Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition will open at the South Florida Science Center & Aquarium in West Palm Beach on 16 Nov. The exhibit will run till 20 April 2014. For hours and ticket prices go to sfsciencecenter.org. As always plan ahead as tickets often sell out fast at these exhibitions.
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Found this image on Wikimedia that shows interesting size comparisons. Enjoy.
Back in 1912 RMS Titanic was state of the art. The size of this class of ships was unlike any ship before. The luxury and comforts of this ship were beyond anything done before. That was 1912 so how does Titanic stack up to modern day cruise ships? Well you can take a look at James Sexton’s twitter post and see for yourself. Today’s cruise ships are substantially larger and hold more people. And they have a lot more than offered in 1912 in terms of amenities. Gizmondo also has a side view comparison of Oasis of the Seas and Titanic.
Source: The Titanic Was Ridiculously Tiny Compared To Modern Cruise Ships(11 Nov 2013,Gizmondo)
1. Mystery Solved? Titanic Exhibit That Closed Due To Water Damage Was Atlanta Or Las Vegas
The Huffington Post reported earlier this week on the shutdown and said it was at the Atlanta exhibition. They claimed to have spoken to someone in the ticket office that confirmed it had been closed for less than a day and water damage not serious. However NBC Nightly News ran a report that night saying the exhibit involved was the Luxor in Las Vegas. So which one is correct? Only the mummy knows for sure.
Sources:
1.Titanic Exhibition Temporarily Closed Due To Water Damage(7 Nov 2013,Huffington Post)
2. Water Damage Closes Titanic Memorabilia Collection-Video(7 Nov 2013,NBC News)
2. Celine Dion revealed in an interview that she initially did not want to sing “My Heart Will Go On” and did not like it much. She only made one recording of it, a demo, that was used in the movie and on the soundtrack. Of course she adds she has sung it “three million times after that live.” Although she has had many other hits, the song has been identified with her. But she has one request: not to play it at her funeral.
Source Celine Dion: Please Don’t Play The Titanic Theme Tune When I Die(8 Nov 2013,Radio Times)
3. Thomas Zaller, a former employee of Premiere Exhibitions that currently runs Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition, is being sued alleging he used protected information and some of Premiere’s materials to create a copy of its exhibition in Macau, China. “Premiere said Zaller used underwater videos owned by Premier and photos of Premier’s Singapore exhibition to promote its competing exhibition on the Internet, in the media and at trade shows in the United States.” Zaller sought dismissal of the suit against him and his companies claiming the federal court lacked jurisdiction and not the right venue. U.S. District Judge William Duffey Jr. ruled that the court had jurisdiction over the trademark infringement claims against Zaller and the U.S. entities, but dismissed Zaller’s Singapore-based company as a defendant, finding that it had acted outside the United States and had no interaction with U.S. consumers,” reported Courthouse News Service.
Source: Titanic Exhibit Creators Pick Up Steam in Court(7 Nov 2013,Courthouse News Service)
The first season of MasterChef Junior is over after 7 episodes. This whirlwind competition saw some really terrific cooking from some very small kids. What made this show stand-up and make people take notice is how well it was done. Other kids reality shows have gone badly, with parents being divas and kids becoming divas. And while many shows about kids tend to exploit them, MasterChef Junior choose to treat them with respect, give them encouragement, and even when they send home the losers made sure it was done right.
Fans of Hell’s Kitchen and MasterChef know that Gordon Ramsay is never afraid to say what he thinks (resulting in the usual bleep). On this show, except for one occasion when Gordon had cream dumped on his head, there was no need to bleep one word out. Joe’s stare was downgraded to a more friendly gaze and he did not dump any dishes into the trash. And Graham was mostly still Graham, though his comments less pointed than normal if the dish was below par. The judges spoke encouragingly of the kids and tried give them helpful advice.
They also avoided tricks done on other shows to elicit reactions from them (like having people lie to them to see how they react) or set-up conflicts as well. I previously commented that perhaps next season they would try to inject conflict. Thinking it over, I realize they are not likely going down that path. They simply do not need to. The formula they are using works just fine. If there is any conflict (at this is a competition so there is apt to be), it will be minimal. Doubtful we will see a younger version of MasterChef scheming characters here.
Friday we saw two rising aspiring chefs, Dara and Alexander, compete for the top prize. They used the same format as the finale for MasterChef where they set up a culinary thunder dome, have the eliminated contestants and family around, and give them 90 minutes to produce a stunning three course meal of appetizer, entrée and dessert. Unlike the regular, they only had to prepare one serving (the adults prepare three servings, one for each of the judges). During the cooking phase, Dara started having a problem feeling a bit weak and needing water. The competition stopped for a few moments (but the clock kept ticking)while water was quickly brought to her and Alexander tried to calm her down. Then the competition resumed.
