Amusement

Winter always gets me thinking about going to theme parks in Southern California, even if I don't have visitors underfoot. The prospect of cooler temperatures and lighter crowds in February and March sends me looking for discounts on the high cost of tickets. I found that the Southern California CityPass -- with a flat rate for admission to Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Universal Studios Hollywood and SeaWorld San Diego -- offers good savings, even when compared with incentives for SoCal residents.

The summer amusement park season is starting to ramp up, and West Inn and Suites in Carlsbad, has low room prices for families who want to visit Legoland California. Rooms for two adults and two children start at $159 a night -- and that includes breakfast and parking. The deal: Legoland California just opened its on-site hotel, but West Inn and Suites might be a cheaper alternative. It is 10 minutes away and offers freebies such as cookies and milk before bedtime, a hot breakfast buffet or a grab-and-go breakfast, parking, Wi-Fi and a shuttle to Legoland and other stops in Carlsbad.

The Los Angeles Times Funland blog covers news, trends, issues and changes at major amusement and theme parks as well as the latest information on new rides, attractions, shows, parades and Halloween events. Funland categories: Theme Parks | Disneyland | Disney California Adventure | Disney World | Universal Studios | Six Flags | Knott's Berry Farm | New Rides & Attractions | Roller Coasters | Photo Galleries | Top 10s | Most Popular Stories | Celebrities | Halloween | Wizarding World of Harry Potter Contact Los Angeles Times theme park blogger Brady MacDonald at brady (dot)

The tall stalk of pale, Scottish androgyny known as Tilda Swinton has brought her 1995 performance-art piece "The Maybe" to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The piece, which requires the Oscar-winning actress to lie inside a transparent box for hours at a stretch, is expected to be performed periodically during the year, according to reports. MoMA didn't publicize Swinton's project, nor has it provided a schedule of her appearances. News of the actress' arrival to the museum came Saturday from the website Gothamist, which has  photos of Swinton lying in a state of repose as museum visitors look on.  Swinton's "The Maybe" has prompted a number of amused Tweets from cultural VIPs and other observers.

Wham! Bam! Ka-Pow! A bruising brawl involving comic-book superheroes, Saturday morning cartoon characters and extreme sports icons will change the ride and roller coaster landscape of Six Flags' 11 U.S. amusement parks in 2011. An intellectual property housecleaning at the amusement park chain has left Bugs Bunny, Superman and Scooby-Doo victorious and Thomas the Tank Engine, The Wiggles, Evel Knievel and Tony Hawk vanquished. In a sudden about-face, Six Flags is undoing several licensing agreements established since 2007 for 60 amusement park rides and attractions.

Reporting from Dorney Park in Allentown, Pa.-- The campgrounds, picnic groves and trolley parks that proliferated in Pennsylvania and Ohio in the late 19th century have survived through lean times and changing tastes to become some of the oldest operating amusement parks in the U.S. Photos: Vintage rides and attractions at America's oldest amusement parks Like many of the oldest theme parks on my trip across America's Coaster...

Re "With Davids, 'Idol' still Goliath," May 22 It appears that the transformation of The Times from a respected newspaper to a daily version of People magazine is almost complete. Not only is the report of who won "American Idol" considered news, it is considered news that is worthy of front-page exposure. I guess the only surprise is that this "news" was below the fold. Michael Byrne Oxnard

I need another vacation. I began the last one with a colonoscopy. It was either that or talk to Steve Soboroff about his time with the Dodgers. The rest of the vacation was spent with the three grandchildren, who make more noise these days than a Dodger Stadium crowd. It's hard to describe the steady din. The twins still kind of grunt, especially when they are eating. You know, like Tom Lasorda . The 7-Eleven Kid , meanwhile, turned 6 on Monday and someone thought it would be a good idea if G.P. took the kid to California Adventure a few days before that.

Jenna Hubbard, 8, of Colfax, Wis., plays "Hungry, Hungry Hippos" game at the trade show. Makers and owners of video games, pinball machines, kiddie rides, compact-disc jukeboxes and other coin-operated amusements are holding their annual meeting this week at the Anaheim Convention Center. This is the 40th year of the convention, which is organized by the Amusement & Music Operators Assn., based in Chicago. New this year: several virtual reality games.

In reference to "How to Cut Amusement Park Costs," (July 6), even an avid lover of Disneyland must speak out. S. J. Diamond used 17 paragraphs and 132 lines to show how to cut amusement park costs. I can do it with one line: "Stay away!" JOHNNIE F. KIRVIN Los Angeles

From a distance, wearing plaid and slightly grizzled, Sam Lipsyte looks like a grumpy lumberjack -- although there are not many lumberjacks standing at the gate of Columbia University in Manhattan. And up close, it's clear he's not grumpy at all: Lipsyte has an air of restrained amusement that's perfect for one of America's best satiric writers. His writing often features arrested-development characters similar to Judd Apatow's heroes -- but Lipsyte's guys don't get gorgeous girls or happy endings.

