This is, after all, their first trip to Mouseville, and since they live in Pocahontas, Ark., they aren't sure when they'll be back. They're studying a map carefully to decide where to go first. The newly reopened Pirates of the Caribbean or the classic Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in Fantasyland? Splash Mountain (will it be too scary, with that famous drop into the water at the end?) or a Snow White musical show? They don't want to miss anything, especially souvenirs.

We've only just arrived, but they're already debating the merits of mouse ears (the black ones with the pink pirate bandana and pirate earring attached are especially fetching) vs. purple cone-shaped princess hats (too hot, they decide).

Watching their excitement ("Hey, there's Mickey climbing to the top of the Matterhorn!" "Can we really walk through Cinderella's Castle?") is enough to make even the most jaded Disney-goer smile, despite the crowds and the heat. Walt Disney sure knew what he was doing.

There are few places where you can see such a cross-section of America having fun, or at least trying to. For some, spending the day here is a big splurge (tickets cost $59 for adults and $49 for kids). Others will spend more than that on souvenirs alone. (Visit www.disneyland.com for the latest deals on trips.)

There are families of every color speaking different languages, pushing strollers, sporting Goofy hats and clutching plush Minnies, giant white Mickey Mouse hands and battery-operated spray fans.

Fifty-one years after Disneyland opened, the magic is still palpable, whether you're 7 or 87. Just ask my 87-year-old mother-in-law, Lee Yemma, who first visited with her children shortly after the park opened. She and four of those now-middle-age kids, along with a gaggle of grandchildren and other relatives from across the country and across the Atlantic, have gathered for another day with the Mouse.

We're all in Southern California for my nephew's wedding. Yes, the bride and groom, Chris and Lauren Yemma, are here at Disneyland, too, before they take off for their honeymoon. Mark Yemma, the groom's father, had decreed that a day at Disneyland would be the perfect way to cap the wedding festivities. (This being family, not everyone agreed, and some decamped for the beach.)

I don't know how we would have done it without cellphones. It isn't easy to corral 16 relatives in a theme park, but we managed to keep in touch via cellphone and periodic rendezvous spots.

The wheelchair also helped. We had rented one for my mother-in-law so she wouldn't get too tired. The added plus was that the wheelchair allowed some of us front-of-the-line access. No wonder everyone wanted to push her!

Our day at the park wasn't perfect. Is it ever when you're hot, tired and fighting crowds with your family? But everyone managed to keep a sense of humor and a willingness to compromise, which are key with a big group.

By early evening, my mother-in-law and some of the other seniors had had enough (good thing we had several vehicles), but Katie Grace and Laurel lasted till after the fireworks (which were awesome, they agreed) late that evening.

They left proudly wearing their pirate mouse ears.

Tip: Wait to visit until fall, when the crowds have thinned, and book a discounted package for the "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration, starting Oct. 1. Throughout the year, Disney cast members will be awarding "dreams" every day, including the chance to spend the night at Cinderella Castle. This fall also marks the beginning of the new, kid-friendly Mickey's Halloween celebration.

The Bucs will still practice at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex on Sunday morning before heading off-site in the afternoon.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made a change to their original training camp practice schedule and will no longer have a second workout open to the public.

The Buccaneers will still practice at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex on the morning of Sunday, August 6 from 8:30 to 10:45 a.m. That session, like all camp practices held at Wide World of Sports, is free and open to the public.

The team’s afternoon practice, which will now be a walk-through rather than a full-scale workout, has been moved to a private location. It is not open to the public.

The Buccaneers are training at the Disney complex from July 28 through August 17. As was previously scheduled, the Bucs will practice only once on Saturday, August 5, before allowing players most of the day to spend with their families.

In July 2006, Toei Animation Corporation and Walt Disney Television International Japan (WDTI-J) reached an agreement to co-produce an animated series for the “JETIX” action-adventure block on the “Toon Disney” network run by WDTI-J. According to the contract, the cutting edge animated series that Toei Animation and WDTI-J develop will be broadcast during the “Jetix” block on Toon Disney in 80 countries, reaching an audience of over 279 million homes.

The first animated series to be developed as part of this agreement will be a mix of CG and live action called “Robodies.” The animated film shorts will be Toei Animation’s first series that utilizes CG animation.

The miniature robots that will appear on “Robodies” are all original characters designed by a 12-year-old boy. The robots interact on TV in an adventure story with a heavy focus on the themes of energy and courage.

Takahashi Yutaka, Toei Animation company president, stated “The foundation of Toei animation was influenced by Disney’s films and cartoons. We are extremely happy that, in our 50th year as a company, we have the opportunity to work with Walt Disney Television International Japan to create a partnership for the worldwide market. As we work on this world-class project, we aim to become a leading company in the field of CG animation.”

