'Walking Dead' attraction
Playing dead is not as easy as it sounds. That was demonstrated when about 20 actors, hired to play zombies for a new Universal Studios Hollywood attraction, attended a zombie boot camp taught by Greg Nicotero, executive producer of the AMC television series "The Walking Dead." The actors shuffled around a makeshift stage in the theme park, dragging their feet, drooling, gasping and swinging their arms awkwardly. "You have to make your walker unique," he told the zombie wannabes. "Authenticity is tremendously important to me." The new "Walking Dead" attraction relies on a combination of animatronics and real-life actors that chase and lunge at park visitors, said John Murdy, creative director for the park. "This is an incredibly rare idea," he said. The key for the attraction, Murdy said, is to find actors who can tap into their inner zombie day in and day out, year-round. "It will come down to cast," he said.
Los Angeles Times
Fly to the U.P.
Looking for a quick way to get to Michigan's Upper Peninsula? Last month, St. Louis-based Air Choice One began flying from Minneapolis-St. Paul International to Gogebic-Iron County Airport in Ironwood, in the extreme west corner of Michigan. We found summer round-trip fares as low as $114 for 80-minute flights on a Cessna light aircraft, with the lowest nonrefundable rates through airchoiceone.com. Once in Ironwood, car rental is available to get you to your U.P. recreation destination (more info at flyfromironwood.com).
Simon Peter Groebner
Family fun on the Blackfoot
Fall asleep inside your luxury tent on the banks of Montana's famed Blackfoot River, popularized by the film "A River Runs Through It." Have coffee and hot cocoa delivered to your swank canvas quarters by your camp butler, or join other guests in the dining pavilion for a cooked-to-order breakfast. As a Paws Up guest, you'll spend your days horseback riding, fishing, biking, at the spa, tackling the ropes course or participating in the many enrichment programs scheduled throughout the year. Families staying in the tent-filled River Camp have access to a recreation center where kids enjoy games with newfound friends. The Kids Corps of Discovery also provides a range of creative activities for youngsters. Timber and Wilderness Estate home stays, some with adjacent tent accommodations, are also possible. (Info: pawsup.com.)
Dallas Morning News
Identity theft on Airbnb?
If you rent out your home through an online site such as Airbnb, you could be at heightened risk of being a victim of identity theft. That is the warning from LifeLock, which conducted a survey of about 1,000 American adults and found that 41 percent said they have snooped through the private items of homes they have visited or rented. That rate is higher, 57 percent, among millennials, who are most likely to use rental sites such as Airbnb. "There will always be those bad actors who use those services to find victims," said Paige Hanson, chief of identity education at LifeLock. Airbnb advises hosts to lock up their personal papers and stop their mail when renters are in the homes. But if an Airbnb host has his or her identity stolen, Airbnb spokesman Nick Shapiro said, the company will pay for the services of Allclear, an identity repair and protection firm.
Los Angeles Times
