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Saturday
August 22, 2009 |
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Beyond the Theme Parks: Adventures By Disney
Local
family has ties to Disney film 'G-Force'
Disney’s summer season ending without dragon show
Win one of
six places at Disney seminars |
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Go
Beyond the Theme Parks: Adventures By Disney
Fodor's - There are several ways that you and your family can
experience the world of Disney beyond the theme parks. Taking a
trip with Adventures by Disney, a group-tour program started in
2005, is one. The program is geared specifically to the needs of
families, and, in 2010, will offer 19 excursions to destinations
in Asia, the Pacific, Africa, Europe, and Latin and North
America.
Trips include exclusive access to sights and local experts,
lots of personal touches, and two Disney guides, who take care
of all the details. This leaves you and your family free to
immerse yourselves in local culture with experiences like:
- Going patriotic with private tours of Independence Hall
in Philadelphia; monuments in Washington, D.C.; and all the
sights of Colonial Williamsburg, VA.
- Riding a zip line or through a Costa Rican forest;
whitewater rafting on a sylvan river; visiting a plantation
to see how pineapples are harvested.
- Taking a private double-decker bus tour of London;
receiving VIP treatment at a theatrical performance of
The Lion King; zooming through the Channel Tunnel to
Paris; and eating at the Eiffel Tower.
- Learning to make pasta in Tuscany and carnival masks in
Venice; taking in Rome’s top sights on private tours;
creating a fresco in Florence.
- Exploring the Great Wall; touring Beijing by pedicab;
learning Chinese calligraphy, kite-making, or tai-chi;
visiting Disneyland Hong Kong.
Prices vary by trip. To ensure availability and the best
rates, book as early as you can through your travel agent or
AdventuresbyDisney.com |
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Local
family has ties to Disney film 'G-Force'
MLive - Whenever members of the Trygstad family watch the new
Disney film "G-Force," they can smile about the inside joke
linking their last name to the flick.
The film's writers named one of the
characters "Agent Trigstad," a nod to David
Trygstad, a vice president of business
affairs at Disney who has a bunch of
relatives in the Muskegon area.
Trygstad's father, Larry, said family
members in Muskegon were quite thrilled
about the tribute.
"Everybody got a kick out of it," said
Trygstad's father, who graduated from Holton
High School, Muskegon Community College and
the University of Michigan, and now lives in
California.
David Trygstad, who grew up in and now
works in Burbank, Calif., earned a law
degree from the University of Michigan. The
38-year-old negotiates contracts for people
involved in making Disney movies, including
writers.
Trygstad said the writers "thought it
would be funny to make the FBI agents named
after two business affairs guys" -- himself
and a colleague with the last name of
Carter.
The film opened in July and features
computer-animated guinea pigs, with
live-action figures as well.
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Disney’s summer season ending without dragon show
OCRegister - The image of a giant glowing dragon spitting fire
graces most promotional material — billboards, flags, fliers —
for Disney’s Summer Nightastic events.
But the theme park’s official summer season
will end this weekend without any appearance of the dragon in
the water-and-light Fantasmic show because of technical
difficulties.
Still, Disney
officials promise that fans should get ample
time to see the dragon, once it’s ready, because the Fantasmic
show will be extended until the end of the year, said John
McClintock, a Disneyland spokesman. Disney recently decided to
add extra time for the show. On busy days, a third show is added
at 11:30 p.m.
But a firm date for the dragon’s debut has yet to be
released.
The dragon was supposed to emerge as the centerpiece of a
revamped Fantasmic show, stretching 35 feet high in 17 seconds
as “Sleeping Beauty” character Maleficent transformed into a
dragon in the water and light show. The dragon then was to
ignite the Rivers of America for 25 seconds, according to
Disney’s press materials.
The dragon was designed to be 40 feet tall by 28 feet wide,
weighing about 10,000 pounds.
But the dragon has yet to get off the ground in public,
prompting much debate and discussion among Disney fans online.
Fans even gave the dragon the nickname of Murphy after Murphy’s
Law.
Disney has continued to release the same official statement
about the dragon:
“Our goal is to exceed our Guests’ expectations every day.
Because the dragon is technically complex and the largest and
most fully animated Disney character ever created for a live
stage show, we want it to be perfect before adding it to
Fantasmic! However, Fantasmic! is a summer tradition at
Disneyland, and we’re glad we have been able to offer the show
throughout the summer. We’re happy so many Guests have been able
to experience it.”
The Summer Nightastic season officially runs June 12 through
Sunday, although some features will go beyond this weekend.
Here is the schedule for some promotions:
- Disney’s Electrical Parade in
Disney’s California Adventure will go on for the last time
Sunday.
- Sunday is the last day for Southern
California residents to buy three day passes for $99.
The first visit must be made on Sunday at the latest.
- The fireworks show, called “Magical,” will go on nightly
through Labor Day and on weekends until Sept. 20. A special
Halloween fireworks show is set to begin Sept. 25.
- Fantasmic shows will be nightly through Labor Day and on
weekends through the end of the year.
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Win one of
six places at Disney seminars
BigHospitality - The National Skills Academy for Hospitality is
giving six BigHospitality readers the chance to win a place at
the forthcoming Disney Keys to Excellence seminars in London
next month.The five one-day seminars, organised by the
Academy in conjunction with the Disney Institute, will cover
Leadership Excellence, Quality Excellence and Business
Excellence and will give professionals an opportunity to learn
about the business philosophies behind the Disney brand.
David McHattie, the Academy’s chief executive, said: “Disney
Institute is a world-class trainer used by blue chip companies
internationally to enhance leadership, service and business
skills. We are really excited by this outstanding opportunity
for the hospitality sector to experience and learn from one of
the world’s most respected brands.”
Tickets for the seminars, which run from September 14 to 18
at the Intercontinental Hotel, Park Lane, are no longer
available to apply for, but we have six tickets to give away to
members of the industry who can tell us what it is they love
about working in the hospitality sector.
For your chance to win a place, email
hospitality@bluerubicon.com
by Friday September 4 with your name and contact telephone
number plus why you love working in the industry.
For more details about the Academy’s
training courses visit
www.excellencefound.co.uk. |
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Friday
August 21, 2009 |
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SEC drops backdating probe against former Pixar CFO
Reuters - U.S. securities regulators have dropped a stock
options backdating investigation against former Pixar Animation
Studios Chief Financial Officer Ann Mather, according to a
letter obtained by Reuters on Friday."This investigation has
been completed as to Ann Mather, against whom we do not intend
to recommend any enforcement action by the Commission," said the
letter from the Los Angeles office of the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
The August 10 letter to Mather's attorney Timothy Coleman was
obtained by Reuters from a person involved in the matter but not
authorized to provide the correspondence.
Mather's spokesman, Paul Kranhold, confirmed that Mather had
received the SEC letter but had no other comment. An SEC
spokesman in Washington D.C. declined to comment.
The reprieve comes 16 months after Mather, a Google Inc (NasdaqGS:GOOG)
board member, received a Wells notice from the SEC. A Wells
notice indicates SEC staff intends to recommend that civil
charges be brought, but gives the recipient a chance to mount a
defense.
Mather's attorney had denied at the time
that she engaged in any wrongdoing.
Options backdating, a practice in which
option grant dates are changed retroactively to allow recipients
to reap greater profit, is not illegal as long as it is properly
disclosed and accounted for in financial statements.
Pixar was among more than 200 companies
that disclosed internal audits or government probes surrounding
options practices.
Mather was the only Pixar executive who
became a government litigation target. A source familiar with
the case said last year that Mather was expected to argue that
Pixar's board, outside lawyers and auditors approved backdating
long before she was hired.
"She responded to the Wells notice and
there was, over the last year, quite a bit of communication with
Commission staff about her defense," a second source familiar
with the case said.
Pixar was bought in 2006 by the Walt
Disney Co (NYSE:DIS), whose own audit found options backdating
as early as 1997 but cleared then-Chief Executive Steve Jobs and
anyone associated with the company of deliberate misconduct, a
regulatory filing showed. Jobs became Disney's largest
individual shareholder and a board member in the Pixar
acquisition.
But Disney had to pay about $34 million
to former Pixar employees with backdated options to cover price
discrepancies and taxes. Backdating also was found at the
company Jobs co-founded, Apple Inc (NasdaqGS:AAPL).
In addition to her Google directorship,
Mather also serves on the boards of Glu Mobile Inc (NasdaqGM:GLUU),
Central European Media Enterprises Group, Zappos.com, and Ariat
International Inc. |
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Texas
Industries, Disney investor group clash
AP - Shares of Texas Industries Inc. rose Friday as it clashed
publicly with a private equity fund founded by a nephew of Walt
Disney.Roy Disney, noted for his 2005 role in ousting Michael
Eisner as head of the Walt Disney Co., founded Shamrock Holdings
Inc., a private equity fund that holds a 10.2 percent stake in
Dallas-based Texas Industries, a large cement and gravel
supplier.
On Oct. 22, Texas Industries shareholders will vote on
candidates for three board seats.
Through its Shamrock Activist Value Fund, the Disney group
nominated three of its own candidates to the board, as well as
proposed three corporate governance changes: yearly elections of
all directors; majority voting in all uncontested elections of
directors and a referendum on the company's "poison pill"
provision.
Currently, Texas Industries staggers elections for its
directors and permits the election of an uncontested director
nominee without a majority of shareholder votes.
On Thursday, Texas Industries sent a letter to shareholders
urging them to not vote for Shamrock's three director nominees
or its three proposals.
The letter said Shamrock has not been "constructively
responsive" to the company's overtures, made "confusing
accusations" and distorted facts around meetings between the two
parties.
"We can only conclude that Shamrock is agitating for change
of control of the company, which we believe will not serve the
purpose of creating additional value for all shareholders," the
letter said.
In a Friday telephone call, Clifford Miller, managing
director of Shamrock Holdings, characterized the company's
letter as "pure fantasy."
Earlier, in regulatory filings, Shamrock said Texas
Industries underperforms its peers and characterized the board
as "insular and dominated by its current chairman of the board
and former chief executive officer, Robert D. Rogers."
In afternoon trading, Texas Industries shares rose $1.60, or
3.7 percent, to $44.43. Since June 29, when Shamrock filed its
intent to nominate directors, shares have risen more than a
third. |
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Travis Pastrana featured in new ESPN-Disney 3-D movie
Annapolis Capital - Travis Pastrana isn't one to back
down from a challenge.
The 25-year-old Annapolis native has 15 X Games medals in
both Moto-X events and rally car racing, and even has his
own show, "Nitro Circus," on MTV. Now he's adding a
three-dimensional film to his resume, starring with five
other X Games athletes on ESPN and Disney's new "X Games
3-D: The Movie."
"This was something that I definitely would love to be a
part of," Pastrana said. "I was very happy with how
everything was represented and I think it was a very
realistic view."
The movie plays in theaters for one week only, opening
today at the Bow Tie Cinemas at the Westfield Annapolis
mall.
It follows Pastrana and his fellow athletes as they
prepare for and compete in the Summer 2008 X Games, adding
scenes shot during the 2008 winter games and interviews done
this spring.
"The theme really is the 'never say die' kind of attitude
(Pastrana) brings to life in general and these sports in
particular," said ESPN's Phil Orlins, who produced the
movie.
"It's a revealing insight into a key group of X Games and
action sports athletes."
Orlins asked Pastrana to be part of the film for a number
of reasons, including his fame.
"He's an enormously popular and significant part of the X
Games and has been since 1999," he said.
Since Pastrana has competed in both Moto-X events and
rally car racing, his story made it easy for producers to
move from one event to the other.
"The first major chunk of the movie is the Moto-X Best
Trick and Travis is watching from the sideline as his friend
tries to do the first ever front flip. Then (it) spins into
Rally, where Travis (is competing)," Orlins explained.
Rated PG, the film does go into the dangers involved and
includes a skateboard accident during the 2008 summer games.
Some people felt that the producers treated the risks that
athletes take too lightly, he said.
But he felt that the film shows the athletes "stretching
their boundaries" rather than resting on what they'd already
achieved.
"I can draw a lot of parallels in any aspect of life
where you have to take risks or go beyond what's expected or
where you've been before," Orlins said.
The trailer for the movie begins with images from the
games, with a Pastrana voice-over describing why the
competitors make the jumps.
"Most people say 'I can't,' most people say
'self-preservation,' most people say 'what if?' " he says.
"We say, 'what if?" the other way. What if you land it?
What if it is possible?"
Orlins hopes that movie-viewers will take away that kind
of motivation.
"It should leave people feeling they can accomplish more.
It should make people attack whatever they are doing in
their life or at least walk out of that movie feeling they
can attack it," he said.
Pastrana said that filming for the movie was different
from filming for his MTV show.
"The X Games (movie) was really well laid out, they knew
exactly what they wanted out of it," he said.
And he is pleased with the three-dimensional aspect.
"You really feel that you are that person, that person on
the film," he said.
Orlins is particularly proud of the extra dimension in
his film.
"(It's) a breathtaking visual experience, I can't stress
it enough," he said.
"It's the right subject for 3-D and it's really going to
change the experience for a lot of people."
As for Pastrana, he's still enjoying his competitions and
has no intentions of stopping any time soon.
"It's better than a real job. I love my life," he said.
"I would pay anything and do anything to do what I do,
and I'm lucky that I can make a living out of it." |
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How My
Daughter Found Her Inner Princess
FOXNews - Maybe because she is our middle child, I
have always told my four-year-old daughter that she is
Daddy's little princess. Every night, when I tuck her into
bed I say, "Good night, Princess Creagh." But Creagh has
been tough to charm. "I am just Creagh," she responds with
perhaps a hint of wistfulness. "I am not a princess."
So when we went on a father-daughter trip to Disney World
recently, I decided to take her for some "princess
therapy"-- at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, a new salon for
young girls at Cinderella's Castle.
Named for the song that Cinderella's godmother sings as she
transforms Cinderella from cinders to glamour for the
Prince's ball, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is much more than a
makeover experience for young girls. Like all Disney
attractions, every detail is carefully conceived and
executed to create a magical experience for children. Disney
magic is hard at work here for the lucky young girls whose
parents are willing to pay for the experience (all income
levels are accomodated from $49.95 for the basic "Coach"
package which includes hairstyle and shimmering makeup--to
$249.95 for the deluxe "Castle" package which also includes
a gown, shoes, accessories and photos). And the magical
effects last far longer than the glitter does.
At Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, Creagh meets a "fairy
godmother-in-training" who asks her about her favorite
princess (Cinderella) and helps her pick out a gown, shoes
and accessories in the style of that princess. Then, with
typical Disney grand style, the fairy godmother-in-training
brings my daughter to a large curtain. She whisks the
curtain back, and voila! All of Creagh's choices, in her own
size, lay waiting for her to put on in a huge dressing room
fit for a princess.
After she dresses, my daughter meets a few more
fairy-godmothers-in-training who help her pick out a
hairstyle and makeup. Later, her fairy-godmother-in-training
asks, "Princess Creagh, which color would you like for your
nails?" My daughter looked puzzled and responds, "I am just
Creagh. I am not a princess." Then from a rainbow palette of
nail colors, she chooses one out of the four sparkly shades
of pink.
After a few minutes, my daughter relaxes into the fantasy of
being a princess and clearly begins to enjoy all the
personal attention. Her interaction with her
fairy-godmothers-in-training becomes more spirited and
upbeat. Her shyness recedes. She had become a princess in
her own mind, and no longer corrects anyone when they refer
to her as "Princess Creagh." Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is
buzzing with young girls, but each girl gets a huge amount
of personal attention from their own fairy
godmothers-in-training. The staff is very attentive and
shows great respect to the choices of each girl, somehow
making each one feel both important and unique. It is a type
of attention that busy parents rarely have the patience or
time to provide, and the girls seem to thrive in their own
Disney bubble of personal care and consideration.
Finally, an hour and a quarter later, the transformation is
complete. Disney magic has given my daughter a beautiful
princess gown, a soft glittering glow to her face and a
dramatic hair style including long pink tresses. Her look is
wholesome, but ethereal -- more Broadway than "beauty
pageant." Creagh has been expertly styled and has emerged as
another creature entirely from the pensive, cautious girl
who entered the salon earlier. She stands taller and exudes
confidence.
