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    Huge Universal Studios and Halloween Horror Nights update

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    Happy Tuesday everybody. Everything at Universal Studios always seems to move along much quicker than other parks. Our last big update was just over a week ago and already so much has changed on the three major construction projects (Harry Potter, Fast and Furious and Springfield). 
    We'll also have some Halloween Horror Nights updates prior to our big HHN update this Friday as we outline the entire event prior to opening night. 

    Halloween Horror Nights

    We'll start off with some pictures of Halloween Horror Nights preparations before we update the construction projects. The Scare Zones on the Upper Lot are coming together nicely. 

    You've been warned ... 
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    Dancer cages are back ... YES!! 
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    House of Horrors signs are all gone as the maze prepares to become Face/Off
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    The scariest part of this picture? Billy Bush's face in the background. 
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    FIRE!!! 
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    Mask-A-Raid looks really cool
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    Dark Christmas is just creepy as hell
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    Seriously, this demon baby is going to give me nightmares
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    Down on the Metro sets, preparations are still being made on the 3 mazes in the area. 

    A peek at Alien vs Predator
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    They've created barriers to keep people in the area's they are supposed to be in
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    The "Twister". 

    They've also erected some screens to possibly give those waiting in line a bit of background since the maze is based on the TV show, not the movies. But I'm guessing the concept is the same. 
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    More barriers to keep people in. There's always some idiot that thinks it's cool to try and get into the studio. Don't be that person. 
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    Terror Tram. One year I'd like to have the citizens of WhoVille somehow incorporated into this. 
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    And seriously, where is our "Nature Trail to Hell" Weird Al themed Terror Tram? 
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    Zombies ... lots and lots of zombies
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    There was a Coyote hanging out on nearby Colonial Street. Think about that as you are walking through this area ... in the dark. =)
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    Sprinfield and Hogsmeade

    Work feverishly continues on the 2015 addition (Springfield) and the 2016 addition (Wizarding World of Harry Potter). 

    As a result, the queue for Shrek 4D has been moved. 
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    The Shrek and Donkey meet and greet has also been moved. What's up Shrek! 
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    Lots of pointy roofs
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    You can start to see little details emerging, like chimneys. 
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    Looks like they are still working on getting rid of Flintstones BBQ. 
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    Ben and Jerry's and Louie's are still open
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    An aerial view, looks like the roofs go on forever, which is probably what they are going for. 
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    More work being done towards Forbidden Journey
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    Haven't seen any signs of Flight of the Hippogriff yet. 
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    Lots of pointy things and looks like some rock stuff being assembled in the staging area. 
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    Work is also continuing on the new bridge. 
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    Forbidden Journey

    Work is also continuing on Forbidden Journey. Soon it will just be a box that we can stare at for the next 18 months. 
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    Columns that will soon support Hogwarts Castle have been added
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    From the other side ... it's just a box. 
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    Fast and Furious: Supercharged

    Work also seems to be picking up on Fast and Furious. Within the next month or so I don't think we'll have anything to see here until the attraction opens next year. 
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    Just to give a bit of perspective, that hole is where the trams will exit. The building is HUGE. 
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    The first building doesn't have any walls yet. 
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    From the other side. Due to it's proximity to Falls Lake, you've gotta wonder if this side of the building will have some kind of Blue Screen. 
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    Another shot of the tram exit. I'm not a huge Fast and Furious fan, but I've gotta admit the scale of this project is pretty big and I'm sure it will be fun. 
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    Around The Park

    Not much else going on around the park. The Production Schedule for last Saturday. 
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    There was some shooting going on in Falls Lake but they couldn't say what it was. We've heard from multiple sources that it's possibly Ant Man. I didn't see Paul Rudd though. 
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    Work continues on the third parking structure that they are definitely going to need once Potter opens. Still not sure if it will be enough. 
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    You can see just how close Fast and Furious is to the borders of the park
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    Moving outside the park, some landscape work is going on outside of the Hilton. Not sure if this is something to do with the drought or just landscaping stuff. 
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    Not much happening at the site of the new hotel. 
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    And lastly ... your tax dollars at work. For some reason building a pedestrian bridge over Lankershim is going to take as long as the rest of Wizarding World. 
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    Maybe the city should hire the crew that's building Potter ... it'll be done in 3 weeks. 
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    That's going to wrap it up for this much longer than anticipated update. We'll be back at Universal on Friday night for the Eyegore awards, but before that we'll have our full run-down of Halloween Horror Nights on Friday morning. 

    We'll also be at Knott's "Scare School" tonight so be sure to check our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates. We'll have more Knott's stuff tomorrow. 
    If you enjoyed this update please share with your friends and make sure you "like" us on Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter

    If you have any comments, please share them below. 
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    HalloweenTime and Oswald come to the Disneyland Resort

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    Our good friend Nico sent us some more pictures over the weekend, this time from the Disneyland Resort. The annual HalloweenTime event kicked off over the weekend with old favorites like Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. 

    Over at Disney California Adventure, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit finally has a character and he looks pretty awesome. 