As Toei Animation reaches its 50-year anniversary, the company is undertaking a variety of new challenges. The company plans to aggressively pursue new projects, viewing CG animation as another step in its 50-year history.

Paul Candland, marketing director for WDTI-J, said “We are very happy to have the opportunity to work with Toei Animation as a result of this agreement. We are confident that the programs broadcast on JETIX will be of an even higher quality as a result of this agreement. We will continue our efforts to bring the finest in entertainment to our viewers.”

In all spheres of business, foreign corporates are tying up with their Indian corporates for one common reason. They see a great market in this country. Recently the Walt Disney Company announced that it had entered into an agreement to wholly acquire Hungama TV and take a 14.9 per cent equity interest in UTV Software Communications Ltd, subject to regulatory approval.

The Entertainment giant has entered into an agreement to acquire 100 per cent of United Home Entertainment Ltd. (Hungama TV) at a valuation of $30.5 million and purchase equity stake of 14.9 per cent of expanded capital in UTV Software Communications LTD, at a consideration of $ 14 million. Thus, the combined investment comes to $44.5 million.

Hungama TV COO, Zarina Mehta will be working in unison with the Disney team for the next couple of months to ensure a smooth organisational and operational integration of Hungama TV into Disney's portfolio of kids channels. Mehta will next be working with Disney as a consultant for a period of six months or more.

At the end of it all, the acquisition will establish Disney's ties in a rapidly growing media market where local content product is the key. The coming together of the three kids' channels — Disney Channel, Toon Disney and Hungama TV — will establish Disney as a strong contender against the market leader Turner India (Cartoon Network and Pogo).

Said Walt Disney International president, Andy Bird, "India is a long-term strategic priority for my company and the acquisition of Hungama TV and the investments in UTV will significantly advance our presence in India and allow us to develop a strategic relationship with one of the countries leading integrated media companies."

"We will not only be acquiring a great channel asset but will also be able to participate in UTV's diversified businesses and bring to UTV our global media and synergy expertise, including developing and distributing high- quality family friendly content and expanding related franchises across film, TV, music, merchandise, new media and live entertainment," he added,

At present Disney is not sure how the integration will take place."We are in the process of finding out a way to best talk to kids. We are not here to cannibalise the market place. India is a relatively nascent market but one which has phenomenal potential," said a Disney official.

UTV group CEO Ronnie Screwvala said, "Hungama TV has proven its appeal to Indian children and families with compelling entertainment choices and in a short period has built a strong management team and sucked out a leadership position in the competitive children's TV environment. We are also delighted that Disney has chosen to make a strategic investment in UTV, which will augment our business in India and around the world."

Disney currently reaches over 107 million television homes in India through a programme block on Doordarshan and Disney Channel and through Toon Disney/Jetix has reached approximately 30 million household cable and satellite in India. It has also a diversified set of businesses, which includes television, film production and distribution, animation production, and other services.

Disney (DIS.N) is scheduled to report results on August 9.

Since October, Iger has presided over the purchase of Pixar Animation Studios, the sell-off of radio stations and in July announced a refocusing of Disney's studio division to cut movie output and eliminate 650 jobs, or 20 percent of personnel.

While the studio cuts are expected to ultimately save $100 million, some analysts estimate they will add severance charges for some of $20 million to $30 million for Disney's 2006 fiscal year, which ends in September.

The all-stock Pixar purchase was already expected by Disney to dilute earnings by 10 cents a share in fiscal 2006.

Sanders Morris Harris analyst David Miller said Disney's consumer products division had a "monster quarter" due to merchandise from the Pixar animation 'Cars' and Wall Street was waiting to see how well the theme parks fared.

"The theme park line will get a lot of attention. A lot of analysts are anxious to see whether Disneyland (and other parks were) affected by high gas prices," Miller said.

Miller was also looking for news on the financial impact of Disney's sale of 22 ABC radio stations and ABC Radio Networks programming business to Citadel Broadcasting Corp.

Miller has a 'buy' rating on Disney and does not own shares.

Analysts, on average, forecast Disney's fiscal third quarter earnings, excluding special items, at 44 cents per share, up from 42 cents per share a year earlier. They saw revenue rising 11.3 percent to $8.59 billion.

Most analysts agree Disney's four business units performed well. Its media networks business benefited from continued high ratings at ABC, home of 'Desperate Housewives' and 'Lost,' and at sports cable network ESPN and the Disney Channel.

The studio division released 'Cars' and the DVD for 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' during the quarter.

'Cars' and a Disney Channel show called 'High School Musical' drove strong merchandise sales, while the parks and resorts division still showed growth from Disneyland's 50th anniversary marketing, despite high gasoline prices.