As she mounts the royal throne for her photo session, my
daughter has the gleam in her eye of a real princess. She
has been listened to today and made her own choices. Not
important ones mind you -- which hairstyle she would like,
nail colors and the like -- but still the choices have been
her own. She has found her inner princess and likes it.
It is fair to ask what the point is of dressing up little
girls, putting make up on them and painting their nails, all
in the style of one of the Disney princesses. But whatever
its excesses, the "princess makeover" does seem to have
positive psychic benefits for the little girls themselves.
The girls feel that their opinions matter and that they are
important. They also seem to get a hint that they can be as
beautiful as any princess or any other girl. There is no
adolescent angst about not being pretty enough--all girls
are treated as beauties here.
And I loved seeing my daughter transformed into a fantasy
princess and enjoyed watching her soak up all the attention
that was gracefully given to her. For many
parents--including me, seeing their daughter "come out" as a
princess was a very moving experience.
One mom next to me was crying profusely. She told me that
she had saved up to give her daughter this special
experience because she thought it might help her daughter
feel better about herself and also improve their
relationship. It sounded like there had been a lot of
conflict over the past year between she and her daughter and
it took the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique experience to show her
that the inner beauty of her daughter was still
there--despite their recent hard times.
The staff told me that crying parents are a common sight
at the salon. Many parents weep silently and even sob
outright -- not just because their daughters look like
beautiful princesses, but also because they love to see
their daughters bask in the spotlight and thrive under the
attentive care of the Disney fairy godmothers-in-training.
And the experience of making her own choices and receiving
intense personal attention at the salon seems to have stayed
with Creagh. My wife has noticed that Creagh is expressing
her own opinion more in the family--and not always just
agreeing with the views of her older brother and sister.
Whether this is because of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
experience or for other reasons, we don't know, but after
her trip, she seems to be putting herself on equal footing
with her older siblings more. I don't think it was just
about the make-up and pretty dresses for Creagh -- it was
about having grownups give her choices, listen to her likes
and dislikes, and allow her to feel comfortable being the
center of attention for a while.
Congratulations to Disney for letting little girls and
their families find their "princesses." Princess therapy
really works, for daughter and for parent. Just ask Princess
Creagh.
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Time - Enchantment
can be dangerous work. A series of employee fatalities this
summer at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., has exposed a
hard truth: the recipe for making dreams come true at the
Magic Kingdom includes not only pixie dust and princesses
but the hard work of very mortal human beings acting in a
risky world where sometimes things go badly awry.
Over the past six weeks at Disney World, a 21-year-old
monorail driver, a 47-year-old actor portraying pirate
Captain Jack Sparrow's henchman "Mack" and a 30-year-old
stuntman practicing for the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt
Spectacular died in on-the-job accidents. Nothing links the
deaths except the fact that they all resulted from incidents
at the theme park, but the U.S.20 Occupational Safety and
Health Administration, along with the local sheriff's
department and the Actors' Equity Association, is
investigating nonetheless. Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez
told TIME this week that the three deaths, separated as they
were in time, location and job title, are unrelated. "The
only common thread is the sense of loss we feel for these
valued cast members and the sympathy we feel for their loved
ones," Suarez says.
The first in the string of accidents occurred on July 5,
when two monorails collided at the Magic Kingdom's main
station at closing time, killing driver Austin Wuennenberg,
who friends say was working his dream job. Next, on Aug. 10,
actor Mark Priest died in a hospital where he was being
treated for a broken vertebra in his neck and other injuries
from a fall that took place four days earlier during a mock
sword fight at Captain Jack's Pirate Tutorial
audience-participation show. According to his friend Jeffrey
Breslauer, Priest — just before he died — said he was
performing the sword fight on a new stage for the first time
and slipped on a wet spot. The third death occurred on Aug.
17, when stuntman Anislav Varbanov broke his neck while
practicing a tumbling roll at Disney's Hollywood Studios for
a scene in a 20-year-old show based on stunts from the movie
Raiders of the Lost Ark. Maria Somma, spokeswoman for
Actors' Equity, said Varbanov had just signed his equity
contract the week before his death.
Among Orlando's tigh t-knit theatrical community (which
includes Disney World as well as other theme parks like
Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando and a long list of
medieval, western and Arabian Nights dinner shows),
performers were inclined to view the deaths as freak
accidents rather than negligence by Disney. "It would
actually be unfair to say that Disney doesn't know what
they're doing and they're lax," says Breslauer, a former
Disney actor.
But the depth of the acting community's grief is apparent on
their Facebook pages. "We lost another one of our own at
Disney. Too many, too young. Just wish it made some sense,"
posted Krista Miller, a Disney improv comedian. Rather than
losing spirit over the losses, Kenny Babel, a Disney
performer and close friend of Priest's, says he and other
performers have been inspired by Priest's legacy to offer
even more of themselves to the process of creating the
Disney magic. "Mark lived for that magic. That's when Mark
was most Mark," Babel says. "One's person's life can touch,
in Mark's case, millions of guests. And he would make a
special connection with each and every one of those kids
that he came into contact with. He was amazing. The shining
example of someone like Mark is inspiring, and so I kind of
take extra care to make the magic in honor of Mark."
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Los Angeles Times - The
co-chairman of Disney Media Networks rises to No. 52 from
No. 98 after the magazine acknowledges a data entry error.
In the realm of power list injustices, this one was a
stinker.
Forbes magazine released its annual "100 Most Powerful
Women" list Wednesday, and Walt Disney Co.'s Anne Sweeney
appeared to suffer a bruising fall from grace. A year ago,
Sweeney -- who as co-chairwoman of Disney Media Networks
oversees such influential TV institutions as ABC, the Disney
Channel and ABC Family -- ranked a respectable No. 30.
This year, even though her job didn't change, Sweeney came
in at No. 98.
Forbes, say it isn't so.
In fact, it wasn't. "It was a big, gigantic oops," Forbes
spokeswoman Monie Begley said.
Twenty-four hours after issuing its list with great fanfare,
Forbes revised the ranking, elevated Sweeney to No. 52 and
apologized for the mistake. Begley faulted a data entry
error: Someone typed "$8 million" to represent the revenue
produced by Sweeney's division of Disney rather than the
correct figure, "$8 billion."
"No excuses. It was terrible what happened to Anne Sweeney,
but there was no malevolence intended toward her," Begley
said. "She's an incredibly talented and successful woman."
The magazine uncovered the mistake after questions were
raised by The Times and ABC. It acknowledged the mistake on
its website Thursday.
This isn't the first time that Sweeney has been bounce d
around the Forbes list. In 2007, she ranked No. 77 --
another dizzying fall after the 2006 edition, when she was
named the 15th most powerful woman in the world.
The Sweeney shuffle this year meant slightly lower rankings
for several other Hollywood businesswomen. Amy Pascal,
co-chair of Sony Pictures Entertainment, moved to No. 60
from No. 59, and MTV Networks chief Judy McGrath moved to
No. 62. DreamWorks SKG Chief Executive Stacey Snider came in
at No. 63.
For the second straight year, German Chancellor Angela
Merkel, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairwoman Sheila
Bair and PepsiCo Chief Executive Indra Nooyi were ranked No.
1, 2 and 3. Not surprisingly, the highest-ranked woman from
the media industry was Oprah Winfrey, coming in at No. 41,
one spot behind First Lady Michelle Obama.
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For those without tickets, cancellations and day-of standing
room tickets are the only means of seeing the show.
Lines will form at the Lunt-Fontanne box office for
cancellations; $26.50 standing-room locations are sold
the day of the performance, in-person at the box office.
The cast currently features Chelsea Morgan Stock
(Ariel), Faith Prince (Ursula), Drew Seeley (Prince
Eric), Norm Lewis (King20Triton), Rogelio Douglas
Jr. (Sebastian), Eddie Korbich (Scuttle), Jonathan
Freeman (Grimsby), Tyler Maynard (Flotsam), Eric
LaJuan Summers (Jetsam), Robert Creighton (Chef
Louis) and Major Curda and Brian D’Addario
(alternating as Flounder).
The Little Mermaid features songs penned
by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman for
the Disney film ("Part of Your World," "Under
the Sea," "Kiss the Girl," among others) as well
as ten new tunes by Menken and Glenn Slater.
Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife, Grey Gardens)
wrote the book.
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'Tinker Bell' movie screening reservations open
now
Theme Park Rangers - The reservation system on
Disney's passholder Web site is open now for the
advance screenings of Tinker Bell and the Lost
Treasure. The movie will be shown at 10 a.m., 2
p.m. and 6 p.m. Sept. 26 and 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Sept. 27 at Town Square Exposition Hall in the
Magic Kingdom. This event is only for
passholders.
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EARTH coming soon on DVD & Blu-ray
Disney Blog - EARTH, the beautiful and powerful
documentary released by DisneyNature earlier
this year, is coming to DVD and Blu-ray. Here at
The Disney Blog we’ve been given two copies to
give away. See below for details on how to enter
the drawing.
On September 1, Walt Disney Studios Home
Entertainment releas es EARTH on Blu-ray and
DVD! This trio of unforgettable stories is woven
together by award-winning filmmakers Alistair
Fothegrill (“The Blue Planet) and Mark Linfield
(“Planet Earth”), and narrated by Academy
Award-winner James Earl Jones. In Blu-ray, the
film gives audiences an unmatched opportunity to
view its dizzying aerial photography, epic
backdrops and rare footage of land, sea and air
in astonishing high definition. Bonus material
includes a making-of featurette and more.
A large part of Walt Disney’s legacy is his love
of the outdoors. You see it in the true life
adventure series, his parks, and ultimately in
his plans for EPCOT. My hope is that the new
Disneynature label will return to this legacy in
full. To win a copy of Earth (the DVD version)
leave a comment on this post with your idea for
what you’d like to see from the Disneynature
label in the future. Specific answers with a
focus on Walt’s legacy will get extra weight.
Make sure to provide a valid email address! A
winner will be chosen September 4th at Noon
eastern.
Available in a single-disc DVD or two-disc Blu-ray
Hi-Def/DVD Combo Pack, Earth includes bonus
features that offer viewers an in-depth look at
the making of the film and an opportunity to
learn more about our planet and its myriad
fascinating inhabitants. In Blu-ray, the film
gives audiences an unmatched opportunity to view
its dizzying aerial photography, epic backdrops
and rare footage of land , sea and air in
astonishing high definition.
Bonus Features for Earth
Both Blu-ray Hi-Def and DVD include:
• Earth Diaries — The making of Disneynature’s
first feature film
Exclusive Blu-ray Hi-Def bonus features take
audiences deeper into the fascinating mysteries
of Earth, including:
• Filmmaker’s Annotations — An in-movie
experience with pop up facts
In the Arctic, a mother polar bear trailed by
her two cubs searches for food as their icy
hunting grounds melt away. A herd of African
elephants slowly traverses the arid Kalahari
Desert toward the water-rich Okavango Delta. A
humpback whale and her calf make a 4,000-mile
journey in an epic migration that takes them
from tropical waters all the way to Antarctica.
Remarkable high-definition footage follows these
creatures and more to places human beings rarely
see, capturing unique worlds populated by
Mandarin ducks and birds of paradise, as well as
a pride of lions and a vast caribou herd. Filled
with surprising facts and extraordinary images,
Earth is a dazzling portrait of life on our
planet.
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George Lucas to present Lasseter honor
THR - "Star Wars" creator George Lucas will make
his first trip to the Venice Film Festival this
year to present the Golden Lion award for
lifetime achievement to John Lasseter and the
directors of Disney/Pixar, Venice organizers
said Thursday.
The presentation, set for Sept. 6 in the Palazzo
del Cinema's Sala Grande, will be held in
conjunction with screenings of new 3D version of
classics "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2," from
1995-99, respectively. Lasseter directed both
films.
The evening will also include the premiere of a
10-minute clip from "The Princess and the Frog,"
Disney's return to hand-drawn animation, and the
screening of a new sequence from the
in-production project "Toy Story 3."
A day later, on Sept. 7, Lasseter and
Disney/Pixar's Brad Bird, Pete Docter, Andrew
Stanton and Lee Unrich will host a two-session
masterclass, including one session reserved for
young European animators.
Though the trip will be the first to the Venice
Lido for Lucas, Venice was the platform for the
European release of two of the films in the
"Star Wars" series: 1980's "The Empire Strikes
Back" and 1983's "Return of the Jedi."
The 66th edition of the Venice festival is set
for Sept. 2-12.
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Top 5 Most Avoidable Disneyland Deaths
OCWeekly - Alright, fine: So it's a little
morbid, but since the park's grand opening in
1955, a few hi ccups have happened during
Disneyland's reign as the Happiest Place on
Earth--nine of them, to be exact. Which,
statistically speaking, isn't all that bad. We
guess.
All but one of the fatalities to take place
within Disneyland property lines can be
attributed to guest negligence--unbuckling this,
standing up during that--the only accident that
can be determined as insufficient ride
maintenance happened on Christmas Eve in 1998,
aboard the large sailing ship Columbia. A
rope carrying a metal cleat came loose and
sailed through the air where it sadly met Luan
Phi Dawson and his wife. Dawson was brain dead
for 11 hours following the accident before he
was taken off life support.
Scroll through this list we've pulled together
of the top five most avoidable Disneyland deaths
in the last 54 years--and remember to listen
next time the pre-recorded message asks you to
permanecer sentados por favor.
A thoroughly intoxicated Philip Straughan, 18,
of Alberquerque, New Mexico, drowned in the
Rivers of America on June 4, 1983 after sneaking
into an off limits Cast Member Only area and
taking a joyride on one of the maintenance
boats. Since Straughan couldn't exactly maneuver
the small rubber vessel, he ended up hitting a
rock and getting tossed into the water. His body
was located an hour later.
In June 1966, Thomas Cleveland, 19, of
Northridge, climbed the 16-foot fence that
surrounded Disneyland in an attempt to slink
into one of their many Grad Night celebrations
for high school students--only he winded up
standing right on the tracks of the Monorail.
What happened next? Yup: A train was coming
right for him. A guard yelled for him to jump
clear of the track but Cleveland didn't quite
make it... his body was dragged 30-40 feet by
the monorail.
Another Grad Night accident Ricky Lee Yama, 18,
of Hawthorne, hopped onto the tracks of the now
defunct People Mover in Tomorrowland in August
1967. Yama jumped from vehicle to vehicle, lost
his footing and was run over by an oncoming car.
Thirteen years later, Gerardo Gonzales, died the
same way on June 7, 1980, exiting the ride and
attempting to maneuver from car to car. Only
this time, it's reported that no one
noticed--and his body was supposedly dragged for
hundreds of feet before a Cast Member noticed.
Since then, Cast Members and guests have
reported ghost sightings on the People Mover.
Other rides at the park that are supposedly
haunted include Space Mountain and, of course,
the Haunted Mansion.
Another attraction responsible for taking its
fair share of lives at Disneyland: The Rivers of
America. The most tragic story involves
18-year-old Bogden Delaurot and his younger
brother who had stowed away on Tom Sawyer Island
past its closing time. Rather than risk getting
in trouble and asking for assistance, the pair
decided to swim for it instead--because the
younger Delaurot could not swim, Bogden decided
to carry him across on his back. Halfway=2
0across, Bogden went under water. The younger
brother managed to dog paddle until help
arrived. Bogden's body was found the next
morning.
Mark Maples, 15, of Long Beach unbuckles his
safety belt and stands up during his ride aboard
the Matterhorn Bobsleds in May 1964. Choosing to
do this exactly near the summit of the
attraction, Maples lost his footing. He landed
on the tracks below him and suffered a skull
fracture and several other internal injuries. He
passed away three days after the accident. In
January 1984, Dolly Young, 48, of Fremont, died
in a similar manner inside the Matterhorn,
though it cannot be confirmed whether or not
Young had purposefully unbuckled her seatbelt.
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Disney sets 'Manny,' 'Clubhouse' specials
Hollywood Reporter - Two of Disney
Channel's prime daytime attractions, "Handy
Manny" and "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," are going
primetime.
