Alternator Valley's 1st Anniversary & Giveaway!

Wow! I've been writing about Disney Pixar Cars for nearly a solid year! Have you been with me since the start? I launched Alternator Valley with my Scoop of the Rangsberg Blu Ray McQueen promotion on November 6, 2007. If you want to check out my first blog entry, just copy/paste the highlighted words in blue and put them in the search box above.

I'm thinking about doing a giveaway of a Lightning Storm Lightning McQueen to celebrate. Would you like one of these? What do you suggest I do to determine who would get it? I'm open to all sorts of suggestions. Maybe people would have to dress up like one of the various McQueens and send me a picture! It would be funny to see a person dressed as "Tumbleweed Mcqueen," or as "Cactus McQueen!"

I'll wait to see what suggestions you give me, and then announce a contest if we come up with something good.

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Comic-Con Day One on Day Two

A Short entry to report my lack of a report yesterday. I hadn't slept in 24 hours, my plane was delayed from Orlando to L.A. by 2 hours. That delay in turn made miss my connecting flight to San Diego. The second chance to catch a connecting flight was missed by 1 minute. Finally, I caught a flight and my 6-1/2 hour journey to San Diego turned out to be a 10 hour journey! I had just enough time to check in to my hotel, get a super delicious In and Out burger and get to the Comic-con around 3:10pm. I was stunned at how many people were there and the event didn't open until 6pm! It took an hour and a half to get my Press Credentials, the useless "Elite" staff hired to direct and manage the crowd was useless and didn't know anything. The crowd didn't know anything.

Finally, I got aggressive and called my PR contact for Mattel so I didn't have to stand in a line with thousands of other people. Yippee! That was the first thing to go well for the day! I ended up being fifth in line to buy "Lightning Storm McQueen!" Since, I can't figure out how to put a caption under the picture, it depicts, "The calm before the Lightning Storm!" I got 20 cases and, just messing with you, I got a number of cases and got that important mission over with! While making my purchase, I met my counterpart who writes and publishes Take5aDay! He will remain anonymous because that's how he chooses to publish, and we became fast friends.

The lines and crowd were insane as to be expected and I was utterly exhausted by the end of the night. Oh, I was also one of those people you laugh at because they fall. On the way back to my car, I was in a crowd (go figure), waiting for the light to change and stepped into a small hole and took a nice spill on the sidewalk. I jumped up and acted ok, but was banged up pretty good. What a day! Went back to the hotel and couldn't do a thing but take out my contacts and go to sleep. So, that was Day One on Day Two!

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Disney Pixar Cars Movie Trivia

I watched Cars yesterday for about my 10th time, and made some notes so I could test just how much of a fan you really are! So, let's have some fun and see how well you know the answers without watching the movie. Post them to this thread and I'll reveal the answers in a few days!

1. What's the "Kings" real name? Answer: Strip Weathers
   
2. What's the name of the track the Dinoco 400 is run at? Answer: Motor Speedway of the South
   
3. How many laps are completed when Lightning blows his first tire? Answer: 399
   
4. What does RSN stand for? Answer: Racing Sports Network
   
5. What does Lightning Storm McQueen fire his missels at in his daydream? Answer: Spark Plug Creatures
   
6. What does the license plate say on the rusted car in Lightning's Rust-eze ad? Answer: Eville
   
7. What style of music is the Rust-eze jingle styled after? Answer: Polka
   
8. What kind of truck does Mack make faces in while driving to California? Answer: An Oil Truck
   
9. How many tickets did Harv tell Lightning he was alloted for friends for the tie-breaking race in California? Answer: 20
   
10. Finally, What was the name of the song and artist that DJ played to put Mack to sleep? Answer: Songbird by Kenny G
    

I personally was surprised about the King question. Never even noticed it after watching the movie a number of times. So, how well do you know the answers?

http://carsdiecasttoys.blogspot.com/

You Don't Have to Be an Artist or Computer Whiz!

Got an email from a reader who feels like some others of you may feel about the contest. He thought he needs to be a computer whiz and you don't. To clarify how simple the contest is for all, your entry can simply say, "The sponsor I made up is called CV Boots, we fit anyone!" "My color Scheme is purple and yellow with whatever." Obviously, the more you can help us visualize your idea the better. So, have fun with it and don't worry, be happy!

http://carsdiecasttoys.blogspot.com/

Contest: Create a Fictional Disney/Pixar Cars Race Car!

Cars collectors can name many of the fun and unique Piston Cup Racers! Vinyl Toupee, Leak Less, Nitroade, Tach-O-Mint, Octane Gain & Gasprin to name a few. I love the cleverness in relating human things to the World of Cars..."Leak Less Adult Drip Pans," for example! So, I'm sponsoring a fun contest here at Alternator Valley! It's very simple and can showcase your creativity! Come up with a Sponsor Name, and a Design for a NEW Disney/Pixar Cars Piston Cup Race Car! A graphic of your design isn't a must, but would certainly be a cool addition. I'll award the Top Three entries prizes and forward them to John Lasseter himself.

There must be at least 20 entries for me to award the three prizes. If not, there will be just one First Place winner, and in this case, at least 10 entries must be submitted to judge from for the contest to proceed. Don't enter just because of the prize, but for the fun of doing it. The prizes will be some sort of Cars item, and may be tough to get, or may be quite easy to get. They'll be revealed once the contest is over.

To enter: Only 1 entry per person. Supply one Original fictitious Sponsor Name and Car Design, your name and mailing address, and your phone and e-mail. Your personal information will not be given out, or used for any purpose other than to verify your entry, and notify if you are a winner. Please, e-mail your entry to CarsDiecastToys@cfl.rr.com in a Jpeg or PDF format if you are submitting a graphic image. If you are only submitting text, simply type your entry info into an e-mail and submit. I have a Mac and can't open PC formatted documents. If a large number (20+) of entries are submitted, then you will decide the winner through a vote. If a small number (10-) of entries are received, then I'll be the sole judge. So, let's see a ton of unique and creative entries! All entries give me the right to publish and exhibit without license or fees. I reserve the right to dissallow or disqualify any entry for any reason I see fit. The deadline for submission will be Midnight, April 24, 2008, E.S.T. Since there are readers from around the globe, all are welcome to enter! This contest is not affiliated with or sponsored by Disney/Pixar.

Have Fun and Good Luck!

http://carsdiecasttoys.blogspot.com/