    HalloweenTime

    Even though temperatures were up in the 90's and 100's in Southern California over the weekend the Disneyland Resort is decked out in Fall colors. 
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    And no surprise, the Annual Passholder crowds descended on Disneyland to see it
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    The Dapper Dan's decked out in their Halloween Duds
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    The Dan's always put on a great show, be sure to check them out next time you are at the park
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    Jack and Sally have once again taken over the Haunted Mansion 
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    I really do love Haunted Mansion Holiday but I can't help but think that the original version of the Haunted Mansion would be better for Halloween and HMH begin in November. 
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    How do you make one of the most popular rides in the park even more popular? With ghosts of course. 
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    Oswald The Lucky Rabbit

    Over in DCA, Oswald finally has a character
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    I'm not generally a person who goes crazy for characters, but Oswald is pretty awesome
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    Get your picture with Oswald ... disinterested teenager in the background is optional. 
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    That's going to wrap it up for this Disneyland update. We'll be back at the park on Friday so we'll have a larger update sometime early next week. 
    If you enjoyed this update please share with your friends and make sure you "like" us on Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter

    If you have any comments, please share them below. 
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    Queen Mary prepares for it's annual "Dark Harbor" Halloween Event

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    My wife headed to the Queen Harbor this weekend for a girls day and was able to get the following pictures of Dark Harbor preparations. 

    We'll be at the event on October 4th so we'll of course have much more after we attend the event. Hope this gets you excited in the meantime. 

    Click here for more information on Dark Harbor. 

    We'll have a full Queen Mary update including pictures of the Diana Exhibit and Russian Submarine soon. 
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    The Queen Mary. I've lived in Southern California my entire life, I've never been. So much to see and do here. 
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    Since we've never been to the event, I'm not sure which maze is where but from looking at the picture below, and what we've seen previously, I'm going to guess this is Circus. 
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    I also believe there is one or two mazes in the dome
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    A bit of a different angle
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    One of the coolest things about the Queen Mary is that the ship is supposedly actually Haunted. This picture was taken inside the ship ... 
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    And then a second later the same picture ... nothing. Creepy. =)
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    That's going to wrap it up for this quick update. 

    If you'd like to do Queen Mary Dark Harbor, there is a Living Social Deal that has tickets for only $12 for select nights. Pretty great deal. 
    If you enjoyed this update please share with your friends and make sure you "like" us on Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter

    If you have any comments, please share them below.
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    Six Flags Magic Mountain Twisted Colossus Update #2

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    After a minor fire on the Colossus lift hill on Monday we wanted to make it a priority to get back up to the park this weekend to bring you the following update. 
    If you missed our first Twisted Colossus update just click the link. 

    We'll also take a look at Fright Fest preparations that have been going on now that the park is closed during the week. 
    Congrats Neal!!!
    Before we get started, we wanted to send out a much deserved congratulations to friend of the site and all around good guy Neal Thurman who was just promoted to President of Six Flags Fiesta Texas. We'll certainly miss him at Magic Mountain but it's so great to see Neal's years of hard work pay off with this well deserved promotion. We look forward to seeing you in Texas next year. Don't forget about us out here!! =)

    Twisted Colossus

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    After Monday's brief fire a good portion of the lift hill and drop is no more. 

    Once again, kudos go out to the LA Fire Dept and the park for acting so quickly to make sure the damage wasn't worse. 
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    Some more track is now on-site and can be seen from the parking lot
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    Some close ups of the lift/drop. Burnt Ends ... good on BBQ not so much on wooden coasters. 
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    A wider shot shows just how big the gap is
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    We haven't heard specifically if this is going to delay construction. As soon as we hear anything we'll let you know. 
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    Inside, nothing much has changed. 
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    Sign is still there. I want one of those "Excuse Our Mess" signs for my sons bedroom door. =)
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    A look at the lift from inside the park, you can see just how they were removing the lift hill track and how the fire happened. 
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    Peeking in at the exit, nothing to see here. 
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    Just in the 5 or so minutes I was walking through the area I saw at least 3 or 4 people try to go into the restrooms here. They really need to put a sign directing people to Fort Le John or the Gotham restrooms. 
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    Walking back out to the car, it's amazing what you can see when you look at things from a different perspective. 

    No Spider for Fright Fest. Maybe it will be back next year? 
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    It looks like the fire caused them to remove about 1/4 of the drop. Maybe a little less. 
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    Crane is sitting near the old break run/double dip. I'm guessing this will be the focus of work this week. 
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    Lots of metal connector thingies are sitting around waiting to be placed on the structure. 
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    It looks like the palm tree that was here has been removed. 
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    A zoom shot, not sure what if anything can be seen here. Looks like some piles of wood but I think they've been there for awhile. 
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    Fright Fest