The judges were floored by the food they were served. Each of them produced stunning dishes and only minor technical issues separated them in the end (Dara had a more sophisticated appetizer while Alexander’s was more simple or Dara slightly overcooked her prawns in the entrée while Alexander’s was perfectly cooked). This was very definitely a tough call which meant the winner was someone who just nicked out the win. Like one of those horse races where the winner just has the slightest edge over the other. And so Alexander became the first winner of MasterChef Junior. Dara though is by no means crying about her loss. The judges complimented her on how well she did. She walks out of there without a trophy but invaluable experience that will shape her future.
This show was overall a success and the ratings bear it out. The finale was second overall behind Undercover Boss on CBS. Last Man Standing (ABC) came in third. It never fell out of the top three during its run but I still think it runs into the believability quotient. More people watch Undercover Boss because it is more believable to them and perhaps more entertaining then watching kids cook. Also many are wondering whether or not the kids were actors, coached behind the scenes. and think the whole thing is staged. All reality shows are staged in one way or another, but how they do it makes the difference. In this case they used the tried and true MasterChef formula for selecting the kids and the challenges. And yes they use selective editing to their advantage.
Are there concerns? Yes. Parents are the ones being targeted by Fox to get their kids into the competition. It makes sense but also allows “stage parents” to offer up their kids. If you are unfamiliar with “stage parents,” these are parents that push their kids into all kinds of acting jobs often acting as their managers. Some push them into movies, or television, or even modeling at young ages. There are unfortunate examples out there of these parents who have damaged their kids so they can get fame. That being said, most parents are not in this category but they have to be careful about deciding to do this. There are plenty of people out there willing to use kids for their own purposes not to mention Internet trolls. Parents will need to really be on top of things if they go down this route. And not just the parents. The producers need to protect these kids as well and prepare them for what lies ahead. Andy Dehnart over at Reality Blurred says it best:
Producers and networks have a responsibility not just to care for their young cast members on set, but do their best to care for them after production and when the show airs, preparing them for the reality of life on and off a reality series, such as encountering criticism or ridicule from strangers online.
I began reviewing this whole show asking the question Are These Kids Really Kids? They are and they are exceptional ones at that. My other concern is that they perhaps put too much pressure on these kids to be like adult cooks. However the way they are treated on this show avoids a lot of nastiness and instead tries to induce mutual respect and good will. Cooking is one way to learn your own skills for later in life but also appreciating other cooking styles and methods. And any show that allows the three MasterChefs–Gordon, Graham and Joe–to take a cream bath knows how to tread the line between serious competition and injecting some fun into it. So I look forward to another season. I hope next year they will bring in some guest chefs like on the regular show and perhaps some past MasterChef winners as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRDzslaMEyM
Sources:
Why Masterchef Junior is awesome, and very different than TV that hurts kids (8 Nov 2o13, Reality Blurred)
TV Ratings Friday: ‘MasterChef Junior’ Rises, ‘Shark Tank’ Steady + ‘Grimm’ & ‘Dracula’ Fall(9 Nov 2013, zap2it.com)
Another day, another city where a Titanic exhibition may have been shut down by a water leak. The Daily Mail is reporting they think it was the Titanic exhibition in Atlanta, Georgia. That exhibition is at Atlantic Station in Atlanta, GA along with the Bodies exhibition. However Daily Mail is cautious and in the bullet points notes:
Which means they are dart throwing and hoping it lands in the right place. I checked the Twitter page for this exhibition and found no mention (thus far) of any closure due to water. There are other cities out there with Titanic exhibitions. Let’s spin the wheel and see where it takes us next.
Wonder how that Titanic sinking hotel is doing these days. 🙂
Sources: Sunk Again! Titanic Exhibition ‘Closed Due To WATER DAMAGE‘(7 November 2o13,Daily Mail)
Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition-Atlanta
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Yesterday I noted that there was chatter on the Internet about a Titanic exhibition that was shut down by water damage. A sign was posted saying the exhibit was closed but failed to disclose the location. I have yet to see a full picture that shows not only the door it was on but can show exactly what building it is attached to. I have seen one picture, actually one that seems to accompany the water sign, that seems to indicate it might be the Luxor Las Vegas. Right now Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition is there and the picture also just catches the name Bodies. Bodies, another Premiere exhibition, is also at the Luxor as well. Earlier speculation is that it was either in Belfast or England.