Merrill Lynch analyst Jessica Reif Cohen, who has a 'buy' rating on Disney shares, said in a July 21 note she expects "a significant acceleration" in the third quarter.

But she and Soleil Research analyst Laura Martin have cut their earnings estimates for the fiscal year in anticipation of higher spending on a greater number of ABC pilot shows.

Iger has generally enjoyed high marks from Wall Street since he took over from longtime CEO Michael Eisner, but analysts are grappling with the near-term impact of his strategy changes.

Wall Street forecasts that earnings, excluding special items, will fall from the third quarter to 32 cents per share in the fourth quarter. The fiscal 2006 forecast is $1.47 per share.

CIBC World Markets said in an August 2 note that Disney was set to deliver single-digit EPS growth in 2007, rather than the double-digit growth the company forecast through 2008, due to fewer shows in syndication, difficult ratings comparisons at ABC, slower growth at theme parks and a full year of Pixar dilution.

The company's shares rose 14 percent during the quarter, between a low of $27 and a high of $30.74. They were trading at around midday on $29.97 on Friday.

A majority of Los Angles Business readers did not think that Disney's "Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest" would beat movies like "Titanic" and "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" to make it to the top of the all-time box office records.

In our informal poll, 29 percent of respondents said they thought the movie would make it on to both the U.S./Canada and worldwide all-time lists, but not top them, while 25 percent of voters thought that the movie would not make it on to either list. Twenty three percent of respondents thought the Disney film would top both lists, while 21 percent thought it would make it on to the U.S. and Canada record list, but not top it.

Reader comments included:

"Johnny Depp rules the box office & high seas."

"It was a ridiculous movie. Too bad, the first one was great."

"What happened to movies you could really watch over and over through the years? Like Titanic, Goodfellas,Fargo,etc..."

This week, we are asking about your choice of location for a local weekend getaway. With options in both the mountains and at the ocean at a reasonable driving distance from the Los Angeles area, where are you more likely to go to spend a summer weekend? As always, comments are encouraged.

After what it calls a successful test under its belt, ABC is poised to relaunch its streaming video service in the fall with a tweaked broadband player and more shows available online for a shorter period of time per episode.

The service will feature several more shows than the initial four, though ABC executives declined to discuss it until all the details were settled. Two of the shows in this year's test, "Alias" and "Commander in Chief," have been canceled. "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" could be joined by some of the network's new dramas and perhaps at least one half-hour comedy.

Viewers will see a broadband player created by the Disney Internet Group with a minor change here and there since the test in May and June. There will be slightly longer commercial inventory but Albert Cheng, executive vp digital media for Disney-ABC Television Group, said it wouldn't hamper the "great consumer experience" that the service was.

One change will be to the window timing, which in the test had been every episode available after it aired for the entire two months. Now each episode will be available the day after the original telecast for up to four weeks.

"Most people watch because they missed the episode, and that happens mostly within a discrete period of time," Cheng said Thursday. "Once you let it sit there, it doesn't get that much usage down the line." Most of the viewing was within the first 24 hours after the telecast.

The network released some statistics Thursday from its two-month test, in which more than 5.7 million requests for episodes were made and 16 million video streams were served. Each nearly hourlong episode contained four separate streams, which were kicked off by a brief ad.

"Lost" was the most popular of the four shows available online; "Commander" was the least popular. Cheng said most of the viewing was done because users hadn't seen the episode on TV.

ABC didn't release specific length of tune data, though it said a majority of the viewers had watched most of the episode. The ones that didn't stopped watching because they had already seen the episode or were interrupted, according to focus groups done by Frank N. Magid Associates.

Those results surprised some outsiders, who believed that the numbers of viewers were likely to be significantly less than those who accessed the streams. It's hard to gauge because data like this is almost always proprietary and held close to the vest by the networks or ad agencies that sponsor the trials. ABC would only say that, by comparison, there have been 6 million downloads from the Apple iTunes service that include not only ABC but other Disney units like ESPN and Disney Channel.

A separate source, NewsVine founder and former Walt Disney Internet Group manager Mike Davidson, said that some people tuning out was to be expected.

"It happens on TV, it's going to happen online," Davidson said. "Some of this test was people trying it out." But he also didn't think that any falloff was the most important part of Thursday's data.

"There are so many good things about this," Davidson said. "It's a good start. ... It's a huge, influential company taking the first steps."

He also pointed to some of the other data, including one that said 87% of the online viewers were able to recall the advertisers who sponsored the stream.

The average age of the video-streaming user was 29. Compare that with ABC's median age during the May sweep, which is traditionally in the mid-40s.

"We reached a really young audience, which was great," Cheng said.

Walt Disney Co.'s (DIS.N) sports cable network ESPN said on Friday it secured an eight-year renewal for rights to televise Major League Soccer games.

