As Planet Hollywood reels toward its opening (see what I did there?), which is in all likelihood to occur sometime this week,
Earl, of course, is the founder of the Orlando-headquartered Planet Hollywood, which is putting the final touches on the chain’s renovations of its flagship restaurant. To go with the rebranded Disney Springs, the Orlando Planet, which originally was a giant globe, has been retrofitted as an observatory. In fact, the official name of the restaurant is now Planet Hollywood Observatory.
I did an interview with Fieri with my friends at icFlorida. (Click on the video at the top.) Afterwards, we were given an exclusive sneak peek at the inside, which looks great. I especially like that the globe was broken open on the second level — just above what used to be its equator — to add a balcony with a great view of the Springs. (The rather stagnant-looking water that used to surround the structure is gone, so at least one swamp got drained.)
Earl, by the way, was a no show for the Fieri interviews and a scheduled reception that night, which was cancelled because he could not attend. He had a good reason: His daughter Beth had gone into labor and later that day delivered Robert and Trisha Earl’s first grandchild. Mother and daughter are doing well.