email that they are just a dolalr sign. Seems like a very nice email to me.

Ahhhh, what ever happened to the voice of Resale. The park staying open later into the evening allows a few things. (Now I'm speaking from a Food Service Stand Point.) That final hour (actually 2 hours plus) International Street gets hit. When I supervised Ice Cream Shoppe - I had all registers open, 2 people on each ice cream freezer, a person or two working sundae bar, sipper cart (with a runner that was stocking) and popcorn cart. (using sipper carts runner) and a Cashier Foreman. When I supervised Funnel Cakes we had one or two people on each fryer, all registers a runner and a prep person with a cashier foreman. Munchen tower had both registers and a runner and fresh fruit with all registers. It was hopping every night. The time in the morning just allows people to filter in while all the stands are setting up. I think that they'll find all this out.

Nah, we get the cheap ass covered by adding the Zamperela rides.

Face the facts early that it's going to be a very lean year. You're gonna see a lot of things not invested in. Seriously, Paramount and Viacom really don't have a need to filter a lot of capital into a business that they will only have for a short period.

Isn't that always the case with WDW attractions? You're just kinda in a WOW State! And then when it's done you think "Is that all?"

Likelyhood is that you'll see that Paramount has disappeared from a lot of things when the parks open up. When the new company takes over they will likely move fast to remove the remaining Paramount names as they will want to brand the parks as their own.

Hey! Hey! Sure Disney Gets Expedition Everest but we're getting Nick Universe with them cool carnival rides. <G> How can ya complain!

Seriously, and I think that I mentioned this last fall that you should look for Executives leaving as a clue to if a business is or is not going to sell. I'd be a good bet that knew that Jeff knew this when he started his job search. As far as Intercepter's comments, thank you. It's what I have preached for some time now as far as the fact that the parks were very much the "******* Children" of Paramount. I never truly believed that they were concerned with the well being and well running of the parks as they were at getting some side advertising. In turn, I would not want a Warner Brothers or a Universal to come in as we would just be trading one not so great situation for another. It would need to be an organization that were formed such as a Cedar Fair. Who knows what is in the works, could Dolly have put together a group interested in running more parks? Could Gaylord have decided that they want to delve into parks again? I think that Six Flags has it's hands full with getting their chain under control and would not want to take on this challenge. It could be United Features that is doing this as they will no longer have Snoopy at Mall of America. It could be Turner Broadcasting/Time Warner looking to buy in. The options are actually limitless if you think about it. I know that for many that have seen Kings Island, Wonderland, Kings Dominion and Carrowinds only under the Paramount moniker that this all may be surprising and shocking. But ya know, I've lived it before. As many of ya know, I was an employee when everything happened with Paramount. I can tell ya, there are going to be a lot of folk that are upset, feel slighted and feel displaced. There will be many in upper management that will be moving on to other things. It's just the nature of The Beast. But all in all, the parks will go on. They will continue to prosper and to grow. Some things will change and some things will stay the same - but ultimately it's not as if any of the parks are likely to close.