The agreement with Soccer United Marketing, or SUM, calls for ESPN2 to televise 26 regular-season and three playoff Major League Soccer matches each year during prime-time on Thursdays until 2014.

Sister network ABC will present the league's season-opening match, All-Star game and the Major League Soccer Cup.

Disney did not disclose what the two networks paid for the rights.

Content generated under the agreement can also appear on ESPN's multimedia distribution platforms, including ESPN360, Mobile ESPN and ESPN Deportes.

ESPN also has the right to offer in-progress and post-match highlights across all its outlets.

ESPN signed its first agreement with Major League Soccer in 1994, two years before the league's debut. ABC began broadcasting Major League Soccer in 1997.

Last November, ABC and ESPN paid $100 million for the English-language rights to air World Cup soccer and other events from 2007 to 2014.

Last month a lawsuit regarding high construction costs at Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Concert Hall was settled. The resolution comes nearly three years after the new Frank Gehry–designed landmark was completed.

General contractor M.A. Mortenson Co., Minnesota, filed suit one month after the hall's opening in October 2003, claiming that it and 10 subcontractors were owed $43.3 million from design changes that resulted in delays and project overruns. The 293,000-square-foot building is widely acknowledged to have finished six years late and $174 million over budget. The total tab came to $274 million. Walt Disney Hall Inc., meanwhile, countersued for $6 million, saying builders had been given ample time for plan review.

A July 20 agreement filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, however, pays Mortenson and its subs $17.8 million.

That deal was reached last year, but took another year to finalize between attorneys for the 18 litigants involved in the case. Disney Concert Hall will pay $13.3 million to contractors from building and donor funds. The remainder will come from Gehry's professional liability insurance, although the firm was not named as a defendant in the case. Gehry's insurance policy came into play because the Disney Hall corporation was included under its coverage, according to a company spokesman.

A "non-disparagement" clause is among the terms of the settlement; it prohibits Mortenson and its subcontractors from criticizing Gehry's work. Also, Mortenson and three subcontractors are not permitted to use Gehry's name in written advertising or marketing materials touting their work on the concert hall.

Under the settlement, neither party admits blame or wrongdoing for cost overruns. Construction flaws were not an issue in the case, which was solely about costs. The lump-sum payouts are due by September 14.

USA Today reports that Disney/Pixar's summer blockbuster Cars will hit DVD on November 7. The second-biggest film of the year, behind Disney's own Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($366.4 million), the animated film has pulled in $236 million at the domestic box office and $347.8 million worldwide.

The newspaper says the DVD will include an all-new short film "Mater and the Ghostlight." A behind-the-scenes feature, "Inspiration for Cars," tells how writer-director John Lasseter made the film.

Also on the $30 DVD is "One Man Band," the Academy Award-nominated short that played in theaters before Cars, four deleted scenes and a sneak peek at next summer's Disney/Pixar animated feature Ratatouille.

"The last thing we want them to be worrying about is a Disney cancellation or change fee," says Al Weiss, president of Walt Disney World Resort, in a prepared statement.

The new policy also applies to most Walt Disney World Resort room-only reservations booked directly with Disney, as well as reservations at Disney's Vero Beach Resort or Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort when a hurricane warning is issued for those areas.

All deposits on rooms, park tickets, Disney dining plans and other Disney products and services can be applied toward a rescheduled vacation.

Disney warns the policy does not apply to the portion of packages that include products and services from third-party suppliers, such as airlines, hotels, car rental agencies or vacation insurance companies. Discounts or free offers applicable to the original vacation will not apply to the rescheduled vacation, and Disney cannot guarantee availability of similar accommodations for new travel dates.

This policy does not apply to certain special events or dining experiences.

Details of the policy are available at the Disney Web site, www.disneyworld.com. 

Rohde said computer graphics specialists could improve their craft by employing some of the same techniques Disney has used for years to create its own "virtual realities" for visitors to its theme parks.

"Instead of uniting with words, we unite with the objects we're seeing," Rohde said of both kinds of virtual world creators. Members of the computer graphics community need to see themselves as storytellers and think of story structure in a nonlinear way. As a result, each object within a virtual world must convey the overall theme of a work. Rohde also emphasized that not all visitors to a space are created equal. Designers need to create for those who enjoy the challenge of inference as well as those who need themes spelled out for them.

Rohde oversees the design and development of Disney's Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. To prepare for the design of the Expedition Everest thrill ride, Rohde took a team of designers and scientists to study the Himalayan region. In addition to examining the animal species and plants, the teams went from village to village in the surrounding areas and talked to Tibetan and Nepalese people.

