Chef Buddy Valastro Coming to Food & Wine in November; Luke Bryan to be Named American Idol Judge

Chef Buddy Valastro Coming to Food & Wine in November:

Chef Buddy Valastro (The Cake Boss) is returning for this year's Epcot International Food & Wine Festival in November. The famed pastry chef from Carlo's Bakery in New Jersey will appear as part of the "What's Cookin' With" series on Sunday, November 12. 

The Disney Parks Blog caught up with Buddy and what guests can expects for his return visit to the festival. Check out the interview below:

To book a seat for Buddy's show, guests can call 407-939-3378 or by visiting EpcotFoodFestival.com. The 22nd Epcot International Food & Wine Festival runs through November 13, 2017.

Source: Disney Parks Blog

Luke Bryan to be Named American Idol Judge:

American Idol is set to return on ABC soon with Katy Perry announced as the first of three judges for the singing competition. It appears as the show has its second judge in country singer, Luke Bryan. This is according to a report by Variety. 

Auditions are due to start next week, but a third judge has yet to be confirmed or announced. The show will be returning to having three judges from its early years compared to later seasons which had four judges. Third judge candidates for the show heard so far are Lionel Ritchie, Charlie Puth, and even Keith Urban is hinted as returning as judge.

Ryan Seacrest is returning to host the show which is expected to return sometime in March 2018.

New VR Experience Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire; "American Idol" Bus Tour at Disney Springs

New VR Experience Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire at Disney Springs and Downtown Disney:

The VOID is bringing an all new hyper-reality Star Wars experience later this year to both Disney Springs in Walt Disney World and Downtown Disney in Disneyland. The new experience will be called Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire. 

Beginning this holiday season, Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire will transport you to a galaxy far, far away where you’ll be able to engage with friends, family and Star Wars characters through sight, sound, touch, smell, and motion. It’ll even allow environmental effects to be felt using Haptic feedback – melding the physical and digital worlds together. So, you don’t just see the Star Wars universe, you’re part of it at Disney Parks.

More details on this new experience on both coasts will be released in the coming months, so stay tuned for them and more right here on It All Started With a Mouse.

Source: Disney Parks Blog

"American Idol" Bus Tour Auditions Coming to Disney Springs:

"American Idol" will make its comeback in 2018 on ABC but first the hit show will have some of its auditions at Disney Springs in Walt Disney World. Auditions will kick off in Disney Springs with the "American Idol" Bus Tour. Here are the details from the Disney Parks Blog:

If you think you could be the next “American Idol”, head over to Disney Springs on August 17 to audition with “American Idol” Producers. (Celebrity Judges will not be on site.) Early arrival is encouraged. And, for you early birds, parking will be available as early as 4 a.m. – but not before. Registration will begin at 6 a.m. with auditions starting at 8 a.m. Early arrival is encouraged, as registration will close at 12:00 p.m or sooner due to capacity. No overnight camping please.
The auditions will take place outdoors, so make sure to bring water, sunscreen, and a hat to stay in top shape for your audition. Parking will be available at the surface parking lot on the West Side of Disney Springs, near House of Blues and Cirque du Soleil.
All singers must be at least 15 years old to audition. Pre-Registration is encouraged. To Pre-Register and for additional details, full eligibility requirements, submission forms, and terms and conditions, visit www.americanidol.com. Those auditioning can bring one guest to accompany them and the guest must be over 5 years old.

The search is on, will you become the next American Idol?

Source: Disney Parks Blog

Ryan Seacrest Coming Back to Host American Idol, New Way to Find Magic Shots at Walt Disney World

Ryan Seacrest Coming Back to Host ABC's American Idol:

Ryan Seacrest is returning to host ABC's version of American Idol as he announced today on Live with Kelly and Ryan. Only one judge so far has been announced for the show and that is Grammy-winning recording artist, Katy Perry. Shooting for the show will begin this summer. 

This will be one of Seacrest’s many, many jobs, including the aforementioned Live With Kelly and Ryan hosting job, as well as his continuing radio gig: “On Air with Ryan Seacrest.” He originally hosted American Idol since its inception, from 2002 to 2016. Seacrest warmed up his vocals for the show on the show's Instagram page:

🚨this is not a #tbt 🚨

A post shared by American Idol (@americanidol) on Jul 20, 2017 at 6:09am PDT

New Way to Find Magic Shots at Walt Disney World:

With Magic Shots from Disney PhotoPass Service, you can transform your photos into unique keepsakes of you recreating a favorite movie moment, enjoying your vacation with a Disney Character, or reacting to a fun surprise. All you need is a little imagination, and a PhotoPass photographer.  Now you can find all the available Magic Shots all in one place. 

Head over to the Albums page on the Disney PhotoPass Facebook page, where through the photos tab in Albums you can see a Magic Shot album in each park. The information will continue to be updated as the offerings for Magic Shots adjust and expand. 

Please note that Magic Shot offerings are subject to change and photographer availability. 

Source: Disney Parks Blog

The Little Mermaid Live! is Coming to ABC; Katy Perry Named Judge for ABC's American Idol

The Little Mermaid Live! is Coming to ABC this Fall:

"The Little Mermaid Live!" is coming to ABC this Fall. The two-hour special will premiere as The Wonderful World of Disney: The Little Mermaid Live! The special will air on October 3 on the network. 

According to ABC, The Little Mermaid Live! will feature live musical performances combined with cutting-edge technology to create a spectacular merging of Disney’s classic animated film with live television.The production will feature the Academy Award-winning songs of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. 

The cast for the show has yet to be announced, but something tells me it will be filled with big names that we will all love. Are you excited about "The Wonderful World of Disney: The Little Mermaid Live!" coming to ABC this October.

Source: Oh My Disney

Katy Perry Named Judge for ABC's American Idol:

Just a few weeks ago, ABC announced that the hit show American Idol would be revived on its network in 2017-2018. Yesterday, we learned the first judge that would be the star of the show and its a big one. Katy Perry has been named one of the anchor judges for the show, it was announced during  yesterday's ABC Upfront Event. 

Here is the announcement from Katy herself:

SO thrilled @ABCNetwork is bringing back @AmericanIdol, and I’m bringing it back to the 🎶MUSIC🎶 👁 you at auditions❗ pic.twitter.com/E0DGe3pVcY

— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) May 16, 2017

Who else will be named to the judge's panel? Are you excited that Katy Perry was named a judge for the show's revival?