The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Universal's Islands of Adventure.

Spider-Man opened with Islands of Adventure in 1999 and immediately won praise as the world's most advanced theme park attraction. Blending flight simulator technology with a traditional track ride, 3-D film and stage effects, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man redefined what a themed ride could be, elevating a concept first expressed by Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure to the next level.

You're riding with the staff of the Daily Bugle in publisher Jonah Jameson's new SCOOP vehicles, tracking news that the Statue of Liberty's been stolen. (Forgive me an insider's moment here, but as a journalist, I have to give Spider-Man's designers huge bonus points for portraying the convergence of print and video journalism - something that was very cutting-edge in 1999.) The Sinister Syndicate's used its anti-gravity gun to swipe the statue, and Spider-Man's joined you in the chase.

One by one, Spider-Man fights the Syndicate's bad guys, Electro, Hydro-Man, Hobgoblin and finally, Doc Ock. In the final battle, Doc Ock attacks your SCOOP with the anti-gravity gun, setting up a 400-foot plunge off a skyscraper.

But, of course, Spider-Man saves the day.

With so much rich detail in each scene, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man rewards repeat visitors - you can't possibly catch all the detail in a single ride on this attraction. Despite the ride's immense popularity, its immense expense has kept it from being duplicated throughout the industry. A second version of the ride debuted at Universal Studios Japan in 2004. Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Curse of DarKastle (the 2005 Theme Park Insider Award winner for Best New Attraction) runs a similar system and the Transformers rides that will debut at Universal Studios Singapore in 2011 and Universal Studios Hollywood in 2012 are said to similar to Spider-Man, as well. But that's it.

The bracket's set, and tomorrow I will publish the schedule for the first-round match-ups. Let's hear your thoughts about The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, as well as your tournament picks, in the comments.

Photo courtesy Universal Studios Singapore

It's a tub rapids ride?! Not a row-by-row boat ride, as in Florida and Hollywood? Now the name makes sense, doesn't it? Anyway, it's an interesting touch that should make Jurassic Park in Singapore an even wilder ride.

Fantasmic! opened at the then-Disney-MGM Studios in 1998, following the original Disneyland version of the show, which has been playing on the Rivers of America in Anaheim since 1992. (A third version will open at Tokyo DisneySea next year.) Fantasmic! presents highlights from many classic Disney films, in live action and animation projected on water screens in front of a massive outdoor stage. Mickey Mouse provides the focus for the show, as it's his dream that brings together all these classic Disney moments, culminating in his fiery battle with Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent.

The Walt Disney World version of the show plays in Hollywood Hills Amphitheater, which was built for the show. The other big difference between the two versions has been the frequency with which it plays. Until last year, when the schedule was cut back, the Disney World version played nearly every night, unlike the California version, which plays only during summers and holidays.

The shows differ in a few other ways: The Disney World version plays a few minutes longer, due to additional clips of villains. And the final character flood takes place on Steamboat Willie's steamship, instead of on the Mark Twain, as it does in Disneyland. To me, the Mark Twain's always been more visually impressive than the smaller Steamboat Willie ship, but the Florida version fits better within the theme of the show. A black-and-white Mickey piloting Steamboat Willie's boat makes sense. Mickey on the Mark Twain... not so much.

Despite playing in a massive theater (with room for more than 9,000 visitors), Fantasmic! remains a tough "ticket" most nights, making various dining packages at park restaurants that guarantee a Fantasmic! seat popular options. This show's enduring popularity made it an obvious top seed, but in which bracket?

The show's use of recorded voices and programmed effects would suggest it might be an animated show, but with dozens of live character actors and technicians bringing the show to life each night it plays, ultimately I placed it within the live show bracket. The show's use of pyro and water screens also makes it a difficult one to film, but I've embedded the best version I've found on YouTube to date for your Monday-at-work time-killing pleasure:

Please tell us your thoughts about Fantasmic!, and its chances within the Best Live show bracket, in the comments.

1. Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom 37%
2. Universal Studios Florida 35%
3. Universal's Islands of Adventure 33%
4. Epcot 33%
5. Disney's Animal Kingdom 33%
6. Disney's Hollywood Studios 33%
7. SeaWorld Orlando 20%
8. Disneyland 16%
9. Busch Gardens Tampa 16%
10. Busch Gardens Williamsburg 13%
11. Disney's California Adventure 13%
12. Cedar Point 12%
13. Kings Dominion 8%
14. Kings Island 8%
15. Hersheypark 7%
16. Universal Studios Hollywood 7%
17. Knott's Berry Farm 6%
18. Carowinds 6%
19. Dollywood 5%
& nbsp; & nbsp; Six Flags Magic Mountain 5%
21. Six Flags Great Adventure 5%
22. Holiday World 4%
23. Alton Towers 4%
24. SeaWorld San Diego 4%
25. Kennywood 3%

Not planning to visit any parks in 2010 4%

A few interesting notes, comparing these results with the annual Top 25 attendance figures you can find on the right side of the page:

Legoland's also deployed six Lego "census workers" in Miniland, and challenged visitors to find them. Here's one:

The Legoland Census Bureau figures will remain in Miniland until July. The park will release its census results later this year.

Installed in 2000 (and thus, the name), Millennium Force takes riders up 300-foot lift hill for an awesome view all of Cedar Point, as well as much of the Ohio coast. Look quickly, though, because you're about to fall down those 300 feet, just yards from the edge of Lake Erie. Barely missing the lake, you then bank into a sweeping right turn that leaves you with a breathtaking feeling of flying over the treetops.

From there, it's all about speed and airtime, as Millennium Force swoops and dips up and down the Lake Erie shore. Come ride with us:

Millennium Force was Intamin's first coaster to be dubbed a "Giga." A second Giga, Intimidator 305, will open at Kings Dominion this spring. (Interesting to note that Cedar Fair's other "Intimidator"-themed coaster for this year, at Carowinds, will be a Bolliger & Mabillard Mega - the second seed in this year's Best Roller Coaster tournament bracket.) Intamin Megas - essentially the same design as the Giga but with smaller (gee, only 200-foot) drops) - include Bizarro at Six Flags New England and Superman - Ride Of Steel at Six Flags America.

So far, you've ranked Millennium Force as the best roller coaster at the nation's top theme parks. Can it survive head-to-head match-ups in the tournament to claim the title of the Best Roller Coaster in America? Tournament voting starts Thursday. You've seen the bracket now, so let's hear your thoughts in the comments.

Here's the recipe, in case you want to copy and paste:

4 T olive oil
3/4 c Andouille sausage (1/4" slice)
1/4 c Tasso ham, diced
1 T minced garlic
1/4 c diced onions
1/4 c diced celery
1/8 c diced green pepper
1 c diced chicken breast
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
2 T tomato puree
1/4 black-eyed peas
2 bay leaves
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t oregano
1 t rosemary
1 t thyme
2 c chicken stock
3/4 c dry white rice
1/2 c bay shrimp

1. Heat oil in a 4-qt saucepan
2. Add the ham and sausage and saute until crisp
3. Add garlic, onion, celery and garlic and cook for 5 min.
4. Add chicken and cook 5-7 min., stirring constantly.
5. Add black-eyed peas, tomato, puree, seasonings, shrimp and rice. Stir thoroughly.
6. Add chicken stock. Bring to a boil.
7. Cover. Cook until rice is tender (approx. 45 min.)
8. Adjust seasoning and serve immediately.

My family likes to start with a baguette and some Brie before the spicy Jambalaya, though I have to say I'm partial to flavor overload by going with some roasted garlic on the French bread.

Even though the title is "Mickey's" PhilharMagic, Donald Duck's the star of this 12-minute 3-D musical review, which plays in the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland Theater. As the show begins, Donald's unpacking the instruments for Mickey's orchestra when he decides to try on the Big Cheese's famous sorcerer's hat from Fantasia.

And then, everyone say it with me now, things go horribly wrong.

The instruments spring to life, Donald loses control and soon we're flying through a musical medley of famous songs and scenes from top Disney animated films. Eventually, of course, Mickey returns to retrieve his hat and save the day. And Donald? Well, he gets his with a tuba blast into the theater's back wall.

Directed by "Oliver and Company" and "The Prince and the Pauper" director George Scribner, Mickey's PhilharMagic debuted in 2003. The portrayed for the first time on screen computer-animated versions of many Disney characters. Disney's Imagineers used archival recordings for much of the dialogue in the film, with character's original voice actors returning to supply much of the remaining dialogue.