The channel is prepping two specials to premiere
in October, "Handy Manny Motorcycle Adventure,"
starring series lead Wilmer Valderrama and guest
starring Kris Kristofferson and Donny Osmond,
and the holiday-themed "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Choo Choo Express."
"Handy Manny Motorcycle Adventure," which
chronicles a road trip to Manny's family
reunion, will feature Los Lobos and Wilmer
Valderrama performing new songs.
It will premiere O ct. 4, with previews on SVOD
on Cablevision, Time Warner and Verizon FiOS TV
available Sept. 14.
Additionally, mobile providers Sprint TV and
MobiTV will simulcast the special in conjunction
with the television premiere.
"Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Choo Choo Express" will
debut in late October.
Both the "Handy Manny" and "Mickey Mouse
Clubhouse" series air every morning as part of
the Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney
programming block for preschoolers.
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Individual - In her highly insightful,
inspirational new nonfiction, "From Mars to
Marceline: In Search of Disney" (published
by AuthorHouse), Eleonora Duvivier reveals
what she believes to be the seed of our
collective personal identity, founded upon
the influence of Disney's creativity and
enterprise in regards to technological,
psychological and mystical innovation.
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Thursday
August 20, 2009 |
911
Response Time Questioned In Disney Death
Lewd
behavior reported at Disney water park
Amateurs invited to audition for Disney's Night of Joy event
Disney
to film 'Secretariat' movie in Kentucky
A&E
to announce airdate soon for Jacksons special
Disney Consumer Products to Offer a Series of First Looks and
Magical Activities at D23 EXPO
Disney,
Zemeckis Board 'Yellow Submarine'
20 Walt Disney World Tips & Tricks: A Park-By-Park Guide
'Lost': John
Hawkes joins for season six
Happy days
for Disney
Walt Disney World Resort Florida tops children's poll
ABC makes a 'Hotel'
reservation
Disneyland: Get $400 off a 4 day/night Disneyland Resort
vacation package
Disney XD heads to Germany
Disney
Performer who Died Was Fairport Native |
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911
Response Time Questioned In Disney Death
WESH - There are questions Wednesday about why it took so long
for help to arrive after a Disney performer was injured earlier
this week.
Anislav Varbanov, 30, was hurt
during a rehearsal while performing a tumbling roll at the
Indiana Jones stunt show at Disney's Hollywood Studios. He was
pronounced dead at the hospital, with the cause of death ruled
as accidental due to a broken neck.
It took paramedics from the Reedy Creek Emergency Services on
Disney property 11 minutes and 32 seconds to arrive after the
call came in. The helicopter never arrived.
"I would say that in our opinion
it's not our ideal response time. Obviously, the faster we can
get there, the happier we are with our response times, but there
are circumstances that exist that are beyond anyone's control
that would require or, that could contribute to, an extended
response time, and that unfortunately was the case in this
scenario," Deputy Chief Bo Jones of Reedy Creek Emergency
Services said.
Throughout the call the
dispatcher walks the caller through CPR techniques, and even
tells the performers -- near the end of the call -- to use a
defibrillator to shock Varbanov back to life.
When the call initially came in
to Reedy Creek, the first rescue unit called was a portable unit
that was already helping another patient. Dispatch then called
station No. 1 on Buena Vista Drive, but both those units were
also working other calls. The dispatcher then considered calling
crews from station No. 2 or station No. 4, but ultimately
decided to call out to a crew that was already out on the road
coming back from Celebration Hospital where they had finished a
call. They were closest to the Disney's Hollywood Studios where
the accident occurred, so they handled the call.
Varbanov's death was the third
in recent weeks to Disney cast members. In July, a monorail
pilot died when two trains collided. Earlier this month, a
performer in a pirate show fell and broke his neck and later
died from his injuries.
Disney and the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration will review and investigate the
incident. |
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Lewd
behavior reported at Disney water park
Orlando Sentinel -
Orange County deputy sheriffs were called to a bus headed to
Walt Disney World's Typhoon Lagoon today on a report of lewd
behavior, but no arrests were made.
A bus driver at the water park spotted what was thought to be a
man performing a lewd act about 1 p.m., department spokesman
Jeff Williamson said. A deputy questioned the man and determined
there was not enough probable cause to make an arrest. He was
trespassed from Disney's water parks.
The man a foreigner, and will be returning to his home country
tomorrow, Williamson said.
Further information was not immediately available. |
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Amateurs invited to audition for Disney's Night of Joy event
Theme Park Rangers - An "amateur night"
aspect of Night of Joy has been added to the two-day
Christian-music celebration at Disney's Hollywood Studios held
Sept. 11 and 12.
Solo artists and bands can audition online (through Aug.
29) or at Walt Disney World Aug. 26-29. Up to 40 performers
will be selected for 10-minute stage performances during one
night of the festival. It is not a competition, but it will
be judged. Disney says "a leading Christian record company
artist relations executive" will be among the judges.
Details, especially about logistics, can be found at
www.cmievents.com. There is an audition fee of
$80 per person, which includes a one-day
ticket to the Night of Joy event. |
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Disney to film 'Secretariat' movie in Kentucky
Huntington Herald Dispatch - Incentives for a major
film production to be shot in Kentucky were approved today,
the first under legislation approved during this year’s
special legislative session. The Kentucky Tourism
Development Finance Authority approved an application for
the film “Secretariat,” from Fast Track Productions, Inc., a
subsidiary of Disney Studios, about the 1973 Triple Crown
winner.
“This is a great way to kick off Kentucky’s new film
incentive package,” said Gov. Steve Beshear. “I think it’s
appropriate that a state known for thoroughbred racing be a
part of a film about one of the most well-known horses in
racing history.”
The film incentives were included in House Bill 3, which
was proposed by Gov. Beshear during the special session in
June.
“Films like ‘Secretariat’ will offer Kentucky communities
and small businesses a great opportunity when it comes to
film production,” said First Lady Jane Beshear, who
testified in support of the film incentives. “I’m hopeful
that the incentives we offer will prompt more filmmakers to
follow and help us promote Kentucky’s beauty and economic
development opportunities.”
Fast Track Productions’ application projected $4 million
in expenditures, meaning the production is eligible for
$800,000 in tax credits.
The bill makes the incentive available to companies that
spend at least $500,000 to produce feature films or
television shows in Kentucky and makes commercials and
documentaries eligible with required spending levels reduced
to $200,000 and $50,000, respectively.
Broadway Shows produced in Kentucky for national tour are
eligible for incentives with at least $50,000 in qualified
expenditures. The incentive is a refundable income tax
credit of 20 percent of approved expenditures.
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A&E to announce airdate soon for Jacksons special
AP - The A&E network says an airdate for its documentary special
about members of the Jackson family will be announced soon.
A&E spokesman Dan Silberman says the program focuses on
brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon Jackson. Silberman
says Michael Jackson didn't participate in the show.
The 50-year-old King of Pop died June 25, weeks before he was
due to start a string of comeback shows in London. A tribute
concert is scheduled Sept. 26 in the Austrian capital of Vienna.
While the special could potentially be expanded into a
series, the network says it currently has no plans beyond airing
a stand-alone show.
A&E Television Networks is a joint venture of Hearst Corp.,
The Walt Disney Co. and General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal. |
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Disney Consumer Products to Offer a Series of First Looks and
Magical Activities at D23 EXPO
Buisness Wire - Disney’s spectacular product lines will come to
life like never before in over 20,000 square feet of fun-filled
interactive experiences and activities at the inaugural D23
EXPO, where the entire world of Disney will come together under
one roof at the Anaheim Convention Center in California from
Sept. 10-13. Disney Consumer Products (DCP) will treat fans to a
sneak peek of the latest and most innovative Disney products as
well as the chance to meet and hear from the artists and
designers that bring them to life.
D23 EXPO attendees will have the premier
opportunity to visit the first-ever Disney Dream Home, stroll
through 30 years of Disney-inspired Hallmark keepsake ornaments,
witness Disney Fine Art created right before their eyes, and
immerse in the magic of a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding where guests
will get a first look at the yet-to-be-unveiled Princess Tiana
wedding gown inspired by the upcoming animated feature The
Princess and the Frog. They will go behind the scenes of
Disney products through a series of events and presentations
including fashion shows, art galleries, appearances by
best-selling authors such as Ridley Pearson and artists such as
Thomas Kinkade, and seminars describing the creative process by
Disney toys and electronics designers. Plus, they will be part
of a special introduction to the history and future of Disney
Store by Disney Stores Worldwide president, Jim Fielding, and
much more.
There will be fun for the whole family at
the Disney Creativity Center hosted by Crayola, the Disney
Princess Story time and Royal Manners event, the Baby Einstein
World of Discovery Center, and a magnificent live LEGO building
event of Disney characters with the help of Master Builders.
Additional highlights of DCP’s exciting
line-up at the D23 EXPO include:
-
Disney
Store and DisneyStore.com guests will get a first look at
this year’s hottest Halloween costumes, exclusive The
Princess and the Frog product assortment (available only
at Disney Store and DisneyStore.com) and limited edition
collectible Snow White deluxe dolls; and on September 12, a
special presentation by President Jim Fielding on exciting
new developments coming soon to Disney Store retail.
-
Guests will stroll through the ultimate showcase house and
experience the first-ever Disney Dream Home featuring Disney
furniture, carpeting and rugs, paint, lighting, bedding and
home decor. They will preview the new color collection from
Disney Color by Behr and wall-to-wall imagination from Shaw
Carpets. Eight beautifully designed rooms will come to life
including a central courtyard, nursery, boys and girls
rooms, living and dining rooms, home office, master bedroom
and even a Lillyput Play Home in the backyard.
-
Guests will travel back through time as Hallmark and Disney
introduce the Disney Hallmark Keepsake Museum featuring more
than 30 years of Disney keepsake ornaments.
-
Disney Toys and LEGO Master Builders will host a live
building event where guests can join in the fun and help
construct a life-size mural of Disney characters paying
homage to innovation.
-
Families are invited to Early Bird Books, seminars from
renowned Disney Publishing authors including Ridley Pearson,
who will discuss the Kingdom Keepers series and
Peter and the Starcatchers books where he will be joined
via satellite feed by co-author Dave Barry.
-
Additional luminaries speaking at Early Bird Books panels
include author Don Hahn, acclaimed producer of The Lion
King, who will discuss The Alchemy of Animation:
Making an Animated Film in the Modern Age; author and
animation historian JB Kaufman, who will speak about his
book South of the Border and reveal the story behind
Disney’s contribution to Nelson Rockefeller’s “Good
Neighbor” program; and Jason Surrell, author of The
Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies,
who will discuss the evolution from beloved attraction to
major motion picture.
- The
Disney Creativity Center hosted by Crayola will bring to
life Andy’s room from Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story where
guests will learn drawing techniques from DCP character
artists John Quinn and George McClements.
-
Disney Fashion & Home will host a series of fashion shows
featuring the latest styles from Disney Couture, Disney
Couture kids and the Wizards of Waverly Place
collection inspired by the hit Disney Channel series
starring Selena Gomez.
-
Guests will go “behind the fairy tale” at the Disney Fairy
Tale Weddings showcase; they will hear from celebrity
wedding designer David Tutera and couture wedding gown
designer Kirstie Kelly who will unveil the first public
viewing sketch of the Princess Tiana-inspired wedding gown
releasing this October.
-
Collectors Editions will showcase beautiful art displays and
host an all-star list of artists, voice talent and legendary
Disney personalities, including Margaret Kerry (the original
Tinker Bell model), Dick Jones (original Pinocchio voice),
Eddie Carroll (current Jiminy Cricket voice) and Paige
O’Hara (original Belle voice from Beauty and the Beast).
- BOOM!
Comics will present comic legend and writer Mark Waid.
-
Disney Toys and MINDstyle will introduce Disney’s Stitch:
The Experiment 626 Project custom art tour - a collection of
interpretive Stitch vinyl figures.
- The
original art program “Mickey By” will make its first public
debut. These artistic interpretations of Mickey Mouse, in a
classic pose, come from Disney artists of every style and
genre. The result is a celebration of one of the most
recognizable and beloved characters around the globe.
- eFX
Inc, will preview an astonishing four foot replica of
Captain Nemo’s iconic Nautilus from the classic Disney film
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea based on the Jules Verne
novel.
- S/R
Laboratories’ artists will demonstrate how animation art
backgrounds are made for the new Courvoisier Miniatures art
collection.
- EK
Success will showcase its latest Disney crafts products,
from scrapbooking to stamping to paper crafting, and share
tips and techniques.
- The
Disney food, health and beauty group will offer samplings
from the latest Disney food product lines and fun beauty
activities for girls featuring Disney beauty products that
are age-appropriate, fun and easy-to-use.
-
Disney and Retro 51 will host an hourly raffle for a D23
collectors pen. Plus, Retro 51 will introduce a unique
design-your-own-pen contest in which guests will have the
opportunity to use a Retro 51 pen template to design their
own Disney-themed pen. At the conclusion of the D23 EXPO, 23
winning designs will be chosen to be featured in Disney
Twenty-three magazine, and souvenir pens with those designs
will be produced for the winners by Retro 51.
Tickets to
the D23 EXPO are available at D23EXPO.com. Admission includes
access to all experiences and entertainment at the D23 EXPO and
can be purchased for single days or for the full four days of
festivities. Admission is $37 for a one-day adult ticket and $27
for children 3-12. Four-day passes are $111 for adults and $81
for children. Members of D23: The Official Community for Disney
Fans will receive a discount on admission, as well as early
entry to each day of the D23 EXPO for themselves and their
guests.
Many more details about D23 EXPO
entertainment, events and special guests will be announced in
the coming weeks. Fans can keep up with all the news by visiting
D23EXPO.com, as well as by following "Disney D23" on Twitter and
Facebook.
About Disney Consumer Products
Disney Consumer Products (DCP) is the
business segment of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) that
extends the Disney brand to merchandise ranging from apparel,
toys, home décor and books and magazines to foods and beverages,
stationery, electronics and fine art. This is accomplished
through DCP's various lines of business which include: Disney
Toys, Disney Fashion & Home, Disney Food, Health & Beauty, and
Disney Stationery. Other businesses involved in Disney's
consumer products sales are Disney Publishing Worldwide, the
world's largest publisher of children's books and magazines, and
DisneyStore.com, the company's official shopping portal. The
Disney Stores retail chain, which debuted in 1987, is owned and
operated by Disney in North America and Europe. The Disney
Stores chain in Japan is operated under a license agreement with
Disney. For more information, please visit
disneyconsumerproducts.com or watch us on youtube.com/disneyliving. |
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Disney,
Zemeckis Board 'Yellow Submarine'
Variety -
Disney and director Robert Zemeckis are negotiating to remake
“Yellow Submarine,” the 1968 psychedelic animated film based on
the music of The Beatles.
The studio has been quietly brokering a complicated rights
deal that would give Zemeckis access to 16 original Beatles
songs for a movie he will direct in the performance-capture 3-D
digital production format he employed for “A Christmas Carol.”
Disney opens that film November 6, with Jim Carrey playing
Scrooge as well as the three ghosts who haunt him in the Charles
Dickens tale.
The hope is to have "Yellow Submarine" ready to premiere
around the 2012 Summer Olympics, which begins July 27 in London.
Disney would not comment on the negotiations or the project.
Zemeckis’s ImageMovers would produce.
The deal marries cutting-edge 3-D feature technology with a
surging reinterest in The Beatles, who appeared only in the
film’s closing scene. Actors provided the voices for the
animated characters of Beatles Paul McCartney, John Lennon,
George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
The storyline of the original took place in Pepperland, an
undersea paradise protected by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club
Band. When the band is captured by the music-hating Blue Meanies,
a soldier is sent to Liverpool to fetch the Fab Four, who hop in
the submarine and save the day.
Key to the deal is Zemeckis’ ability to use a treasure trove
of classic Beatles tunes, from the title song to “All Together
Now,” “Baby You’re a Rich Man,” “All You Need Is Love,” “When
I’m 64,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “Sgt. Peppers
Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
The deal has been months in the making with armies of lawyers
and sources said that rights will encompass the future prospects
of a Broadway stage musical -- much as Disney accomplished with
“The Lion King,” a Cirque du Soleil stage production (“Love,” a
production based on Beatles tunes, has been running for two
years at The Mirage) and merchandise.