During his speech, Rohde stressed that pen and paper can be as important as modern graphics technology as a way to achieve authenticity. In the past, he said, technological constraints were constructive in some ways because they forced people to be both creative and collaborative, as in elaborate medieval theater. Now we have increased our ability to create and for individuals to have the power to do small things really well on their own, but we are losing the ability to do big things together, he said.

"Sketching helps remember the holistic experience. The act of sketching fuels memory and will help when you go into final art direction," Rohde said. Collaboration and real-world experience will add authenticity. "It will help you tell the 'why'--the thing that drives your story," he said.

The move came after Gibson was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving early on Friday and was reported to have launched into a tirade against Jews, asking the arresting officer if he was a Jew and blaming the Jews for starting all wars.

The actor, who holds strong conservative Catholic religious and political views and whose father is a Holocaust denier, apologized on Saturday and has entered a rehabilitation program to treat alcoholism.

But the incident has raised questions about the future of projects Gibson and his Icon Productions company are working on.

A spokeswoman for ABC, which is owned by Walt Disney Co., said an ABC television miniseries based on a memoir about a Dutch Jew during World War II would not go ahead.

"Given that it has been nearly two years and we have yet to see the first draft of a script, we have decided to no longer pursue this project with Icon," said spokeswoman Hope Hartman.

ABC did not give any further reason for its decision to drop the project and Hartman made no comment when asked if the decision was linked to Gibson's behavior over the weekend.

Disney's movie studio arm still plans to release Gibson's self-financed Mayan-language movie "Apocalypto" on December 8, Hollywood's trade papers reported.

The Web site www.slate.com quoted Walt Disney Studios President Oren Aviv as saying he accepted Gibson's apology.

Imagine the ideal fun place for kids to learn about science in general and chemistry in particular and what comes to mind? Try Disney World.

The American Chemical Society, working with the Disney Institute, is now offering "Everyday Chemistry" — a three-hour, hands-on course for students in grades 4-9 — at Disney’s Epcot in Orlando, Fla. The course, developed through collaboration between Disney and the ACS Education Division, is part of the Disney Youth Education Series (YES) and takes place at three scientific exhibits at Epcot. Educators with the Disney Institute teach the courses, using material provided by ACS.

"The whole idea is to show how the millions of things we use and do every day are tied to chemistry, using Epcot exhibits to illustrate this idea," explains James Kessler, manager of K-8 Science for the ACS Education Division. The exhibits are Innovations, Universe of Energy and Test Track. Innovations features different materials with a focus on plastics; Universe of Energy explores present and future fuel sources; and Test Track simulates the many driving conditions (wet, dry, rough roads) that drivers encounter.

All three exhibits are interrelated, showing how photosynthesis benefits plants, how the sun provides solar energy to plants through photosynthesis and how plants lead to petroleum, which leads to gasoline and plastics, which are used in vehicles and household items, explains Kessler. He adds that hands-on experiments and activities play a major role in the course. Some examples, he notes, are making polymers out of glue, borax and water, using a solar cell to run a small motor and creating a model of a polymer that is used to make plastic bags.

"Everyday Chemistry" and other YES courses must be arranged through school systems. For more information on the program visit DisneyYES.com or call 877-343-5387. For hands-on chemistry experiments for kids and parents, visit the ACS website.

The July 31 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, the ACS weekly newsmagazine, has a feature story on the program.

The American Chemical Society — the world’s largest scientific society — is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

Ron Snyder, CEO of Crocs, stated, "We are incredibly proud and excited to be aligned with one of the world's leading brands and to bring a truly unique type of product to our customers. Disney characters symbolize fun and magic, and we think they are a particularly good fit with the Crocs brand."

The Disney by CROCS line, which is targeted towards children and adults, will debut with special-edition Mickey Mouse die-cut Adult Beach and Kid's Cayman models. These styles will be available in a broad range of two-toned color pallets including Mickey's signature black and red. Other models include an array of unique designs emphasizing the distinctive personalities of Disney's characters including Mickey and Friends, Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Disney Princess, Disney Fairies, as well as Pirates of the Caribbean and Disney*Pixar's Toy Story and Cars.

About Crocs, Inc.

Crocs, Inc. is a rapidly growing designer, manufacturer and marketer of footwear for men, women and children under the crocs brand. All of our footwear products incorporate our proprietary closed-cell resin material, which we believe represents a substantial innovation in footwear comfort and functionality. Our proprietary closed-cell resin, which we refer to as croslite(TM) enables us to produce a soft and lightweight, non-marking, slip- and odor-resistant shoe. These unique properties make crocs footwear ideal for casual wear, as well as for recreational uses such as boating, hiking, fishing and gardening, and have enabled us to successfully market our products to a broad range of consumers.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this press release may be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, our ability to obtain and protect intellectual property rights and other factors described in our annual report on Form 10-K under the heading "Risk Factors," and our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are encouraged to review that section and all other disclosures appearing in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The O.J. Mayo Show was about to begin.