Mickey's PhilharMagic also plays at Hong Kong Disneyland, with plans for the show to arrive in Tokyo Disneyland next year. Rumors are flying that once Captain EO finishes its run at Disneyland that the show might finally make its way to California, too.

So... is Mickey's PhilarMagic the best theme park movie in America? We'll soon find out. Voting begins in the 2010 Best Theme Park Attraction Tournament one week from today.

The Premier Pass will sell for $700, plus tax, and including admission and parking at all six theme parks, two Disney World water parks, and admission to DisneyQuest at WDW, plus subscriptions to annual passholder publications.

The passes go on sale at the parks tomorrow. If you happen to be one of those hard-core Disney fanatics who own premium passes to both parks, you'll be issued a Premier Pass with an expiration date of the last of your two passes to expire. (Someone out there is smiling at their timing on this one, I'm sure.)

The pass also includes food and merchandise discounts, but you can't use a DVC discount to get a lower price. Nor are there child passes at a lower price. Kids pay the same as adults.

As far as I remember, this is the first time that the Disney Co. has issued admission media to the general public that covers parks on both coasts. When I worked at Disney World, each summer and winter, we'd get free one-day, park-hopper tickets that were good at all the Disney World parks and Disneyland. We'd joke that someone with more money that any of us had could use that ticket to spend the morning hitting all the Disney World parks, then hop a flight to the LA area and wrap up the day at Disneyland.

Now... some folks out there finally will have a single ticket that allows them to do that. Airfare not included, of course. :-)

A previous version of this story was submitted by a Theme Park Insider reader, who copied an Orlando Sentinel story in its entirety. This is a violation of Theme Park Insider's Rules for Writers, so that version of the story has been removed and the reader has been banned from the site. Sorry, hate to be a jerk here, but I have to have zero tolerance for that. So, please, please, please, phrase what you write in your own words, and provide links to your sources instead of copying text.

Update: It's been years since I had to enforce the no-plagiarism rule, and, you know, I've decided that banning people (actually, just deleting memberships) for that is stupid. I'll save that for people filing false reports or harassing others. (Which, frankly, rarely happens around here. TPI readers rock.) I still won't allow duped content on to the site, but the right thing to do is delete it, warn the reader and move on. So, my apologies.

While I love the B & M Mega, too, a tournament that reduced to voting on which Mega was the best Mega just didn't seem that exciting to me. So I made the call, and today we reveal which of America's B & M Mega Coasters received the highest average rating from Theme Park Insider readers, and thus, a spot in this year's tournament.

First, though, let me note the irony that even though the B & M Mega is Theme Park Insider readers' favorite coaster model, the B & M Mega is not the top seed in the roller coaster bracket. That honor, obviously, was won by another manufacturer, which I will reveal on Monday Friday. (Though, I suspect it should take you folks about 0.3 seconds to guess what it is.)

So... the second seed in the Best Roller Coaster bracket of the 2010 Best Theme Park Attraction Tournament is...

Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, in Virginia.

Featuring a 210-foot initial drop over a pond, followed by a series of 100-foot-plus drops that yield superb airtime, not to mention excellent views of the James River region, Apollo's Chariot offers a smooth ride, blending high-speed thrills with outstanding visuals. The open car design on the B & M Mega enables those sweet views, and Busch Gardens made full use of that potential with an excellent site placement.

Of course, no discussion of Apollo's Chariot would be complete without its, uh, rather notorious 1999 opening ceremony (there's some good POV of the initial drop here, too):

Okay, maybe Fabio "lashed out" at the park, but by leading to him being whacked in the face, Apollo's Chariot immediately endeared itself to a generation of fans who couldn't stand the male super-model or at least the hype (at that time) surrounding him.

Other B & M Megas include Kings Island's Diamondback, Six Flags Over Georgia's Goliath, Six Flags Great Adventure's Nitro and Six Flags Great America's Raging Bull.

Uodate: Starting tomorrow: The number one seeds!

• Thursday: Best Movie or Animated Show
• Friday: Best Roller Coaster
• Monday: Best Live Show
• Tuesday: Best Themed Ride