“Yellow Submarine” is just the latest in a flurry of pacts
for The Beatles. September will be a big month for the band that
broke up in 1970, with the release of a flurry of remastered
records and the vidgame “The Beatles: Rock Band.”
Disney's talks follow the astounding $60 million deal that
Sony made to turn the rehearsal footage for the final Michael
Jackson concerts into a feature film.
Why are films and games like "Rock Band" successful
in reaching into decades-old bands for songs that can be sold to
young audiences? My personal musical tastes are stamped from the
1970s to the mid-1980s, but I would argue that there is very
little contemporary competition for the classic acts of
yesterday. Is there another Beatles, Michael Jackson, Bruce
Springsteen or U2 on the horizon? |
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20 Walt Disney World Tips & Tricks: A Park-By-Park Guide
Fodor's - The period from late September through November in
Orlando usually brings bright beautiful days, cooler
temperatures, and some of the lightest crowds all year, making
it one of the best times to go to Walt Disney World. While
weather and crowds are a factor, the real secret to enjoying
Disney is to let your mantra be "quality over quantity." Keep
these tips and suggestions in mind as you explore the parks.
The Magic Kingdom
1. Try to come toward
the end of the week, because most families hit the Magic Kingdom
early in their Disney visit.
2. Ride a star attraction while a parade is going on if
you're willing to miss it; lines ease considerably. (But be
careful not to get stuck on the wrong side of the parade route
when it starts, or you may never get across.)
3. At Town Square, near the entrance, pick up a Guide Map and
the Times Guide, which lists show times, character greeting
times, and any special hours for attractions and restaurants.
4. Book character meals early. Main Street, U.S.A.'s Crystal
Palace Buffet has breakfast with Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger,
and Piglet 8–10:30 AM. Lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table in
Cinderella Castle is extremely popular—so much so that you
should reserve your spot six months out. At an afternoon
Wonderland Tea Party in the Grand Floridian Resort, you interact
with Alice and help bake (and eat) cupcakes.
Epcot
5. Epcot is so vast and varied that you really need two days
to explore everything. If you have just one day, be highly
selective.
6. It's best to go early in the week, when others are at
Magic Kingdom.
7. If your family loves festivals, go to the Epcot
International Flower & Garden Festival (late March–early June)
or the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival (late
September–mid-November).
Hollywood Studios
8. Visit early in the week, while
most people are rushing through Magic and Animal kingdoms.
9. Check the tip board periodically for attractions with
short wait times that you can visit between Fastpass
appointments.
10. Be at the Fantasmic! amphitheater at least an hour before
show time if you didn't book the Fantasmic! dinner package.
11. Need a burst of energy? Snag a freshly baked
chocolate-chip cookie or a pastry at Starring Rolls Cafe, at the
corner of Hollywood and Sunset. Alternatively, Hollywood Scoops
Ice Cream on Sunset might be just the thing on a hot day.
12. If you plan to have a fast-food lunch, eat before 11 am
or after 2:30 pm. There are food stands along Sunset. You can
get a burger (meat or veggie) or chicken strips at Rosie's
All-American Cafe, a slice of pizza from Catalina Eddie's, or a
chili dog at Toluca Legs Turkey Company.
Animal Kingdom
13. Try to visit during the week. Pedestrian areas are
compact, and the park can feel horribly packed on weekends.
14. Arrive a half hour before the park opens as much to see
the wild animals at their friskiest (morning is a good time to
do the safari ride) as to get a jump on the crowds.
15. For updates on line lengths, check the Tip Board, just
after crossing the bridge into Discovery Island.
16. Good places to rendezvous include the outdoor seating
area of Tusker House restaurant in Africa, in front of DinoLand
U.S.A.'s Boneyard, and at the entrance to Festival of the Lion
King.
The Water Parks
17. In summer, come late in the afternoon when park hours run
later or when the weather clears up after a thundershower
(rainstorms drive away the crowds). Afternoons are also good in
cooler weather as the water is a bit warmer. If you plan to make
a whole day of it, avoid weekends, when locals as well as
visitors fill the parks.
18. Women and girls should wear one-piece swimsuits unless
they want to find their tops somewhere around their ears at the
bottom of the waterslide.
19. Invest in sunscreen and water shoes. Okay, so you know
why sunscreen is important, but it's easy to forget to reapply
it, so plan on several sunscreen dousing throughout the day.
Meanwhile, an inexpensive pair of water shoes will do wonders to
save your and your kids' tender footsies from hot sand and
walkways and from grimy rest-room floors.
20. Arrive 30 minutes before opening so you can park, buy
tickets, rent towels, and snag inner tubes before the crowds
descend, and, trust us, it gets very crowded.
Special Events
Now that you've got all this extra time and money on your
hands, what are you going to do with it? Here are some upcoming
special events worth checking out.
The Magic Kingdom gets specially dressed for Halloween with
Mickey's Not-so-Scary-Halloween parties, which begin on Friday,
September 4 and run a couple times a week, 7 pm to midnight,
through November 1. Costumes and trick-or-treating are
encouraged. Special lighting and music help set the scene; a
parade with costumed characters and fireworks cap things off.
Buy tickets ahead of time (disneyworld.com/halloween,
407/W-Disney), and save $7 on each.
This year's Epcot Food & Wine Festival (September 25 to
November 8) will feature the chance to try one of 70 types of
tequila; attend a Spanish cheese seminar; or pair Italian food
and wine. Along with these and other special, ticketed events (disneyworld.com/foodandwine,
407/WDW-FEST) are the regular festival activities that let you
sample food from 20 cities around the world and attend Eat to
the Beat concerts held nightly at the American Garden Theatre.
You don't have to wait for the January marathon to run
through the parks, thanks to the Endurance Series (disneyenduranceseries.com)
of 3K, 5K, 10K, and 13K races in Disney's Hollywood Studios or
Animal Kingdom. In true Disney fashion, these runs are as much
about the need to play (think obstacle courses and scavenger
hunts) as they are the need for speed.
Running not your thing? Try booking a golf vacation (disneygolf.com,
407/WDW--GOLF), and save some money, while you're at it. During
September, stay at a Disney hotel and save 30% on greens fees at
the Magnoilia, Palm, Osprey Ridge, and Lake Buena Vista courses.
There are other perks as well. |
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'Lost': John
Hawkes joins for season six
Zap2it - "Lost" will be adding a
little "Deadwood" to its cast for season six.
John Hawkes, who played Sol Star
on "Deadwood" and co-stars in HBO's
"Eastbound and Down," will have a
recurring role on the ABC show's final season. He'll be playing
a character named Lennon, The Hollywood
Reporter says.
Here's the interesting part, though: Lennon is described as a
"scruffy, edgy and charismatic spokesperson and translator for
the president of a foreign corporation." The character also
wields more influence than it would seem based on his job.
Two things spring to mind from that: First, it sounds like an
excellent match between actor and role. Second, who does Lennon
work for? My first thought is that he's a minion of Charles
Widmore (Alan Dale) -- and given where "Lost" seems to be
headed, it would seem natural that Widmore be more involved in
the final season.
Sun (Yunjin Kim) is also the president of a foreign
corporation, but she doesn't really need a translator. Another
possibility, reaching even deeper into the "Lost" mythology,
would be Alvar Hanso. We'll find out come early 2010.
What do you think of the casting, and how do you think Hawkes'
character will fit into the story? |
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Happy days
for Disney
Detroit Free
Press - Not even Mickey Mouse is immune to this
recession. But he'll make it through all right.
Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) is a strong
international performer in most economic climates. The star
performer in its third quarter was the media networks division.
ESPN, ABC and the Disney Channel collectively held their ground
year over year, losing just 2% of their sales. With the
broadcasting industry fighting online piracy, reluctant
advertisers, and worries that TiVo boxes and other DVRs will
kill traditional TV advertising, that performance is an
impressive show of Mouse muscle.
All told,
revenue fell 7% from 2008 levels to $8.6 billion, and net income
was down 23%. Still, that's $954 million of earnings and $881
million in free cash flow, straight into the bank. Disney
remains a true cash machine, even at the worst of times.
Disney's solid brands and near-constant stream of fresh,
high-quality entertainment content drives this strength.
The upcoming
slate of Disney movies inspires confidence. "The Princess and
the Frog" looks like a return to Disney's Brothers Grimm-style
storytelling roots. The star-studded live-action remake of
"Alice in Wonderland" at the hands of Tim Burton ought to draw a
crowd. And then there's the third installment of "Toy Story"
next year. 'Nuff said. Disney appears to be doing all the right
things to stay healthy. |
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Walt Disney World Resort Florida tops children's poll
Travolution - Florida's Walt Disney World Resort has topped the
chart of favorite holiday destinations in a survey of 2,000
children.
The resort was the clear favorite with 22.65% of the vote in
a YoungPoll survey of five to 15 year olds commissioned by
Teletext Holidays.
It was followed by Spain, with 8.3%. If combined with Majorca
and Menorca, listed separately in the poll, Spain took 11.35% of
the vote. The US, separately from Walt Disney World, received
6%.
The survey also highlighted regions of the UK as popular
holiday destinations for the next generation.
Wales came third overall in the chart of dream holiday
destinations, with 6.10%, and was closely followed by Cornwall
at 5.9% and Devon at 4.05%.
Despite these results, 75.8% of youngsters said they would
rather go abroad on holiday, compared with 24.2%, who would
prefer to stay in the UK.
In terms of where to stay on holiday, the survey showed a
definite swing in favor of more comfortable accommodation, with
children favoring hotels and villas rather than tents. In total
42.8% said they would most like to stay in a hotel and 25.3%
chose a villa compared to 11%, who picked a campervan or caravan
and 7.75% for a tent.
The most popular activities on holiday were swimming in the
pool, with 60.1%; playing on the beach, with 56.05%; and going
to a theme park, with 44.6%. And when asked what they would like
to learn most on holiday, the favorite choice was learning to
surf (18.55%) and swimming (12.9%).
First Choice is one of the companies in the trade that has
focused on pool activities. It has highlighted properties with
good swimming pool facilities in a dedicated Splash Collection
brochure because of similar feedback from its own research, said
general manager of marketing Stuart Mayo. "Pools came up highly
in the list of key things people were looking for in the booking
process. Kids love them but at the same time so do lots of
adults," he said. |
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ABC makes a 'Hotel'
reservation
THR - ABC has picked up the script "Clive Barker's Hotel" from
"Saw" scribes Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton. The network
bested Fox and several other nets eyeing the Warner Bros. TV
project.
The script centers on a series of ghoulish incidents at a
haunted hotel.
Horror maven Barker is attached as a producer, and McG's
Wonderland Sound and Vision banner is in talks to produce. Joe
Daley is co-producing. It's possible McG could come on board in
a directorial capacity if the project moves forward, though the
idea hasn't yet moved beyond the conversation stage.
Dunstan and Melton, repped by APA and Underground Management,
were discovered when they won a season of "Project Greenlight"
with their horror script "Feast," which became a Dimension pic.
They went on to write "Saw IV" and "Saw V" and penned the
screenplay to this fall's "Saw VI."
Dunstan has just made his feature directorial debut with "The
Collector," a pic about an ex-con who targets his employer's
house for a heist that he wrote with Melton.
The pair worked with "Hellraiser" creator Barker, repped by APA
and Evolution, on a draft of the reboot of "Hellraiser" that's
set for Dimension.
Horror properties have had a mixed record on television, though
ABC has fared well with some genre programming, including the
hit "Lost," and it has the anticipated "FlashForward" set for
this fall.
Wonderland and WBTV have collaborated on another series with
genre overtones, the CW hit "Supernatural." |
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Disneyland: Get $400 off a 4 day/night Disneyland Resort
vacation package LA Times - Some might argue
that the best time to visit Disneyland is after school starts
and the summer crowds lighten up a bit. Get out your fall
calendar because the Walt Disney Travel Co. is offering a deal
worth considering.
Save $400 when you book a 4-Day/4-Night Disneyland Resort
vacation package and stay at Disneyland Resort hotels, including
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Disneyland Hotel and
Disney's Paradise Pier.
Tested: I called and asked for prices on Nov. 29-Dec. 3 for
two adults (children under 3 get free admission to the park).
The complete package price, including hotel and park-hopper
admission tickets for all four days, came to $1,057 for
Disneyland's Paradise Point Hotel. The price came to $1,726 for
the Disneyland Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.
Both packages included preferred seating at four shows at
Disney's California Adventure Park and a slew of amenities,
including luggage tags, ticket lanyards, one-day admission to
Magic Morning at Fantasyland and more. Check out the "Packages"
link in the hotel section when testing the deal online. Note: It
was very annoying to have to tell the agent our entire family
names, home address, phone number and child's birthday just to
get a price when calling for a quote by phone.
Blackout dates: Nov. 25-27, 2009
When: Book Aug. 12 through Dec. 19, 2009, for travel Aug. 23
through Dec. 20, 2009.
Contact: Walt Disney Travel Co., (800) 854-3104 |
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Disney XD
heads to Germany
Rapid News TV - US entertainment company Walt Disney will launch
its television channel Disney XD in Germany on October 9.
The channel, which will replace
children’s service Jetix, will target boys aged from 8 to twelve
years old. The 24-hour schedule will offer live action and
cartoon series, films and comedy shows along with adventure,
music and sports programmes. Disney XD will be available in
Germany and Austria via cable and satellite on pay-TV platform
Sky, while in Switzerland it will form part of Teleclub’s
subscription package.
Walt Disney launched Disney XD
in the USA in February and afterwards introduced the service to
further countries. All Jetix channels are expected to be
eventually replaced with the new brand which more clearly
emphasises the connection with Disney.
Jetix grew out of children’s
channel Fox Kids, which Disney acquired in October 2001. In
Germany, the company also operates Disney Channel, Disney
Cinemagic, Playhouse Disney and Toon Disney. |
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Disney
Performer who Died Was Fairport Native
13WHAM-TV - A Walt
Disney World cast member who died earlier this month was a
Fairport native.
Mark Priest, 47, was injured in a mock sword show in Disney's
Magic Kingdom on August 6 when he slipped and hit his head on a
wall. He broke his neck in two places.
His mother, Ann Priest, said her son, even after he'd broken his
neck, got up and walked off the stage because he did not want to
frighten anyone in his young audience.
Priest died four days later of a blood clot.
Dave and Ann Priest, who arrived in Florida the day Mark died,
said it was a freak accident.
“For the number of shows that he had done all through the years
and at the Mystery Dinner Theatre…he had done over 2,000
different performances,” Ann said. “He could do at least 10 or
12 characters…he had all those scripts in his head.”
Priest's parents said they’re devastated at the loss of their
oldest child, but say his gift of making people laugh is a
memory they will treasure.
"He liked making people laugh," his mother said. "He always
wanted tomake people happy."
"He didn't want people to remember anything at Disney that was
not pleasant," his father said.
He was an actor in "Captain Jack Sparrow's Pirate Tutorial" show
and had also performed numerous other roles at Disney World for
15 years.
Priest is one of three employees who have died at Walt Disney
World in Florida this summer.
Another performer suffered a head injury rehearsing an acrobatic
move for the "Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular" and died a
short time later. In July, a monorail driver was killed when his
train and another monorail train collided. |
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Wednesday
August 19, 2009 |
Charges dropped against alleged flasher at Typhoon Lagoon
Why ESPN
The Magazine Is Going To Four Cents
Rumor Revived: Should Disney Buy Electronic Arts?
Big Break Returns for 12th Season at Walt Disney World Resort
Time
Traveler's Wife Leaps onto Television
Disney World on a shoestring: Dining for about $10 per day
Investigation continues in Disney performer's death
ESPN to
debut women's GameDay show at UConn
Power dip
shuts down Disney rides again
Be One of
the First to See ABC's New Series! |
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Charges dropped against alleged flasher at Typhoon Lagoon
Orlando Sentinel - Prosecutors have dropped the case against a
man accused of flashing a minor at a popular Walt Disney World
water park.
Court records show the charges of lewd and lascivious exposure
against 51-year-old Bradford Pellet Biggers were dropped on Aug.
12 because of insufficient evidence.
"The evidence provided to the State Attorney's Office was
insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt," said state
attorney's office spokesman Randy Means.