That made guys on the other team nervous. They were thinking the same thing: "We're about to play Superman."

It was Thursday, the first night of the national Amateur Athletic Union 17-and-under Division I Tournament.

Every seat surrounding Court 1 at the Milk House in Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex was taken. People leaned against the railing in the balcony. Michael Jordan watched his son's game end on the same court and then stuck around.

Wherever he goes, Mayo, who some believe is the best high school prospect since LeBron James, draws attention. One problem: Mayo and his team, the D-I Greyhounds, were nowhere to be found.

An hour before tip-off - no O.J. A half-hour before tip-off - no O.J. Twenty minutes, 15, 10 . . . At 9:53, seven minutes before his team's game was to start, Mayo, dressed in wrinkled blue warm-ups, jogged onto the court. He went through the layup line a few times, shot a few jumpers, then took off his pullover.

A small boy sat near the court on the floor, the only place where there was room.

"Number 32," the boy said to his friend. "They say he's the best player in the nation."

To understand the world in which Mayo lives is to understand the weight of enormous expectations. It's to understand what it's like to feel every pair of eyes in a crowd, all hoping to see what the hype is about.

"I really don't pay attention to it," Mayo says. "I just try to ball."

If you believe the hype, Mayo, a 6-foot-4 point guard from North College Hill, Ohio, is 18 going on Kobe. Those who make a living watching high school basketball players laud Mayo's abilities: his passing touch, his jump shot, the way he can drive and break down a defense.

Here's what separates Mayo from just about all the other chosen ones before him: He was anointed the next great thing not in high school - like James - but in the seventh grade.

"O.J. grew in the public, LeBron exploded onto the public," says Sonny Vaccaro, Reebok's senior director of grassroots basketball operations. "O.J. has been talked about for a long time, and he's had to prove it on the level he's on now for much longer."

In recent days, the talk about Mayo has focused on the next level. Will he go to college or won't he? Will he sign a potential multimillion-dollar deal with a shoe company and play exhibition games until he's eligible for the NBA draft, or won't he?

Mayo was considered a lock to skip college for the pros until the NBA required those entering the draft to be both 19 and one year removed from high school graduation. If he signs with a shoe company and goes on a barnstorming tour for a year, he could get rich while keeping his NBA draft stock high.

"This (is) an option these kids have," Vaccaro says. "Just because there's a restriction on them entering the NBA draft, they can still earn a living."

Mayo sent media members scrambling earlier this month when news leaked that he might have committed to play in 2007-08 at Southern Cal. Reporters went to Vaccaro's Reebok ABCD Camp in New Jersey, where Mayo said absolutely nothing of his future plans.

Southern Cal still reportedly is the leader, if Mayo chooses college. Kansas State could be another choice. When asked if he was considering Florida, like some reports suggest, Mayo nodded in the affirmative. He doesn't get much more specific.

"I'm looking at college," he says.

Everyone else, it seems, continues to look at Mayo.

The craze began when he was a 13-year-old starter on varsity at Rose Hill Christian School in Ashland, Ky. The plan was for him to spend that seventh-grade season on the junior varsity team. He was too good.

"I'd have a hard time playing him in the second half," says Robert VanHoose, Mayo's JV coach and a former Rose Hill varsity assistant. "Because he'd have 30 points at halftime, and the other teams would complain about him being in the game."

Mayo, in eighth grade, became the youngest player ever selected to the Louisville Courier-Journal's all-state team. The story became national with a mention of Mayo in Sports Illustrated and a segment on CNN.

It wasn't long before Mayo outgrew the small world he dominated in eastern Kentucky and moved to a bigger one in North College Hill, a small town itself but one that borders Cincinnati.

For the past two seasons, Mayo, with the help of teammate and best friend Bill Walker, has helped lead North College Hill High to its second straight Ohio Division III state title. Mayo has won consecutive Ohio Mr. Basketball Awards, a feat also accomplished by James.

Walker, a 6-foot-6 swingman who has been compared to Vince Carter, is also a top prospect in the class of 2007, and some consider him the next best after Mayo. The Ohio High School Athletic Association recently ruled him ineligible to compete next season because he has exhausted his eligibility.

The pair played together growing up in Huntington, W.Va., and also at Rose Hill Christian. They're the stars on their AAU team, which is coached by Dwaine Barnes, a man whom Mayo calls his "grandfather."

Mayo says Barnes has had the greatest impact on his basketball life, which is, it seems, Mayo's only life.

"He raised my father. My father called him Dad, so, that's my grandfather," Mayo says.