    Fright Fest preparations are kicking into overdrive as the event is just two short weeks away. 
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    Magic Moments Theater is promoting Fright Fest, this will also be where the Total Darkness maze will be
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    The Wrist-Band counter is back in front of Flags. 
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    The facade for Willoughby's is back. They really should just keep this up all year. 
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    Lots of spiderwebs
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    The entrance to El Chupacabra
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    Lots of awesome Jack-O-Lanterns
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    The entrance to Aftermath. 
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    More Scare Zone preparations
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    Lots of places for the talent to hide
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    Things even up in the trees
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    Spiders under Superman
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    And of course, Spider Webs on Buccaneer and Swashbuckler. Lots of smoke from the nearby BBQ place. 
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    Creepy Tree
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    Lots of lights are starting to show up on various buildings throughout the park. Not sure if this is for Holiday In the Park, Fright Fest ... or perhaps both. 
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    The entire DC Universe Archway is covered in lights. These are LED and can hopefully change colors, so maybe they have multiple uses. 
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    Pretty much every building in DC Universe was covered in lights. I didn't check if Green Lantern was because I didn't want to. =)
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    A few already on Flags as well. Will be interesting to see if there are more next week. 
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    Around The Park

    Not much else going on around the park. Yesterday was Hallelujah Jubilee, typically one of the busiest days of the year. It didn't seem that bad to me but I only rode Single Rider on Viper and a round trip on the Orient Express. 
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    Lex Luthor was closed. Not sure if it's for rehab, but this is the time of year where rides will be closing down for offseason work. Superman was open however. 
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    Jet Stream had a sign out that it was "Temporarily Closed" so I figured it had just broken down or something. 
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    Certainly doesn't look temporary to me. 
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    In fact, they were working on the flume, in 102 degree heat, on a Saturday when the park is closed all week. 

    Also heard from The Coaster Guy that the park is hiring somebody to do some fiberglass work, maybe this is a precursor to a much needed extensive rehab during the offseason. Just would have been nice if we could have made it through the September heat that is typical for the area before they closed it. 
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    That's going to wrap it up for this update. We'll be back at the park next week, that's more of a "fun with out of town friends" type visit, but we'll still have an update nonetheless. 

    Coming up this week: 
    • Exclusive Interview with the designers from a major Southern California Halloween Event
    • Universal Studios Hollywood Update
    • Knott's Scary Farm preview
    • Halloween Horror Nights Guide (prior to opening night) 
    • Disneyland!!
    • Eyegore Awards on Friday

    Going to be a busy few weeks for us. We hope you'll enjoy everything that's coming. 
    If you enjoyed this update please share with your friends and make sure you "like" us on Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter

    If you have any comments, please share them below. 
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    More props being put out for Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood

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    Reader and good friend of the site Nico just sent us a plethora of pictures as Halloween Horror Nights continues to be set up at the Hollywood park. 

    This next week is going to see a mad rush of preparation as the event begins next Friday and Employee Previews begin on Wednesday. 

    We'll be at the park tomorrow to shoot a full update, I'm imagining that there will even be more than what is seen in the pictures below. 

    Thanks for sharing the pictures Nico!!! If you ever have any pictures to share with us, just send us a message on FacebookTwitter or email 
    Mask A Raid
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    This wasn't our choice during the whole "Fans pick a Scare Zone" contest, but it looks great. 
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    Dark Christmas
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    The Purge
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    From Dusk Til' Dawn

    The "Twister" ... fans will know that a word is missing from here. =)
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    American Werewolf in London
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    Dracula Untold
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    Terror Tram
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    Alien vs Predator
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    If you enjoyed this update please share with your friends and make sure you "like" us on Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter

    If you have any comments, please share them below. 
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    Universal Studios Hollywood and Halloween Horror Nights construction update

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    CoasterMatt headed up to Universal Studios Hollywood today with his trusty camera phone and sent us the following pictures. These are a compilation of the pictures we've been sharing on our Facebook and Twitter page over the last few hours. 

    We'll have a full update early next week heading up to the Eyegore awards on Friday September 19th. 
    Before heading into the park, they are doing some work on the center divider. 
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    The dancer cages (ie: the best parts of HHN) are being set up. They really should just have these all year. =)
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    The scare zone for The Purge Anarchy which will likely have a LOT of fire is being set up
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    Typical weather in early September, 100 degree temps keep the Universal Plaza open with lots of water
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    The Flintstones BBQ is now history ... 
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    Springfield construction is entering it's next phase as walls are being added. Remember, the Springfield expansion is due to open in 2015. 
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    Construction continues on what we hear is a new bridge to the tram. 
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    Preparations for "Terror Tram"
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    Diagon Alley ... I mean, Fast and Furious Supercharged is getting big. Looks like there will be two show rooms that trams will go through. 
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    The buildings are BIG!! 
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    Wizarding World ... pretty soon there won't be much to see here. 
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    You can start to see the lower walls of Hogwarts being built
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    Watch your nuts guys ... 
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    I need this for my front yard
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    Apparently this is a very popular photo stop for daytime guests. 
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    That will wrap it up for this update. I'll be back at the park on Saturday and we'll have a more extensive update early next week. 
    If you enjoyed this update please share with your friends and make sure you "like" us on Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter

    If you have any comments, please share them below.