Biggers did not immediately return calls to the Orlando
Sentinel, but in an e-mail to the newspaper, a man
identifying himself as Bradford Pellet Biggers denied the
allegations.
"I was being threatened by this man who then chased me through
the park after he shouted and screamed obscenities at me...all I
was doing was cleaning sand from my suit for [one] second," the
e-mail shows. "I cant believe something like this can happen.
There was no 14-year-old girl who saw anything."
Reports from the Orange County Sheriff's Office show a witness
told deputies he had seen Biggers position his lawn chair about
four feet from the victim at Typhoon Lagoon on July 11. The
witness said Biggers then tried to get the teenager's attention
by moving his chair, staring at her and fondling himself.
The witness, an employee with Missouri's probation and parole
sex-offender unit, yelled at Biggers and threatened to hurt him
if he continued to expose himself, the sheriff's report shows.
Biggers ran and started to drive away in his convertible.
A deputy saw Biggers running a stop sign in the parking lot. The
deputy stopped Biggers and detained him because he had a
suspended drivers license. The witness later identified Biggers
as the man who had been allegedly exposing himself to the
teenager.
Deputies said Biggers denied the allegations at the time of the
arrest and blamed the wardrobe malfunction on his swimsuit,
saying it was too tight and the elastic leg band was not
properly adjusted.
Court records show Biggers' drivers license is still suspended. |
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Why ESPN
The Magazine Is Going To Four Cents
CNBC -
We were shocked when we saw the promotion. ESPN The Magazine
offering its two million current subscribers a chance to get a
full year of the magazine and its ESPN.com pay site, Insider,
for $1 total. For those scoring at home, that’s less than 4
cents an issue and Insider, which on its own costs $40, for
free.
We sat down with ESPN The
Magazine’s general manager Gary Hoenig to discuss the strategy
behind this move.
Darren: What are you trying to do with
this promotion?
Hoenig:
What we’re trying to do is get people to experiment with our
paid Web site, Insider, which magazine subscribers are entitled
to but they’re not signing up for at the numbers we had hoped
for in the past. So what we’re doing is giving them an
opportunity for a year to experience both the magazine and the
Web site for only $1 and obviously we hope to get them back to a
decent price for the two of them.
Darren: If
magazine subscribers always got Insider, what’s the difference
with this?
Hoenig:
When people get a chance to actually experience what they get,
they evaluate the experience differently. So it’s not the same
as trying to woo them in with content. You are actually trying
to keep them with good content and I think that media
professionals in general, magazine people in specific, are used
to doing that with early offers to get them in. Now keep in
mind, not that many people took us up on this, enough to make it
a success but not the vast majority of people who are
subscribers to ESPN The Magazine. Keep in mind too that we’re
going to tell them very shortly that this offer is about to end
and won’t be back. So this is just an opportunity to get people
to register for the Web site and get people to experience what
it’s like and try to get some generated interest in what’s a
brand new Web site.
Darren: How
long is the promotion on for?
Hoenig: The
offer started around the end of July in three different stages
-– an e-mail, a cover wrap and a mailing. It will end no later
than the middle of October.
Darren:
What type of math did you have to do to make this offer?
Hoenig: I’m
pretty confident the rubber meets the road a year from now and
I’ll be happy to come back then and tell you how it went. But
the projections we have, which are pretty conservative, is that
Insider even at $40 does tremendously well in terms of retention
and we think that at the $26 price, which is lower than Insider
right now, but the price for the magazine, we think we’ll do
really well. I’m not saying we’ll be 100 percent, but we’ll do
well enough.
Darren: As
part of the offer, subscribers have to give their credit card
and then it is debited on an auto-renew program for the
following year.
Hoenig: You
can dwell on the credit card thing, but we’re actually looking
for a variety of ways to make it easy for people to pay. The
opportunity here is to change the decision making process from
opt-in to opt-out and that’s something that everybody in every
industry would like to do. People in the retail industry do it
all the time by getting you to become logged in as soon as you
come in so that the decision to buy becomes easier. You get
plenty of opportunities to charge your credit card, or whatever
payment plan you wind up using, to say you don’t want it
anymore. There’s no catch involved. It’s not something that
people aren’t used to. But instead of saying, “I like this. Am I
willing to fill out a credit card form or any other kind of form
to get it?” You are now saying, “Do I not like this
enough to say no,” and that’s a very different decision.
Darren: Is
this leading at all to one day having the magazine entirely
online?
Hoenig: If
you’re an Insider, you get the magazine. If you are a magazine
subscriber, you can become an Insider, but you need to sign up.
Now if you do sign up, you’ll find a digital version of the
magazine online. It’s there right now. We have not made a big
deal out of it. We have not said, “Do you only want the digital
magazine instead of the printed magazine?” That’s because up to
now we’ve had no problem sustaining our rate base or sustaining
our subscription. I would maintain that the problem the industry
has is not a circulation problem and not a reader problem, it’s
an advertising problem. So we don’t have a problem keeping
readers and we don’t need to say, “Will you switch to a digital
subscription so we can save some money on the printed copies?”
We’re not seeing any lack of demand for what we do in print.
Darren:
Will the $1 offer help keep people who might consider leaving
the magazine?
Hoenig:
This is really not about retention of magazine subscribers. This
is really about an aggressive attempt to get people to
experience the Insider especially in the way we just upgraded
it. We wanted them to experience it. We wanted them to get to
know it so that within a year they’re saying to themselves “Wow,
this is really worth more than $1.” Obviously were hoping they
think it’s worth a lot more than $1.
Darren:
Advertising seems to be down about 20 percent across the board.
Obviously the economy plays into that.
Hoenig: The
volume of content over the last 10 years has increased
geometrically. I can’t tell you that the amount of money people
are spending on advertising has increased at the same pace. So
if you look at their problem, it’s “What do I spend my money on
and what’s the most effective?” And there are just so many
things to choose from now that they’re confused and hoping for
some more value from what you give them.
Darren:
What’s the state of business for ESPN The Magazine and the
magazine business overall?
Hoenig: In
terms of what we’ve seen in performance, it has been a tough
year, I’m not going to deny it. I think we’re close to the
average there, but I would say that in our fourth quarter, which
ends at the end of September and going into the first quarter of
our fiscal year, which is in the Fall, things are starting to
look a little bit better. I’m pretty sure that the bottom has
been reached. I’ve had some conversations with other people in
the industry who share that experience. Obviously we’ll need to
wait and see, but right now it looks like the bottom has been
reached and we’re starting to turn the corner.
Darren:
What does the future hold for the print business in general?
Hoenig:
Nobody has talked more about the death of print than people in
print. What worries me about that is that we’re not really
examining all of the tools in our industry to figure out how to
get out of this mess. We need to figure out a way to get some
more money from the consumer. But I think that’s been a problem
all along – the overdependence on advertising is a real crutch
for media and this is an opportunity for us to actually get to
the consumer and say, “Hey, what are you willing to pay for?” I
don’t think it’s a time to give up and say, “No we have to give
everything away for free.” I think the road to free is just the
road to the bottom. I do think that it’s true that you reduce
the cost of media when you don’t involve trucks and presses and
ink and so on, but that doesn’t mean that people won’t want
printed magazines at some volume and it doesn’t mean your costs
go to zero. It costs money to produce good media and people need
to pay for a product that they want. It’s not something that
they could just ask for for free. |
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Rumor
Revived: Should Disney Buy Electronic Arts?
Barron's - Last November, the Wall Street
Journal ran a Heard on the Street column that proposed that
Disney (DIS) ought to buy Electronic Arts (ERTS). The following
month, they revisted the idea.
This morning, Janney Montgomery Scott
analyst Tony Wible dusted off the concept in a report in which
he launched coverage of Disney with a Buy rating. The logic
isn’t that hard to figure out. Disney owns ESPN, the television,
radio and Web sports programming juggernaut. Electronic Arts is
a huge player in sports video games with its EA Sports line,
including the Madden football franchise, Tiger Woods golf games
and FIFA soccer games, among many others.
“As more consumers move to video games,
we believe it makes strategic and financial sense for DIS to
consider buying its way into the vertical to accelerate internal
efforts - especially as DIS could cultivate sports league
synergies with ESPN, cross licensing opportunities with
publishers, and multi-platform advertising benefits while
providing a unique competitive advantage that DIS could wield to
build barriers around its sports franchise,” he writes.
Wible calculates that buying ERTS at a
30% premium with a combination of cash and debt could mean up to
25% accretion to 2010 DIS earnings, assuming a 5% lift to ERTS
revenue and an 11% reduction in ERTS operating costs. For ERTS a
30% premium to yesterday’s close at $19.50 would be $25.35; the
report uses a price of $21.20 for ERTS, which would lift the
price to $27.56.
I see why the scenario works for
Disney, but I have to wonder if the premium Wible theorizes
would be high enough to get the deal done; ERTS has a 52-week
high a bit north of $50.
Meanwhile, Wible starts Disney with a $30
price target; the stock closed yesterday at $25.06.
ERTS today is down 42 cents, or 2.2%, to $19.08. |
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Big Break Returns for 12th Season at Walt Disney World Resort
Golf Channel - GOLF
CHANNEL’s popular Big Break series returns for a 12th season to
a magical setting that will make one contestant’s dream of
playing on the PGA TOUR come true.
Premiering Oct. 13 at 10 p.m. ET, Big Break Disney Golf will
showcase a field of 12 males; collectively the most talented
cast in series history, but individually at different stages in
their careers battling for the opportunity to fulfill the desire
to play professional golf at the highest level. Competitors
range from an Olympic gold medalist to several with famed
bloodlines to those merely chasing a dream.
Shot mainly at both the Magnolia and Palm Courses at Walt Disney
World Resort in Orlando, Fla., the winner of the 10-week series
will receive an exemption to compete in the 2010 Children’s
Miracle Network Classic. The series marks the first time that a
Big Break winner will compete in a TOUR event on the same course
in which the series was filmed.
In addition, the winner will earn cash and prizes with a
potential value of more than $50,000 that includes entry fees
paid to compete in the 2010 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament from
SkyCaddie, a $10,000 shopping spree at Dick’s Sporting Goods,
free golf for a year courtesy of GolfNow.com, and an endorsement
contract from Adams Golf including $10,000 cash.
To earn the exemption and prizes, the champion will have to
defeat highly skilled golfers in a variety of challenges that
test their physical skills and mental toughness.
Utilizing the unique venue, Big Break Disney Golf’s challenges
also will take place at various locations throughout the Walt
Disney World Resort, including Main Street U.S.A., Disney’s Wide
World of Sports Complex and the Walt Disney World Speedway.
Intertwined into several episodes will be cameos by PGA TOUR
players and memorable moments from the Children’s Miracle
Network Classic.
The contestants are:
Andrew Giuliani (New York, N.Y.) – Son of former New York City
Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Donna Hanover, Andrew is looking to make
a name for himself in the game of golf.
Ed Moses (Hollywood, Calif.) – A gold and silver medal winner as
a member of the United States swim team at the 2000 Sydney
Olympic Games, Moses’ goal is now the PGA TOUR. A member at Bay
Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Fla., he once shot 64 on the
course that hosts the TOUR’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Andreas Huber (Scottsdale, Ariz.) – Actress Susan Lucci’s son,
the former Wall Street broker left the color of money to seek
his fortune on the green.
Gipper Finau (Lehl, Utah) – Joins Tony as the first brother duo
to play in the same Big Break series. Blessed with the long
ball, Gipper, who turned professional at 16, once drove a
520-yard par 5.
Tony Finau (Lehl, Utah) – Hits the tee ball longer than his
brother – or at least that is what he says in the spirit of
sibling rivalry. Finau turned professional when he was 17 and
made a cut on the PGA TOUR the same year.
Mike Perez (Scottsdale, Ariz.) – After playing the Nationwide
Tour, Perez is looking for the chance to join brother Pat on the
PGA TOUR.
Vincent Johnson (Portland, Ore.) – Received the Charlie Sifford
exemption to play in the 2009 Northern Trust Open where he
flirted with making the cut in his first PGA TOUR start.
J.R. Reyes (Omaha, Neb.) – With tattoos covering each arm, Reyes
is not your typical golfer. While not looking the part, he has
the talent to fit in on the PGA TOUR.
Kevin Erdman (Arcadia, Calif.) – Husband of Big Break Kaanapali
alum Courtney Erdman, is it his time to shine on the Big Break
stage?
Kevan Maxwell (Charleston, S.C.) – Aspiring golf professional by
day, pizza delivery man by night, “K-Max” will do whatever it
takes to play on the PGA TOUR.
Blake Moore (Monrovia, Calif.) – Friend of former Big Break
competitor and PGA TOUR rookie James Nitties, Moore is a threat
to win Big Break Disney Golf if he can control his inner demons.
Sean Kalin (Delray Beach, Fla.) – A junior standout who gave up
golf for 20 years after being kidnapped, he is looking for a
second chance in the game.
GOLF CHANNEL’s Vince Cellini and Stephanie Sparks will reprise
their roles as co-hosts to add insight to the series.
Past Big Break champions won tournament exemptions to compete on
some of the world’s top professional circuits, such as the PGA
TOUR, Champions Tour, European Tour, LPGA Tour, Nationwide Tour
and Canadian Tour. Former Big Breakers Tommy Gainey and Nitties
compete on the PGA TOUR in 2009 while four previous female
contestants currently play on the LPGA Tour, including Kristy
McPherson, a member of the 2009 U.S. Solheim Cup Team.
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Time
Traveler's Wife Leaps onto Television
109 - On the heels of a successful opening weekend, ABC has
announced its plans for television adaptation of The Time
Traveler's Wife, with Friends creator Marta Kauffman. The time
travel romance may span a lifetime, but can it span multiple
seasons?ABC claims it has been working with Kauffman for
years on a possible small-screen adaptation of Audrey
Niffenegger's novel. The plan is for the romance between Clare
and the time-traveling (and, incidentally, television-allergic)
Henry to unfold over the course of several seasons, with
individual episodes having their own story lines.
Normally, I'm all for adapting novels for television and
giving them more room to breathe than they get in a feature
film, but with The Time Traveler's Wife, I'm much more hesitant.
The novel is such a self-contained animal, constantly folding in
on itself and exploring the predestination paradox created by
Henry's time travel and the tragic consequences of his
condition, making it much more suited to a miniseries or feature
film than a long-form television epic. And Journeyman, Fox's
now-defunct series that also focused on involuntary time travel,
worked because it was an adventure and mystery story, and its
time-traveling protagonist was able to alter the timeline with
his actions. Henry is, by comparison, leading a fairly ordinary
life, and can alter nothing. But I suspect that, in a
full-length series, Henry's time travel would be an incidental
part of his character, and we would be seeing more of a How I
Met Your Mother where the romantic lead occasionally happens to
visit younger and older versions of his wife. |
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Disney World on a shoestring: Dining for about $10 per day
Examiner - With a little planning, it is possible to dine at
Walt Disney World for about $10 per person each day. Moreover, a
family can stay at a Disney World Value Resort October 4 through
December 24 for as little as $54 per night for Disney World
passholders (Florida residents pay a little more). Or guests
staying between three and fourteen nights at a Walt Disney World
resort hotel can take advantage of free Disney Dining Plan
packages for travel through December 17.For those who are
traveling without the free dining plan--especially Florida
residents and Disney World passholders who opt for discounted
hotel rates instead of the free dining package--it is possible
to limit travel expenses to about $100 per day for a party of
two, including gas and hotel. Here's how:
- Plan your meals. Disney World has an
impressive selection of restaurants that offer entertainment
and eye appeal for chump change. The newly renovated
McDonald's restaurant near Disney's All-Star Resort hotels
resembles the lounge of the Contemporary Resort, with flat
screen televisions with the news and kids' programs
positioned strategically. Two people can eat lunch or dinner
at McDonald's for less than $8, while meals at the theme
parks tend to be more expensive. Traveling to one of the
many different resort hotels is another dining option. At
the new Contempo Cafe at Disney's Contemporary Resort, for
instance, diners can select their meal from a computer kiosk
menu, choosing between a complete meal or a la carte items.
Two people can eat lunch or dinner for just over $10 while
they enjoy the best indoor view of the Walt Disney World
monorail.