Mayo doesn't see much of his father, who is incarcerated. He sees his mother, who lives in South Point, Ohio - 165 miles from North College Hill - about once every three months.

That's the hard part, he says.

"I just miss being around my mother," he says with a big grin. "I'm her boy. I'm a momma's boy."

Mayo has lived with Barnes throughout his time at North College Hill. Some wonder whether Mayo has received proper guidance. He was suspended twice this spring by North College Hill for disciplinary reasons. Barnes doesn't like talking about his relationship with Mayo.

"I ain't got no comment, man," he says. "The (story) is on him, not me."

Those familiar with the situation don't talk much about Barnes, either.

"What I know I don't want to comment on," says Jeff Hall, Rose Hill's ex-varsity coach.

"Dwaine's been coaching him since the third grade," says VanHoose. "I don't really want to say anything about him. Give him credit, he saw (Mayo's talents) early."

Around town, Mayo is beloved. He's not a native, but folks around there don't care. He's one of their own. There is, of course, some disdain for the team's success the past few years from outsiders and rival schools.

"I received letters, hate mail basically, from people we would play that said how horrible it was for (Mayo) to play, that the city was paying him to come," says Dan Brooks, the North College Hill mayor. "I said, `You've got to be kidding me.'"

After the first state title, Brooks remembers telling Mayo, "I know you and Bill are under a lot of heat because you weren't raised in North College Hill. But guess what? I wasn't either, and I'm the (darned) mayor."

Brooks has seen Mayo affect things off the court as much as on it. Race relations weren't bad in North College Hill, which Brooks says is about 60 percent white and 40 percent black. Now, though, folks get along better than ever.

"When you go to the games, you start talking to people, and lo and behold, we have a conversation and dialogue that we've never had before," Brooks says. "And that's a big deal. People have found a common thing to talk about."

At Disney, people have found the same conversation piece.

They've come to see if the hype is true. As good as Mayo has been over the years, there's some talk that others in his class might have caught up.

"He's worthy of the hype of being one of the best players in his class," says Dave Telep, a national basketball recruiting analyst for Scout.com. "Is he the best player in the county in the class of 2007? I think he needs to put a cherry on top before we can say he has held onto his title."

Wherever Mayo goes, though, people expect to see nothing less than the nation's best high school player. They expect to see a guy who some said could have played in the NBA when he was a sophomore.

After a game Friday at Disney, Mayo dodged autograph hounds so he could head back to the hotel for a few hours of rest.

The next O.J. Mayo Show, which has been running now four years strong, was scheduled for 10 that night.

Stagedoor Manor — the summer theatre camp made famous by the movie "Camp" — will be home to the first stage production of Disney's original movie "High School Musical."

Disney Theatrical Productions and Music Theater International granted the first license of the amateur stage production to the Loch Sheldrake, New York program, which is slated to perform in August.

The stage version — based on the Disney Channel Original Movie written by Peter Barsocchini — features a book by David Simpatico with songs by Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil; Ray Cham, Greg Cham and Andrew Seeley; Randy Petersen and Kevin Quinn; Andy Dodd and Adam Watts; Bryan Louiselle; Jamie Houston; David N. Lawrence and Faye Greenberg. The music is adapted, arranged and produced by Bryan Louiselle.

MTI licenses a full-length stage musical that runs approximately two hours with an intermission and is "geared toward high-school and amateur adult performers." The stage version contains all the songs from the Disney Channel movie soundtrack with the addition of two new songs and a "High School Musical Megamix." A 70-minute, one-act version "geared for middle-school age performers" is also available.

A number of high schools have already reportedly lined up the adaptation as well. For more information on the stage version and licensing, visit mtishows.com.

First Street Films in association with Disney Channel presented the work which broke all kinds of television and album sales records. The soundtrack and DVD for the movie are available for purchase.

High School Musical centers on the unlikely friendship that evolves between the jock Troy and brainiac Gabriella at a karaoke contest. Little did the two know that she would be transferring to his school. The duo decide — against their friends' wishes and to the dismay of school stars (a drama queen and her twin brother) — to audition for the high school musical.

"Newsies" director-choreographer Kenny Ortega headed up "High School Musical," which premiered on Disney Channel Jan. 20. A sequel is already in the works.

For more information, visit www.disney.go.com/disneychannel.

Since Robert Iger took over as CEO of Disney last October, the stock has run up more than 20%. Upon looking forward to next year, however, some analysts have lowered their outlook, citing lower theme park attendance and rising sports rights costs. Others, like Prudential, see recent cost-cutting in Disney's studio unit, strong performance of the latest 'Pirates of the Caribbean' film, and an adjustment in the amortization of Disney's NFL deal as reason for bullishness on the stock. There's some concern that Disney paid too much for Pixar ($7.4 billion), which has yet to produce a major blockbuster under its new ownership. The ABC network has recovered nicely on the back of hits like 'Lost' and 'Desperate Housewives', and new fall shows like 'Ugly Betty' have met positive initial feedback. Disney's P/E for the remainder of 2006 is about 20, vs. 18.5 for Time Warner and 22.7 for News Corp.