Kevin Hart's amiable, loose-limbed "Real Husbands of Hollywood," which premieres Tuesday on BET, is not so much a parody of the Bravo franchise, whose name it echoes and structure it borrows, as it is a kind of (mostly) black "Curb Your Enthusiasm. " As with Larry David's HBO comedy, the successful entertainers play themselves as unremarkable, petty, confused, obsessive, argumentative and rarely bothered with actual work. (Which does pretty much describe the cast of any "Real Housewives" series you might name.)

SAN FRANCISCO - The California Supreme Court, protecting providers of risky recreational activities from lawsuits, decided Monday that bumper car riders may not sue amusement parks over injuries stemming from the inherent nature of the attraction. The 6-1 decision may be cited to curb liability for a wide variety of activities - such as jet skiing, ice skating and even participating in a fitness class, lawyers in the case said. "This is a victory for anyone who likes fun and risk activities," said Jeffrey M. Lenkov, an attorney for Great America, which won the case.

A playful paean to a movie genre and a prolific career, Ernest Borgnine's valedictory feature is a spaghetti western with a heavy helping of cheese. "The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez" won't be more than a footnote to his life's work, but it is evidence that even at 94, and even in flat surroundings, the late actor possessed undeniable screen magnetism. As with Will Ferrell's "Casa de Mi Padre" this year, the wonderfully spoofy opening-credits sequence promises more genre subversion than the film delivers.

A pair of otherworldly photos from Superstorm Sandy will be forever etched in my memory of the historic hurricane. The first photo showed up in much of the mainstream media coverage and became a symbol of the storm: A seemingly intact roller coaster poking out of the Atlantic Ocean off the Jersey Shore like the skeleton of a sea serpent. The second image ricocheted around the Internet via social media sites and became a symbol of vulnerability and resilience following the storm: An undamaged carousel inside an eerily lit enclosure completely surrounded by water that looked like a glowing jewelry box floating off the New York City coast.

Just in time for Election Day comes "Democracy at Work," an amusing farce that takes a wry bite out of the campaign process, partisan politics, talk radio, the Internet and, yes, dentistry. Writer-director Wasko Khouri shows a distinct flair for the kind of silly-dark comedy that's able to skewer a topic without entirely laying it to waste. For the filmmaker, hope - albeit fueled by beloved American opportunism - springs eternal. Set around one chaotic day in a fictional, local election, the movie juggles three separate, sporadically intersecting stories: a dime-turning campaign manager (Michael Scovotti)

The parent company of Knott's Berry Farm has temporarily closed all the WindSeeker tower swings in the amusement park chain after the thrill rides stranded visitors hundreds of feet in the air for hours at a time this summer. Cedar Fair, which operates a dozen amusement parks in North America, will conduct an internal review to determine why the safety systems have activated on the $5-million Windseeker rides at parks in California, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina and Canada. "Safety is our No. 1 priority, and the company will not open a WindSeeker ride until an internal review has been completed," Cedar Fair announced in a statement.

The once-famed Steel Pier on the long-faded Atlantic City Boardwalk will invest more than $100 million on new amusement rides and entertainment venues after scrapping plans to revive its centerpiece diving horse act amid an outcry by animal rights activists. PHOTOS: New rides at Steel Pier in Atlantic City Located across from Donald Trump's Taj Mahal casino on the New Jersey shore, the 1,000-foot-long amusement pier will add 11 rides, an arcade, nightclub, museum and ballroom during a four-year expansion project.

"The Man With the Iron Fists" is a wildly whirling martial arts spectacle with an endless array of exotic knives, a penchant for Zen philosophizing and an unquenchable thirst for blood. It may just be one of the best bad movies ever. I do not confer such infamy lightly, but the flaws are far more amusing than infuriating and its director/writer/star, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan fame, is mesmerizing. There is nothing subtle about the film, including its abject devotion to classic kung fu fare.

Kobe Bryant struggled to contain his laughter. Following practice Friday at the Lakers' training facility in El Segundo, reporters wasted no time informing him that Smush Parker was offended about comments Bryant made regarding why his former teammate doesn't belong in the NBA. "There's really nothing else to say," Bryant said with a smirk. "I said what I had to say. " Bryant said plenty as he sat at his locker Wednesday before the Lakers' exhibition against the Portland Trail Blazers in Ontario.