- Join the Tables in Wonderland dining discount
program. Disney World passholders, Florida
residents, and Disney cast members can purchase an annual
membership to Tables in Wonderland, which offers a flat 20%
discount on all food and beverages, including alcohol. This
card comes in handy at Disney's pricey table service
locations, but it is also useful at Disney's Value Resorts.
Because the Value Resorts do not have table service
restaurants, diners can use the Tables in Wonderland card at
the Value Resort food courts. Two diners can enjoy breakfast
at a Value Resort for around $5.00 after the Tables in
Wonderland discount is applied.
- Take a snack and drink cups to the theme parks.
Drinks cost at least $2 at Walt Disney World, which can
easily add up to more than $10 per day per person. Instead
of paying for environmentally unfriendly bottled water, take
a cup with a screw-on lid for each guest. Guests can fill
them up with cold water at fountains throughout the theme
parks. (Resort hotel guests can also purchase refillable
Disney mugs good for unlimited beverages at the hotels.)
Take a large, lightweight tote bag to store the cups when
you are enjoying the rides, and stash a bag of chips, fresh
fruit, or whatever snack strikes your fancy inside the bag.
Disney World allows guests to bring outside snacks and
non-alcoholic beverages to the parks. Purchasing a small bag
of chips in the parks can cost $2.50 and up per person.
- Stay at one of Walt Disney World's Value Resort
hotels. Guests receive complimentary parking at
Disney's theme parks, which would otherwise cost $12 and up
per day (depending upon the size of your vehicle). The Value
Resorts also have fun pools that the kids will love.
Moreover, transportation around the Walt Disney World resort
is free for resort hotel guests. Annual passholders can stay
for as little as $54 per night during Disney World's value
season. Check the official Walt Disney World Web site for
current specials.
- Purchase an annual or seasonal pass.
Walt Disney World passholders receive additional discounts
on hotels, dining, recreation, shopping, and more. The
annual pass (or ticket) entitles the bearer to admission to
Disney World's theme parks every day of the year; those with
premium annual passes can also enjoy Disney's water parks
and other Disney recreation options. Annual passes are about
$100 cheaper for Florida residents than for those who live
outside the state. Seasonal passes are cheaper but come with
substantial block-out dates.
Follow these tips to make traveling on a
tight budget doable and enjoyable at Walt Disney World. Being
prepared, carrying a tote bag with snacks and drink cups, and
planning for meals can reduce the cost of Disney travel
significantly. Your traveling party will have so much fun
swimming at the Value Resort pools; dining in the heart of
Disney World; traveling on Disney buses, boats, and monorails;
and taking in the sights and sounds of the Disney theme parks
that they will have no clue how much money your family saved on
the trip. |
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Investigation continues in Disney performer's death
Orlando Sentinel - Federal safety investigators began piecing
together details Tuesday of an accident at Walt Disney World in
which an employee died after breaking his neck as he rehearsed
his part in a popular stunt show.
Anislav Varbanov, a 30-year-old worker who recently joined the
cast of the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular in Disney's
Hollywood Studios, became the third resort employee killed this
summer following an on-the-job accident.
While all three involved widely disparate circumstances,
investigators probing each will be on the lookout for any common
contributing factors.
"We're going to have to look at each incident to see if there's
any pattern," said Michael Wald, a spokesman for the U.S.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The Orange County
Sheriff's Office is also investigating.
Vabanov died Monday evening about two hours after he was injured
while rehearsing a tumbling roll for the Indiana Jones stunt
show. One employee said he had been told that Varbanov, who
officials said had joined the show about a week ago, landed
awkwardly on his neck.
The Orange-Osceola County Medical Examiner's Office ruled
Tuesday that Varbanov died of a cervical spine fracture in his
neck.
A tumbling roll is a common acrobatic maneuver in the Indiana
Jones show, Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez said. "During
rehearsal, the performer jumps in the air, dives over another
performer, then tucks and rolls onto the mat," she said.
"It's common to rehearse after the last performance. However, in
this case, those in the rehearsal had not performed in that
day's show," she added.
In a 911 call released Tuesday, a frantic co-worker describes
the injury to an emergency dispatcher with the Reedy Creek
Improvement District. "We need a helicopter," the caller says.
"We've done these a million times. We always have injuries on
the stage."
Disney canceled all Tuesday performances of the Indiana Jones
show while it reviewed the incident. But the resort said it
would reopen the show today and pointed out that Varbanov had
been attempting a routine stunt.
"It's worth noting that this stunt is a common acrobatic
maneuver and had been performed successfully thousands of times
since the show was created," Suarez said.
Maria Somma, a spokeswoman for the Actor's Equity Association,
which represents many performers at Disney World, said it has
representatives who conduct occasional reviews of shows to
ensure there are no safety problems.
"When a show is as long-running as Indy is, they make periodic
visits just to watch the show and see how it's working and make
sure everything is still up to the standards that it should be,"
Somma said. She said she was not aware of any recent concerns
raised about the Indiana Jones show.
"It's too early to say anything" about causes, Somma added.
The accident came just a week after the death of 47-year-old
actor Mark Priest, who was injured after stumbling into a wall
during a performance of Captain Jack's Pirate Tutorial in the
Magic Kingdom.
Priest's best friend said Priest told him while still in the
hospital that he had slipped on a "damp" spot on stage, though a
stagehand working that day has told investigators the stage had
been in safe working condition before the performance.
Priest's death followed a July 5 collision on Disney's storied
monorail that killed 21-year-old driver Austin Wuennenberg.
OSHA and the Sheriff's Office are investigating both of those
accidents, too. The National Transportation Safety Board is also
probing the monorail crash.
Disney said there is nothing to link the three tragedies.
"The only common thread is the sense of loss we feel for these
valued cast members. Each of these incidents was unique and is
being reviewed individually," Suarez said.
The accidents do come amid a recent increase in workplace-safety
probes at Disney World.
Records show that OSHA has started 17 investigations at the
giant resort since the start of 2007, including the three
launched this summer. During the previous five years combined,
the federal agency opened just three investigations.
Of the 17 investigations since the start of 2007, eight were
sparked by complaints and seven by accidents, while two were
planned ahead of time by OSHA.
"These incidents are not related, and this is not indicative of
a trend regarding safety at Walt Disney World," Suarez said.
The summer accidents have generated a torrent of negative
publicity for Disney World amid what has already been the most
challenging economic environment in recent memory. But industry
consultant John Gerner said the three fatalities in the past
seven weeks are unlikely to affect business at Disney.
"It's sad to say, but I think it makes a difference if it's an
employee versus a guest," said Gerner, managing director of
Leisure Business Advisors in Richmond, Va. Guests accept that
"employees are generally in riskier situations than they are,
for a variety of reasons."
He added, "There doesn't seem to be a pattern that a guest would
put together." |
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ESPN to
debut women's GameDay show at UConn AP - ESPN
is planning to debut a women's basketball version of its College
GameDay program in January before a game between Notre Dame and
Connecticut.
The network announced on Tuesday that the program will
originate from Gampel Pavilion on the UConn campus in Storrs on
Saturday, Jan. 16.
In 2005, UConn hosted the first men's basketball GameDay
broadcast before a game between the Huskies and Pittsburgh.
College GameDay is a studio show that previews the upcoming
day of college games, and later recaps the day, while
broadcasting live from the site of a featured contest.
ESPN is a unit of The Walt Disney Co. |
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Power dip
shuts down Disney rides again OCRegister - Some
rides were shut down at Disneyland
today because of a power dip, at roughly 1:30
p.m., for a second day in a row.
Disney spokesman John Nicoletti said the outage affected some
attractions.
“As a precaution, about a dozen rides at Disneyland were
temporarily out of service to allow our teams time to ensure
they were working properly after the momentary power dip,” said
Nicoletti in an e-mail.
Nicoletti said more than half of the rides were running
within a few minutes, with all of the rides expected to be in
operation within 30 minutes of the power dip.
Some rides did take longer to get going.
(AroundDisney had hustled out to the park to see what was
going on.)
Shortly before 3 p.m., Space Mountain re-opened. Employees
had told guests that they were checking out the ride before
re-opening it.
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters also remained shut down for a
while, but other Tomorrowland rides were up, including Autopia
and Star Tours.
The Monorail was initially closed, but started again after
operators ran it around a few times, an employee told guests.
Disneyland visitor Patrick McCarthy, at about 1:30 p.m., and
family went to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and found out that
it was down. When they returned about a half hour later, it was
open again.
Margie Otto, a spokeswoman for Anaheim Public Utilities, said
a circuit went down for less than 10 seconds. Disney is not on
that circuit but experienced a dip in voltage. |
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Be One of
the First to See ABC's New Series! ET - Heard
the buzz about the new action-packed drama "Flash Forward" and
want to be one of the first to check it out? Or maybe you're
into comedy and want to get some chuckles from the new Kelsey
Grammer series, "Hank," or Patricia Heaton's upcoming show, "The
Middle"?
Well, ABC is making it possible at the exclusive D23 EXPO
event in the Anaheim Convention Center, September 10 at 3:00
p.m., when it presents "The ABCs of Disney." Hosted by "Dancing
with the Stars"' Tom Bergeron and featuring Steve McPherson,
president of the ABC Entertainment Group, "The ABCs of Disney"
will give fans a sneak peek at the fall season.
In addition to Heaton and Grammer, the roster of stars set to
appear includes Ed O'Neill and Joseph Fiennes, the star of
"Flash Forward, as well as "DWTS" two-time champ Cheryl Burke,
who will perform. Following the presentation, fans will have a
chance to take photos with the stars and get a few autographs.
Also on display Sept. 10-13 is ABC's "Lost." In celebration
of the Emmy® Award-winning series "Lost" entering its final
season, when all will be answered, guests will be able to step
into the world of "Lost" and see props, set pieces, costumes and
collectors' artifacts from key moments in the series. They will
also be able to sign up for Lost University, a special Blu-ray™
and online experience, and receive a limited edition collectors'
pin, available only at D23 Expo.
Note: The availability of talent is contingent on production
schedules. The D23 EXPO, runs Sept. 10-13 where the entire world
of Disney comes together at the Anaheim Convention Center.
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Tuesday
August 18, 2009 |
Third
Disney employee dies in just over month
All-New Disney Family Movies Offers Its First Free Preview
Will
Disney Unveil Star Tours 2.0 at D23 Expo?
ESPN agrees to keep airing World Series of Poker until ’18
Disney Donates $100,000 to Red Cross Catastrophic Disaster
Planning
Disney Interactive Studios Announces Spectrobes: Origins Has
Arrived
Cyrus 'stalker' to face charges
DreamWorks
Wins Financing for Its Films |
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Third
Disney employee dies in just over month Orlando
Sentinel - A Walt Disney World cast member is dead after an
accident Monday evening at Hollywood Studios.
Stunt performer Anislav Varbanov, 30, was fatally injured during
a rehearsal for the " Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular." He
was doing a tumbling roll after 7 p.m. when he was hurt.
Disney workers dialed 911 at 7:34 p.m. to report that a cast
member sustained a head injury. Varbanov was rushed to Florida
Hospital Celebration Health, where he was pronounced dead at
8:53 p.m., Orange County sheriff's deputies said.
Varbanov was the the third cast member in seven weeks to die
after sustaining injuries while working.
Online photos show Varbanov on the set of the Pirate's Dinner
Adventure attraction in the International Drive tourist
corridor. A video on YouTube shows him performing a
hand-balancing act with a woman during the Pirate's attraction
pre-show. Monday night, a YouTube user had posted "R.I.P.
ANISLAV."
On July 5, monorail driver Austin Wuennenberg, 21, died when
another train backed into his own. He tried to back his train
away, but it was too late. The Orange-Osceola medical examiner's
office said there were no drugs in his system, and he died of
multiple traumatic injuries.
On August 10, Mark Priest, 47, died from complications he
experienced after a bad on-stage fall at the Magic Kingdom.
Priest was performing a mock sword fight during Captain Jack's
Pirate Tutorial, an interactive show in which actors lead guests
through a series of pirate-skills tests, when he stumbled on a
wet spot on stage and banged into a wall, his best friend said.
He appeared to be improving, but died four days later.
The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, known colloquially as
"Epic" to Disney cast members, is performed several times each
day at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Disney performers don't
impersonate Harrison Ford and Karen Allen, the lead actors from
the original Indy film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, but instead
demonstrate the types of stunts used to film Indy and Marian's
adventures.
The 30-minute show opens with a dramatic sequence in which the
actor representing Indiana Jones dodges moving spikes and swings
on a rope to get to a treasure. During the rest of the
presentation, cast members perform acrobatics, stage fights,
dodge moving aircraft and avoid pyrotechnics. The famous
rolling-ball scene is also re-created.
"We lost a valued cast member and our thoughts and prayers are
with his friends and family as we mourn his passing," said
Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez in a prepared statement.
The show has been performed at Disney since 1989.
Performers at the Indiana Jones show have been injured before.
The year after the show's opening, Disney was fined $1,000 by
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after three
were injured when equipment failed.
One fell 30 feet onto concrete when a restraining cable didn't
work properly. Another fell about 25 feet, landing on crates
after a ladder he was on collapsed prematurely. The third was
squeezed by a trap door that malfunctioned.
The federal safety agency said Disney did not provide enough
padding or other equipment to protect performers if they
accidentally fall. Soon afterward, a fourth cast member dropped
20 feet onto concrete during rehearsal of a new routine that was
supposed to be safer for performers.
Tuesday's performances are canceled because of Varbanov's death.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration as
well as the Orange County Sheriff's Office have been contacted
in Varbanov's death. The Sheriff's office is investigating. |
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All-New Disney Family Movies Offers Its First Free Preview
PR Newswire - The subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service,
Disney Family Movies, has partnered with content providers
Comcast, Charter, Cox, AT&T U-verse, Suddenlink and Verizon FiOS
to offer a special preview nationwide from Thursday, September 3
through Monday, September 7.
Disney Family Movies offers the ultimate in family
entertainment from one of the world's largest film libraries,
giving customers unlimited access to a selection of classic and
contemporary films and animated shorts from The Walt Disney
Studios. Disney Family Movies is entertainment the whole family
can enjoy together from beloved hits to new popular favorites.
Each title remains in rotation for about a month, with new
movies added weekly.
Hosted by Phylicia Rashad, the Disney Family Movies free
preview will offer a variety of classic and contemporary Disney
films including the timeless musical "Mary Poppins," starring
Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, the memorable animated
adaptation "Tarzan," the live-action "101 Dalmatians," starring
Glenn Close as villainess Cruella De Vil, and the Disney-Pixar
animated short "Rescue Squad Mater," among many others.
"Disney Family Movies is a one-of-a-kind entertainment
service for audiences of all ages," said Sal Sardo, executive
vice president, marketing, Disney-ABC Domestic Television.
"We're delighted to partner with these providers to offer movies
that bring families together in a classic Disney experience," he
continued.
To sign up for the free preview weekend, contact your local
content provider.
Disney-ABC Domestic Television
Disney-ABC Domestic Television's pay television and
interactive media division is a leading distributor of movies in
the video-on-demand arena. DADT distributes movies domestically
from The Walt Disney Studios, including titles from Walt Disney
Pictures, Disney-Pixar, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures,
and Miramax Films. It currently licenses movies through a wide
range of distributors and platforms including cable MSOs,
satellite companies, internet distributors, telcos, mobile
operators, and via other emerging technologies. |
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Will
Disney Unveil Star Tours 2.0 at D23 Expo?
/FILM - In May we wrote about top secret
reshoots in
Hollywood, which involved Boba Fett, Admiral Ackbar,
Tusken Raiders, Jawas, and even C3PO himself Anthony Daniels.
Could the big revamp of Disney’s Star Tours,
a ride which hasn’t been updated since it opened in 1987,
finally be coming soon? And will Disney unveil plans for the new
ride at D23 Expo
In mid-September, Disney is holding the D23
Expo, an “ultimate fan experience” convention which will feature
sneak peeks at the future of both Disney’s films and theme
parks. And the official website mentioned that George Lucas’
Star Wars would have a presence at the
convention, which got quite a few Star Wars fans excited. Enough
that Disney released an official statement:
“In response to inquiries from Star Wars fan
sites about Storm Troopers at the D23 Expo, D23 issues the
following statement: “We were contacted by the Galactic Empire
and have been advised that Imperial dignitaries will be
attending Disney’s D23 Expo,” said Steven Clark, head of D23.
