This summer we got a chance to spend a couple of nights at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. We used some of our Disney Vacation Club points to stay on the concierge level of the Disneyland Hotel. The service was great and the view excellent! Two nights and two parks worked out well for us.

We happened to be at California Adventure when High School Musical 2 was debuting. There was a show and parade, and we were able to catch the float as it sped by. I had no idea at the time of its popularity. Now I know.

Another highlight was the Finding Nemo Submarine Adventure. The old submarine ride has been updated with newer, more accessible submarines and a whole new underwater world. We took advantage of the popularity of the ride (a three-hour wait!) and rode other rides early with shorter lines. We went back and took the Nemo ride later after things calmed down (and one of the parades was going).

More on the visit later…

Johnny Depp was in Japan recently to promote the third rendition of Pirates of the Caribbean. For some reason, when he visits, he goes to the show Gakko he Ikou hosted by the Japanese Regis Philbin—Mino Monta—and Johnny’s V6. I like a couple of Johnny’s groups: SMAP because there are some talented and clever people in the group, and TOKIO because they do some very interesting things to promote traditional Japanese culture and raising awareness of the environment. The V6 group has none of the qualities above.

Anyway, Johnny is wheeled into the studio, and the above video is the result. You be the judge: interesting, weird, over-the-top, or ???

If you have not been to see any of the Circle du Soleil’s shows, I highly recommend it.