UPI now has a story in its odd section that seems to confirm the Las Vegas angle. UPI reports “It was like 1912 all over again as a Las Vegas exhibition dedicated to displaying artifacts from the Titanic was closed due to water damage.Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition was taking place at the Luxor Hotel Casino in Las Vegas when the following sign appeared: “Titanic the Artifact exhibition is currently closed due to water damage.”
However it seems they are just relying on Tweets and blog postings. I have yet to see any concrete proof that the Titanic exhibit in Las Vegas has been shut down. I took a look at the Luxor site and then clicked on the purchase tickets section. That connects to Ticketmaster which shows tickets available for the Titanic exhibit 7 November on. There is no notice of closure. I looked at the official Luxor tweets and found no mention of the exhibit being closed either.
Now if someone out there can state exactly the date, time and place this occurred, please drop me a note here at Titanic News Channel. I suspect this is looking to be a gag since we cannot seem to find hard evidence this actually occurred. I will update when I have more information.
Source: Titanic Exhibition In Las Vegas Closed After Suffering Water Damage(6 Nov 2013,UPI)
1. Luggage Belonging To Survivor Of Titanic And Rohilla Disasters Resurfaces(4 Nov 2013,Northern Echo)
A museum planning to mark the centenary of the sinking of the hospital ship Rohilla off the North Yorkshire coast has stumbled across luggage belonging to one of its passengers – who also survived the sinking of the Titanic. Mary Roberts amazingly survived both the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and the Rohilla, which sank heavy seas and gales off Whitby on October 30, 1914. Now a trunk belonging to the resilient seafarer has come into the possession of Whitby Lifeboat Museum, which is to mark the centenary of the Rohilla disaster next year. Amazingly, the trunk – presumed lost long ago to the North Sea – still has faded card luggage labels glued on, bearing the names Mary Roberts and SS Rohilla.
2. Titanic Lives On Through Louisville Artist’s Work(3 Nov 2013,CantonRep.com)
In the 101 years hence, the doomed ship has continued to fascinate people such as Douglas Girton. The self-taught artist from Louisville estimates that he has drawn “thousands” of detailed pencil and watercolor images of the ship, and its artifacts. “It’s putting the story of the Titanic on paper,” he said. “One thousand five-hundred and twelve lives perished that night. There are 1,1523 stories to be told.” Girton said his interest in the Titanic was piqued in the third grade, when he saw a cover of the late Walter Lord’s 1955 bestseller, ” A Night to Remember.”
3. Titanic Sails Again (2 Nov 2013,DeSoto Times Today)
The elegance and manners of a long-past era came to life on Friday in the activity room of Pleasant Hill Elementary School in Olive Branch as third grade language arts students had a formal lunch in a re-creation of the dining room of the Titanic. The youngsters entered the room on a red carpet and were greeted by “waiters” with towels over their arms. They were directed to three long rows of tables and a captain’s table that had white table cloths and decorations. Their lunches were waiting for them on the tables. The students were organized in boy-girl, boy-girl sets and the boys pulled out the chairs and seated the ladies. It was the culmination of a study unit on the Titanic, which involved reading, research and a lot of other activities, said teacher Carol Smith, who had the lead on the unit, one of six units being covered in language arts classes this year.
4. Model Of ‘Ship Of Dreams’ Centerpiece Of Titanic Family Evening (2 Nov 2013, HeraldMailmedia.com)
Little was willing to exhibit the model at the museum. But first, Byers said, they would need to knock out a wall in the Hagerstown facility to accommodate the massive, intricate structure. Today, the model is on display at Discovery Station, along with numerous related artifacts and a full-scale third-class cabin. Byers said the extensive and still-growing display has become “a major attraction for our museum.” On Saturday, the museum honored Little for his contribution at Titanic Family Evening at Discovery Station.
5. True or not? Various internet postings report that the Titanic exhibition at the Luxor in Las Vegas was recently shut down by water damage. The sign posted states: Attention. Titanic The Artifact Exhibition is closed due to water damage. Our Apologies For Any Inconvenience. Now strangely when I tried to track down the source, there were not any local news articles but either blog postings or reporting of the blog postings. A quick search for actual news reporting shows nothing recently about the Luxor Titanic exhibit closing for water damage. That does not mean it did not occur, it just did not get any reporting. Some said it was in Belfast, then it was changed to possibly the Luxor in Las Vegas. So far I have not found any confirmation of this yet. So until we have a bit more proof I put this into the Not Proven category.