“As a result, a legion of Storm Troopers from the 501st
Battalion will be patrolling the Anaheim Convention Center on
Saturday, September 12.”
And Saturday September
12th also happens to be the same day that Jay Rasulo, Head of
Disney Parks and Resorts will be speaking. Will there be a Star
Tours 2.0 announcement? Or will the guests be treated to one of
those lame dance offs from Disney’s Star Wars weekends? Lets
hope not. |
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ESPN agrees to keep airing World Series of Poker until ’18
LA Buisness - ESPN and
Harrah's Interactive Entertainment
said Tuesday that they reached a seven-year deal for the network
to continue airing the World Series Of Poker through 2018.
As part of the deal, ESPN will
telecast a minimum of 32 hours of World
Series of Poker coverage each year, including WSOP gold
bracelet events and the "November Nine" Championship. ESPN, a
subsidary of Burbank's Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS), has
broadcast the WSOP each year since 2003. Its contract was set to
expire after the 2010 event.
Harrah's
Entertainment Inc. is the largest branded casino
operator. It began in Reno, Nev., and now is based in Las Vegas. |
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Disney Donates $100,000 to Red Cross Catastrophic Disaster
Planning
PRNewswire - The Walt Disney Company has donated $100,000 to the
American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles in support of the
organization's Catastrophic Disaster Plan, a disaster
preparedness project to feed and shelter 250,000 people
following a major disaster, such as a large scale earthquake.
The Walt Disney Company's donation
aided the Red Cross in qualifying for a $1 million challenge
grant. To date, the total committed donations to the Plan are
nearly $5 million dollars.
The Walt Disney Company has been
a longtime supporter of the American Red Cross and local
disaster efforts. During the last six years, Disney has donated
more than $3.6 million for Southern California and national
disaster relief efforts, including the 2008 California
wildfires, Hurricane Katrina, and the 2004 tsunami in Southeast
Asia. In addition, Disney donated 150,000 Mickey Mouse plush
toys for the Red Cross to give to children affected by
disasters.
"The American Red Cross provides
life-saving support around the world, and we hope Disney's
capstone contribution will aid in its already impressive
disaster preparedness program here in Southern California," said
Robert A. Iger, president and CEO, The Walt Disney Company.
Paul Schulz, CEO, American Red
Cross of Greater Los Angeles, thanked The Walt Disney Company
for its generous donation: "Disney is a worldwide leader in
employee preparedness and visitor safety, and we are honored to
partner with them in helping our communities prepare for a major
disaster."
About the American Red Cross
of Greater Los Angeles
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional
support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the
nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides
international humanitarian aid; and supports military members
and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization
-- not a government agency -- and depends on
volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform
its mission. For more information, please visit
www.RedCrossLA.org.
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Disney Interactive Studios Announces Spectrobes: Origins Has
Arrived
 BuisnessWire
- Disney Interactive Studios announced today that Spectrobes:
Origins, the third installment of Disney’s popular monster
battle video game franchise, is now available across North
America exclusively for the Wii system from Nintendo.
Spectrobes: Origins lets players
control interplanetary patrol officers Rallen or Jeena in the
first Wii installment for Disney’s top-selling Spectrobes
franchise. Players will find, train and command more than 100
mysterious Spectrobes, while unlocking their unique powers in
order to save the galaxy. Spectrobes: Origins features
exciting two-player cooperative play made specifically for Wii
that allows players to team up and battle together; an all new
3-D fossil excavation mode; and special collectible code input
cards that provide secret codes to unlock hidden items and new
creatures.
“Spectrobes: Origins takes this
popular franchise to the next level, giving fans a whole new
experience on Wii,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of
global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “The opportunity
to explore and battle through the Spectrobes universe on Wii
makes Spectrobes: Origins a must-have for
action/adventure and RPG fans of all ages.”
Spectrobes: Origins was named
Runner-Up for Best Wii Role Playing Game in IGN’s Best of E3
2009 Awards.
The Spectrobes franchise, an original
property created by Disney Interactive Studios in Japan, comes
to Wii for the first time after two successful games on Nintendo
DS™. More than 1.6 million units of the two Spectrobes Nintendo
DS games have shipped worldwide.
Spectrobes items are coming to iPhone and
iPod Touch through an app that introduces fans to the franchise
through premium video content and exclusive video footage from
Spectrobes: Origins. The Spectrobes app, due in
September, features 14 video episodes, game trailers, wallpapers
and links to other Disney products. The app is available for
free on the App Store to all iPhone and iPod Touch users.
Published by Disney Interactive Studios
and developed in Tokyo by Genki Co., Ltd., Spectrobes:
Origins is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older by the
Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and has a suggested
retail price of $49.99.
About Disney Interactive Studios
Disney Interactive Studios, part of
Disney Interactive Media Group, is the interactive entertainment
affiliate of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS). Disney
Interactive Studios self publishes and distributes a broad
portfolio of multi-platform video games, mobile games and
interactive entertainment worldwide. The company also licenses
properties and works directly with other interactive game
publishers to bring products for all ages to market. Disney
Interactive Studios is based in Glendale, California, and has
internal development studios around the world. For more
information, log on to
http://www.disneyinteractivestudios.com. |
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Cyrus 'stalker' to face charges
BBC News - Mark
McLeod was arrested earlier this month after trying to contact
the 16-year-old while on a film set on Tybee Island, on
Georgia's coast.
He had been previously arrested in June on charges of
attempted stalking, disorderly conduct and obstruction.
Cyrus finished work on new Disney film, The Last Song, last
week.
Police said Mr McLeod visited Tybee Island twice in June
looking for the Hannah Montana actress and tried to breach a
security perimeter around the movie set.
"Secret messages"
Mr McLeod claimed he had met Cyrus 18 months earlier and that
she had accepted his marriage proposal.
He is said to have told police that Cyrus's father, country
singer Billy Ray Cyrus, approved of their relationship and that
Cyrus had sent him "secret messages" through her TV show.
He was arrested again on 4 August after security men reported
he had returned to the beachside movie set.
Cyrus has become a global superstar since first appearing in
Disney's Hannah Montana TV show in 2006.
The singer embarks on her first UK tour later this year,
beginning at London's O2 Arena in December.
She is about to begin a 45-date north American tour which
kicks off on 14 September in Oregon. |
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DreamWorks
Wins Financing for Its Films
New York Times - Fourteen months after
striking a financial alliance with Reliance Big Entertainment of
India, the new DreamWorks Studios, run by Steven Spielberg and
Stacey Snider, said on Monday that it had locked down the one
thing it had been missing: money to make movies.
In an announcement, DreamWorks said it
had completed financing arrangements that should let it begin as
early as this year to shoot the first in a projected schedule of
about six films annually.
The final piece in the three-part
financing, DreamWorks said, was $325 million provided by J.P.
Morgan Securities and other banks — Bank of America, City
National Bank, Wells Fargo, Comerica, Union Bank of California,
Sun Trust California Bank and Trust and Israel Discount Bank.
Reliance had already agreed to provide
$325 million in equity for the company, most of whose films will
be released by Walt Disney Studios, which is expected to help
finance the movies’ distribution.
The bank lending might have been a
relatively simple matter for a filmmaker of Mr. Spielberg’s
stature back when he and several colleagues began talking more
than two years ago of splitting from Paramount Pictures, which
had bought their company, DreamWorks SKG.
But last year’s financial collapse tested
both Mr. Spielberg’s bankability, and the willingness of his new
Indian partners to weather what has proved to be an extremely
difficult period for those who would start new Hollywood
enterprises.
“We just let it go, without knowing what
would happen,” Anil Ambani, chairman of Reliance Big’s parent
company, said of his decision to maintain a commitment to Mr.
Spielberg and Ms. Snider through months when debt financing was
slow to materialize.
Mr. Spielberg, who spoke during a recent
briefing in New York, called the long honeymoon a positive. “We
had a year to get to know each other, to test the relationship,”
Mr. Spielberg said.
Mr. Spielberg is expected to make his
next film, based on the comic play “Harvey,” as a co-venture
between the new DreamWorks, Disney and 20th Century Fox. Among
the first films to begin shooting will be “Dinner With
Schmucks,” a remake of a French comedy, directed by Jay Roach
with Steve Carell in a lead role. The comedy will be released by
Paramount, with financing from Spyglass Entertainment.
Over three years, the J.P.
Morgan-organized financing is expected to support about 20
films. Those would considerably expand the range of releases at
Disney, which has been focused heavily on animated films like
“Up” from its Pixar Animation unit, and family fare like
“G-Force,” from the producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
The long delay in closing the DreamWorks
financing stretched nerves, and some deeply rooted Hollywood
relationships, to the limit. DreamWorks at first began
negotiating a deal to distribute its planned films through
Universal Studios, where Mr. Spielberg and Ms. Snider have both
worked, and on whose lot the company maintains its headquarters.
But that plan disintegrated in February,
when DreamWorks quietly opened talks with Disney even while
bargaining with Universal continued. NBC Universal severed ties
with DreamWorks with an unusually abrupt public statement,
leaving Mr. Spielberg and Ms. Snider to conclude terms with
their new partners.
That happened quickly, but the struggle
to find lenders continued for half a year. |
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Monday
August 17, 2009 |
ABC
announces cast for 'Dancing With the Stars'
David Cook at Magic
Kingdom
ESPN Inks New 7-Year Deal With World Series of Poker
Comedian Steve Harvey to join ABC's 'Good Morning America'
Disney's Aguel Holds Negotiating Line, Sees Recovery Ahead
If you see 'Ponyo' once, you'll want to watch it twice
Disney actress Tiffany Thornton welcomes affection of fans
Disney and Asus launch Disney Netpal notebook for kids
Beecell signs mobile agreement with Disney Interactive Studios
Disney's Christmas Carol train tour comes to Oklahoma City
Ex-Disney chief's series proves desperately unfunny
Is Comcast
poised to do another Disney? |
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ABC
announces cast for 'Dancing With the Stars' AP-
Sixteen celebrities from the worlds of entertainment, sports and
politics will be kicking up their heels on the new season of
"Dancing With the Stars."
The show's largest cast ever, announced Monday, features
singers Mya, Macy Gray and Aaron Carter; actors Ashley Hamilton,
Melissa Joan Hart and Debi Mazar (MAY'-zahr); and models Joanna
Krupa and Kathy Ireland.
Contestants also include reality stars Mark Dacascos and
Kelly Osbourne; entertainer Donny Osmond; mixed martial artist
Chuck Liddell (lih-DEL'); professional snowboarder Louie Vito;
Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin (KAWG'-lin); former Dallas
Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin and former Republican
Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
The ninth season of the hit ABC show premieres Sept. 21.
ABC is a unit of The Walt Disney Co. |
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David Cook at Magic
Kingdom
 Theme
Park Rangers - Singer David Cook, champions of season seven of
American Idol, rides the Magic Carpets of Aladdin along with
nieces and nephews at the Magic Kingdom on Monday. Cook is here
on family vacation with Gracie and Marshall in the front seat,
followed by Aylish (left) and Gage. |
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ESPN Inks New 7-Year Deal With World Series of Poker
Fox Buisness - Disney’s (DIS:
25.12,
-0.73, -2.82%) ESPN has inked
a new seven-year television contract with the World Series of
Poker, FOX Business has learned.
The new deal, which is expected to be formally announced on
Tuesday, will keep the popular poker tournament on ESPN and
its multiple platforms through 2018. The current deal is set
to expire after the 2010 season. “ESPN is bullish on poker
for a long time to come,” said a network executive who
wasn’t authorized to speak on the record about the deal.
It’s not clear how much the new TV contract is worth.
Harrah’s Entertainment, which owns and operates the World
Series of Poker, did not immediately respond to requests for
comment.
The apparent new TV deal comes as ESPN’s coverage of the
2009 WSOP Main Event ramps up. Last month the network began
airing coverage of the event, which culminates with the
final table in November.
ESPN said its 2008 coverage of the WSOP drew a 0.9
rating. The network said last year's WSOP reached 919,000
homes and 1.13 million viewers, up 13% and 15% from 2007
respectively.
However, through the first three weeks of the season,
ESPN’s ratings for the WSOP were down 8%.
The network cautioned that these are small declines and
it’s too early to judge the entire season. ESPN also said it
is encouraged by flat ratings among men 25-54.
Professional poker has increased in popularity
significantly this decade, growing from an obscure gambling
activity into more of a mainstream event. Yet professional
poker has struggled to overcome the negative stigma of
gambling as star poker players have been unable to land
mainstream endorsements from blue-chip advertisers like
Procter & Gamble (PG:
52.22,
-0.16, -0.31%) and Nike (NKE:
55.45,
-1.39, -2.45%). |
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Comedian Steve Harvey to join ABC's 'Good Morning America'
AP - ABC says comedian Steve Harvey is joining "Good Morning
America" for reports on family and relationship topics.
Harvey's first segment is scheduled for Wednesday's
broadcast.
The 52-year-old Harvey is author of the best-selling book
"Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man," and he previously
starred in his self-titled sitcom for seven seasons on the
WB network.
His syndicated radio show is heard in 60 markets around
the nation.
ABC is a unit of The Walt Disney Co.
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Disney's Aguel Holds Negotiating Line, Sees Recovery Ahead
Business Travel
News - Disney Parks & Resorts senior vice president
George Aguel recently spoke with Business Travel News editor
Seth Harris about the developing meetings industry rebound.
Business Travel News: Hotels have offered steep
discounts to lure meeting business. Have you used similar
tactics?
George Aguel: Not in the same way. We philosophically
feel that when you are taking that tactic, it's not
necessarily good. If a company simply is not going to have a
program, it doesn't matter what inducements a hotel puts out
there, it's not going to make it run that meeting. Certain
suppliers would have to admit that it probably didn't drive
any new incremental business as a result. On top of
providing value for all the things you'd like to do, we'll
provide an evening for you and your attendees. As our guest,
come to our theme parks, which we know are unique, and have
a meal compliments of us. Then we let you go in with your
peers and guests and spend some time. This is something we
launched not long ago. It's something we are looking at
maintaining for a while because we've been getting such a
great reaction.
We also said to organizers, "Let us set up a collaborative
session that we can put together for you. No obligation. No
cost. We just want to give you an opportunity to sit down
with some unique professionals and creative minds—who you
might have had to go out and spend a lot of money on—to help
you think about your business and what you're going to
accomplish."
BTN: How has the recent negative public perception of
meetings affected your business?
Aguel: I don't think anyone was prepared. You had a
public discourse about the meetings industry, which was
unprecedented.
That said, we've seen things stabilize in a major way. The
industry is confident that we've at least put that
volatility behind us. Now, it's about the confidence level
that organizations have toward the economy. Although Disney
was impacted for sure, we didn't get impacted to the same
degree as others.
BTN: What is your future outlook for the meetings
business?
Aguel: It is coming back. We are seeing many
favorable indications. If anybody said it's coming back like
a hockey stick, they'd be lying. There is no way it will be
like that under any circumstances. If we look back to the
early '90s downturn, by no means did it come back overnight.
This will be a slow but steady climb. It will take a while.
Many in the industry speculate that will be more favorable
in '10. Better, but not great. Most might say that '11 is
where it will start to be a lot better. At that point, based
on past history, '12 will feel really good. That's
realistically the curve that we are more likely to see. As
long as it goes in the right direction, everybody will be
able to work through that.
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If
you see 'Ponyo' once, you'll want to watch it twice
LATimes - You'll be planning to see "Ponyo" twice before you've
finished seeing it once. Five minutes into this magical film
you'll be making lists of the individuals of every age you can
expose to the very special mixture of fantasy and folklore,
adventure and affection, that make up the enchanted vision of
Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki.
The great genius of contemporary animation, who won the 2002
Oscar for best animated feature (for "Spirited Away," which also
took the Golden Bear at Berlin), Miyazaki is more than revered
in the international animation community.
