Word: merlin
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...recent years, a series of brutal job cuts, asset sales and cost-cutting measures have pruned the company down. Staff numbers have fallen from 6,000 in 2004 to some 4,500 today. The Legoland parks were sold in 2005 to Merlin Entertainments, part of the Blackstone private equity group, which owns Madame Tussauds and Sea Life. And critically, distribution, packaging and production has been outsourced to Eastern Europe and Mexico. As a result, the Lego Group turned a $374 million loss in 2004 into a $281 million profit...
...ensured its longevity. Though Amir Hamza is cast as a slayer of infidels and a servant of the "true faith," the work is far from being a collection of Islamic parables. Amir Hamza in fact campaigns in the service of an infidel - Naushervan, the fire-worshipping Persian Emperor. A Merlin-like sage, Buzurjmehr, sends Amir Hamza on quests and expeditions that are sometimes far from chivalrous. And while our hero's love for Naushervan's half-Chinese daughter, Mehr-Nigar, is enduring, the story is punctuated by his frequent dalliances, including a romp with an otherworldly fairy. The mischievous...
...defining epiphany of his youth--was Disneyland, which opened near his family's home in 1955. In the book, Martin describes the park's kitsch splendor with the rapture of Marco Polo on first seeing China. There, he quickly located two mentors: Jim Barlow, performing sleight of hand at Merlin's Magic Shop, and at the Golden Horseshoe Revue, Wally Boag, a comic who made funny balloon animals. From them came the raw material for Martin...
...sense of vocation. From childhood, he knew he wanted to do comedy and that he could be good at it if he applied himself with a monk's dedication. "I loved to work really hard," he says. One of his happiest memories is practicing card tricks all day at Merlin's. At 15, he had the maturity to realize that a career in comedy wasn't a matter of "I'm funny. Now I'll be funny in public." A disciplined apprenticeship was the prerequisite for overnight stardom...
...source of charm was missed, making the character almost unpleasant at times.A better-balanced duo were Grimbald (Benjamin T. Morris ’09), an evil fiend under Osmond’s control, and Philidel (Robin W. Reinert ’10), a good spirit who helps Merlin. Their scenes together were always entertaining, particularly when Morris’ hoarse and earthy Grimbald attempts to disguise himself by singing more sweetly to counteract the effects of Reinert’s beautifully clear, determined voice—and through a costume change involving a blonde wig.Both Morris and Reinert were directed...