The Radio Disney Network will become part of the Disney-ABC Television Group and will be managed by Rich Ross, the president of Disney Channel Worldwide.  

Jean-Paul Colaco, previously president and GM of Radio Disney, is taking on a new role as senior VP of business development at The Walt Disney Company, reporting to president and CEO Robert Iger. 

Jill Casagrande has been named senior VP and general manager of Radio Disney Network. Previously SVP of programming strategy at Disney Channel Worldwide, she will manage day-to-day operations of the network, reporting to Ross, who is in charge of the division’s broad strategic direction. 

Commenting on the addition of Radio Disney to the Disney-ABC Television Group, Anne Sweeney, the co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney-ABC Television Group, noted “Radio Disney stands to benefit enormously from its integration into our portfolio of global kids’ business. I know Rich and the entire team will create one cohesive vision to provide Disney-quality entertainment to kids and families wherever they are and whenever they want it.”

Ross added, “We’ll continue to build Radio Disney as a self-sustaining operation that enhances the company’s overall market presence with kids, parents and advertisers.”

Disney will debut its original animated comedy series The Replacements on Disney Channel on Friday, Sept. 8, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT). A production of Walt Disney Television Animation, the show, about tween siblings who use a mysterious agency to replace the adults in their lives will then settle into its regular time slot on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 8 p.m.

In The Replacements, orphans Riley and Todd come across a comic book ad for the Fleemco Co. which promises a new set of parents for $1.98. Their quirky new family consists of a British international spy mom named Agent K, a daredevil dad named Dick Daring and C.A.R.T.E.R., a cynical talking spy car who used to be Agent K’s partner. Riley and Todd soon realize that they can replace any adult in their life simply by making a call to Fleemco owner Conrad Fleem. The series is created by children's author and illustrator Dan Santat (The Guild of Geniuses) and is exec-produced by Jack Thomas The Fairly OddParents and directed by Heather Martinez (SpongeBob SquarePants).

Nancy Cartwright, better known as the voice of Bart Simpson, will voice Todd in the series while Grey Delisle (The Fairly OddParents) lends his voice to Riley. The voice cast also includes Kath Soucie (Pooh's Heffalump Movie) as Agent K, Daran Norris (Veronica Mars) as Dick Daring, David McCallum (N.C.I.S.) as C.A.R.T.E.R, Lauren Tom (King of the Hill) as Tasumi and Jeff Bennett (Lilo & Stitch: The Series) as Shelton. The show’s main title theme is perfromed by power pop band The Wondermints, whose previous screen credits include the Austin Powers films.

San Diegans Piet Van Os, Anna Brun and Parker Shinn will be among the 30 finalists vying for 15 crew spots on the Morning Light Project Aug. 6-12 in Long Beach.

The program is the idea of sailing icon Roy Disney, who is planning a feature film based on the youngest crew ever to sail in a Transpacific Yacht Race. It is hoped the project and movie will encourage other youth to enter the sport of competitive offshore sailing.

Morning Light is a Transpac 52 sloop entered in next year's 44th biennial Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Hawaii.

The Morning Light crew will be the youngest ever to sail in the 2,225-mile race.

“I think this is one of the most exciting opportunities most of us have ever had a chance to be part of,” said Brun, 20, who is a skipper on UC Santa Barbara's women's sailing team. “When I was first sent an application, I kind of discarded the idea because I hadn't been into big-boat sailing. I didn't really understand the magnitude of the program.”

The Morning Light Project drew a total of 538 applications from around the nation.

Many of the applicants, like the local trio, have extensive sailing backgrounds through junior programs. But the final 30 includes youths with no boating experience, including some inner-city kids.

The finalists were picked through written essays and interviews.

“I think one of the more exciting parts of this is the mix,” said Brun. “We're going to meet some new people. Some of us will be helping others as well as learning to sail a big boat. I think it is really great.”

San Diego's Robbie Haines, who headed Disney's Pyewacket crew through numerous races, is in charge of the selection process. The list of 30 finalists will be trimmed to a 15-person crew that will train in Hawaii. Eleven will sail on Morning Light in next summer's Transpac.

The minimum age is 18.

Shinn, 19, was a skipper for USC as a freshman last season after helping Point Loma High to two straight national high school sailing championships. He is currently sailing in England.

Van Os, 22, is a student at the California Maritime Academy. His grandfather Bob Robbs won the 1961 Transpac as the owner-skipper of Nam Sang.