But though he got a rare standing ovation at the recent
Comic-Con, Miyazaki's work has never made the kind of impact in
the mainstream American market it deserves. Plans, however, are
afoot to change all that with this remarkable story of a
goldfish who wants ever so desperately to be a little girl.
"Ponyo" is a sweet-natured film that emphasizes the joys of
childhood friendships, but though it has a lot in common with
Miyazaki's gentle classic "My Neighbor Totoro," it still manages
to be exciting when it needs to, and it's been given first-class
treatment by distributor Walt Disney Studios.
John Lasseter, Pixar and Disney's reigning guru and a longtime
Miyazaki admirer, has brought on "E.T." screenwriter Melissa
Mathison to do the film's English-language adaptation, and hired
such top-quality voice talent as Liam Neeson, Tina Fey and Cate
Blanchett to bring to life for domestic audiences a story that
echoes Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid."
Underlying everything, the constant that unites all of the
director's 10 features, is Miyazaki's exceptional filmmaking
imagination, his ability to bring us into other worlds, to
stretch our minds without seeming to break a sweat in the
process.
Paralleling this is Miyazaki's intuitive understanding of magic
and how best to use it on screen. It's not just that there are
supernatural doings in "Ponyo," including all-powerful wizards
and goddesses who control the heavens and the seas, it's the
film's notion that magic haunts the edges of the everyday,
mixing with the ordinary in ways we don't always take the time
to notice.
"Ponyo" begins not with the ordinary but with an extraordinary
vision of a dazzling undersea world that is rich with visual
wonders. One of the reigning powers is the long-haired Fujimoto
(voiced by Neeson), an intimidating wizard who struggles to keep
the sea healthy, and finds humans disgusting because the trash
they create gets in his way.
Fujimoto's daughter, Ponyo, a goldfish with a delightful face,
not surprisingly sees humans in a completely different light. In
fact, Ponyo (Noah Cyrus, Miley's sister) is desperate to become
human herself. Managing to find a way to the surface of the
ocean, she gets trapped in a glass jar and nearly dies before a
5-year-old boy comes to her rescue.
That would be Sosuke (Frankie Jonas, a Jonas Brothers sibling),
who's beside himself with glee at the discovery. "She came to
me, I saved her, she's my responsibility," he pleads to his
put-upon mom Lisa (Fey), who finally lets him keep his new
aquatic friend.
Ponyo, however, proves to be a delightfully willful creature,
determined to have her own way in all things. She accompanies
Sosuke in a bucket as he goes about his day, going to school and
visiting the nursing home where his mother works and where a
trio of eccentric old ladies (Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin,
Betty White) are his good friends.
Though circumstances conspire to return Ponyo to the sea, she is
not the type to give up on anything. But the actions she takes
to become human have far-reaching consequences, causing a storm
to end all storms that jeopardizes everyone Sosuke knows,
including his mother and his ocean-going father Koichi (Matt
Damon).
Will the intervention of sea goddess Gran Mamare (Blanchett),
who happens to be Ponyo's mother, be necessary to set things
right? You'll be holding your breath until you find out.
Because writer-director Miyazaki very much follows his own star
when it comes to story, narratives like "Ponyo" remind you of no
one else's tales. Not only do they offer up fantastical images,
like Ponyo running on the crests of waves, they make deep
connections to our emotions without following conventional
paths, using the logic of dreams to excellent effect.
The child within this singular director couldn't be stronger
and, for that, adults and children both will always be grateful. |
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Disney actress Tiffany Thornton welcomes affection of fans
Bloomington Pantagraph - Tiffany
Thornton loves her job playing the lovable foil Tawni Hart on
the Disney Channel's "Sonny With a Chance."
The Texas native gets excited about going to work, and she
gets a real sparkle in her blue eyes when meeting and greeting
fans.
Thornton was one of a handful of Disney stars who spent four
days on the Disney Wonder cruise ship this summer. Although only
required to spend a few hours talking with the hoards of
youngsters on the ship, Thornton didn't stop signing autographs
or chatting with young boys and girls when she was on board in
July.
When you have a personality as big and inviting as
Thornton's, the more fans the merrier.
"I know a lot of people in the industry who can easily get
intimidated by large crowds of kids," Thornton says. "This is my
favorite part of the job. For me, it's just a joy to visit."
The sea cruise is a very public way of meeting fans. But
Thornton does it on her own, too, spending hours visiting
hospital patients. She proudly says God has graced her with the
heart to be able to handle meeting with young fans who are
battling life-threatening illnesses.
Thornton's character on "Sonny" has a lot of fan appeal.
Tawni is the diva member of a youth-oriented sketch comedy show,
where jokes come from both the sketches and the backstage life
of the actors. The series also stars Demi Lovato, Sterling
Knight, Brandon Smith, Doug Brochu and Allisyn Ashley Arm.
Before becoming part of the "Sonny" cast, Thornton landed
roles in such network shows as "8 Simple Rules... for Dating My
Teenage Daughter," "The O.C.," "American Dreams" and "Jericho."
Thornton's fans should check out Sunday's episode of "Sonny."
Tawni gets a crush on a new intern and must ask Sonny to teach
her how to act normal to impress him.
The Disney Channel is not the only place to find Thornton
these days. She lent her voice to the video game "Disney Sing It
Pop," which is scheduled for release in September. It's a
natural job for her; she is trying to launch her own music
career.
"I have done a bunch of stuff for Disney CDs already,"
Thornton says. "As far as my own album goes, I am recording demo
versions of songs that I am writing. What I am doing is trying
to find my sound to make sure what I am saying through my songs
is what I want to get across. I am hoping, by sometime next
year, I will have enough songs that I can pick and chose."
The only thing that might slow her down is the sunny
disposition that keeps her busy with the fans. |
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Disney and Asus launch Disney Netpal notebook for kids
FreshNews - With Disney and Asus releasing the Disney Netpal for
children, kids do not need to wait any more to have hands on a
netbook specially constructed for them.
Magic Blue and Princess Pink versions of the netbook can now be
ordered from ToysRUs.
Both parental concerns as well as kids’ requirements have been
kept in mind by Asus and Disney while designing the Disney
Netpal. ‘Intuitive and fun applications’ along with ‘robust
safety features’ are being offered by the netbook which enables
a safe web browsing by children.
Despite of the fact that the netbook has been designed
especially for children, the features that it packs are not so
kiddish. Coming with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, the netbook
would provide huge storage space for kids with the 160GB HDD or
16GB SSD.
The spill off keyboard provides protection against any spill
offs that might happen to the laptop.
The 8.9-inch LCD screen offers a wonderful resolution of
1024×600. The operating system that it uses is the by Microsoft
Windows XP.
$350 (approx. Rs.16, 850) is the price tag that it carries. |
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Beecell signs mobile agreement with Disney Interactive Studios
Al-Bawaba - Beecell, a regional
mobile value added services solution provider, has signed an
agreement with Disney Interactive Studios, to distribute content
to customers’ mobile handsets in the MENA in cooperation with
GSM operators in the region.
This partnership will allow Beecell to
distribute a variety of Disney mobile content, including ring
tones, ring back tones, wallpapers, animations, themes,
Java-based games, and video clips. Customers can choose from an
extensive catalogue of celebrated Disney properties, such as
Pirates of the Caribbean, Hannah Montana and High School
Musical, as well as youth-oriented content like Mickey Mouse and
Aladdin. |
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Disney's Christmas Carol train tour comes to Oklahoma City
Examiner - Disney’s
Christmas Carol Train Tour arrives in Oklahoma City
August 21-23. Don’t miss this once in a life time experience to
see this unique traveling exhibit by Disney promoting the
digital 3-D movie "Disney's A Christmas Carol" starring Jim
Carrey that will be in theaters November 6, 2009.
As you step aboard the train you will get a chance to peek
behind the scenes and see some of the technology that goes into
the 3-D movie. See artifacts from the Charles Dickens Museum of
London, artwork, and costumes from the film as you tour the
train. Christmas Carolers and activities for the entire family
will bring the sights and sounds of Christmas to Oklahoma City
this August weekend. The Amtrak engine and cars contain a
special wrap with the “Disney’s Christmas Carol” train tour
logo. The train left Los Angeles in May and spends five months
traveling around the US on tour ending in New York City.
The "Disney's Christmas Carol Train Tour" will be at Oklahoma
City's Amtrak Station at 100 South EK Gaylord Blvd. Hours are
Friday-Saturday 9:00 am-7:00 pm and Sunday 9:00 am-4:00 pm.
Admission is free! |
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Ex-Disney chief's series proves desperately unfunny
Hollywood Reporter - In the press notes for Nick at Nite's new
series "Glenn Martin, DDS," there's a quote from executive
producer Michael Eisner, who says the series "re-envisions the
classic family sitcom" and "delivers humor in a mature,
sophisticated manner." But the former head of Disney must have
been talking about another show.
"Martin" ain't no modern
"Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," and the only universe in
which "sophisticated" could be said to apply to it would be the
one in which Judd Apatow is U.S. poet laureate.
"Martin" looks different from
other sitcoms: It's stop-motion animation, and that allows for
vibrant colors and textures. Still, in this era of claymation
and Nick Park, the series' lack of fluidity calls to mind "Davey
and Goliath" rather than "Wallace and Gromit."
Beyond that, it's utterly
conventional. Martin, his wife and their two children (as well
as his daughter's personal assistant) have hit the road in an RV
and are having wacky adventures. Oh, and they've brought their
-- um -- well-endowed (in the anus department) dog, K-9.
Seriously. Just imagine the animator whose life's work has
boiled down to re-creating a dog's oversized exit portal, and
you get the sense of desperation that wafts off the entire
series.
Martin and company are on the
road after their house burns down and, in the premiere, endure
challenges including frustration with the children's addiction
to technology, loss of car keys and the enigmatic Amish. There
also is an uncalled-for characterization of Sarah Jessica Parker
as a horse. What did she do to deserve this? Who did the Amish
piss off?
But ignore the stilted jokes,
the limp characterization, the complete lack of "re-imagining"
of anything. Just understand this: "Martin" is an animated show
with a laugh track. Imagination comes in handy, though, in
trying to figure out how someone approved this concept, labored
on this and then let it free into the world. Mr. Eisner, really.
This is how you wanted to bring Tornante Animation into the
world? You should know better. What would Mickey say? |
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Is Comcast
poised to do another Disney? Reuters - Comcast
Corp has been hoarding cash to better manage its balance sheet
but investors worry that it could be building a war chest for a
splashy acquisition similar to its failed 2004 bid for Walt
Disney Co.
Investors value shares of
Comcast at close to historical lows, as the top U.S. cable
service provider's conservative balance sheet strategy has
rekindled speculation that it wants to be a major player in the
media content market.
"When I talk to other investors,
it's usually the first thing they ask about," said Chris Marangi,
an analyst at Gabelli Co, which is long-term shareholder of
Comcast. "They always bring up the 2004 bid Comcast made for
Disney."
Comcast Chief Executive Brian
Roberts made an audacious $54 billion bid for Disney five years
ago, and the once traditional, family-run cable company has
never quite shaken off the image of a media wannabe.
Investors worry that Comcast
might use growing cash reserves to go after names such as Viacom
Inc, owner of MTV Networks and Paramount film studio, or Time
Warner Inc, which owns CNN, HBO and Warner Bros despite little
evidence of such a move, said analysts. Disney is no longer seen
as a target.
They say such concerns are
behind the 11 percent drop in Comcast's stock this year because
not many big media deals have a history of boosting shareholder
value. In comparison, the S&P 500 Index has risen 12 percent in
the year to date.
"There is a wariness with
investors about what Comcast is going to do," said Tuna Amobi,
an analyst at Standard & Poor's.
On the face of it, a large bid
for content seems unlikely given the slimmed-down trend in
media. Time Warner this year spun off its cable service unit,
purportedly killing the myth that content and distribution need
to be combined.
Yet even the executive who
fended off the Disney bid still thinks Comcast could buy a big
content play. In an interview with Broadcasting & Cable magazine
last week, former Disney CEO Michael Eisner said of Comcast:
"They may want to recapture their dreams of going after Disney,
but not with Disney specifically.
"I am sure Brian Roberts and
Steve Burke (COO) have Time Warner high on their computer
screens."
Eisner added that he had "zero
information" on such a deal but it was enough evidence for some
investors.
As Collins Stewart analyst
Thomas Eagan said: "With Comcast, the concern for acquisition
risk doesn't have to be logical."
Comcast declined to comment on
its M&A strategy. The company is still more widely expected to
be interested in smaller cable networks acquisitions than a
mega-merger.
FREE CASH FLOW GROWTH
Analysts said uncertainty
surrounding Comcast's M&A strategy coupled with an earlier
decision to slow the rate at which it returns cash to investors
have hurt its valuation.
Comcast's enterprise value is just 4.9 times the average Wall
Street forecast for 2010 earnings before interest, tax,
depreciation and amortization (EBITDA). Traditionally, Comcast
has traded at a ratio of about six to eight times.
To be sure, most pay-TV
valuations are currently under pressure. The No. 2 cable
operator Time Warner Cable is trading at 5.1 times 2010 earnings
while satellite TV operator DirecTV Group is even lower at 4.6
times.
But Comcast is the only one of
its peers whose investors consistently raise concerns about its
M&A strategy.
For its cheerleaders, Comcast is
still about rising revenue, growing profits and widening
margins. It is a defensive play during a recession when
Americans are still paying for cable television. Its capital
spending is falling, leading to fast-growing free-cash flow.
Most analysts think Comcast
should use that free cash to accelerate significantly a share
buyback, or increase meaningfully its dividend.
"Comcast has left investors
confused about what they're going to do with all this free cash
flow," said cable industry veteran analyst Craig Moffett of
Bernstein Research. "They should be clear and simply return it
to shareholders and focus on being a cable company."
In 2008, Comcast's free-cash
flow grew 56 percent to $3.7 billion, but it raised its already
modest dividend by just $60 million leaving it with yield of 1.8
percent versus the average S&P 500 yield of around 3 percent.
Comcast has taken actions that
might reassure investors. It resumed its share buyback in the
second quarter after suspending it last year when credit markets
looked rocky. Bernstein estimates the repurchases implied an
effective yield of around 4 percent. The company still had $3.9
billion left on its pre-approved program as of June 30.
"It's a blocking and tackling
slow moving business. There's no Eureka here," said Kaufman Bros
analyst Todd Mitchell. |
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Sunday
August 16, 2009 |
Pixar delivers hits — but not the home runs Disney craves
CRM or CMR? Disney has
it Right
Virginia Davis of Walt Disney's Alice Comedies has Passed
Disney Entrepreneur Center Earns National Recognition
A Fest for Disney Fans |
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Pixar delivers hits — but not the home runs Disney craves
Orlando Sentinel - Tucked inside an animation building
in Disney's Hollywood Studios, costumed versions of the
characters from Up, the most recent hit film
from the Walt Disney Co.'s Pixar Animation Studios, have emerged
as a modestly popular attraction this summer.
At any given point of the day, a small line of families waits
for autographs and photos with Carl Fredricksen, the movie's
78-year-old hero, and two other characters. Fredericksen
sometimes sets aside his walking cane to waltz with a waiting
mom.
But it may be a long time before Fredricksen and the rest of
Up's stars are given a bigger stage at Walt
Disney World. Disney executives don't envision the film as one
that will be splashed across the rest of its entertainment
properties.
"We definitely have a hit on our hands. But Up
is not the kind of movie that's going to generate the kind
of multiplatform-franchise success of movies like
Cars or Toy Story or other movies that
we have in the pipeline, like the princess movies," Disney Co.
Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger said during a recent conference
call.
Iger's comments underscore the challenges Disney faces in
transferring the most recent films from Pixar, the animation
powerhouse it acquired three years ago, from movie screens to
theme parks.
Ratatouille, WALL-E and
Up have all been critically and commercially
successful movies. But each is built around unconventional
characters — a French rat, a nearly wordless robot and an
elderly widower — that don't necessarily lend themselves to
rides, shows and souvenirs.
That's particularly true when compared with Pixar's earlier
movies, which have revolved around more-easily marketed
characters such as clown fish, race cars and action figures.
The challenges aren't unique to Disney's theme parks; they also
affect everything from toy licensing to video games. And they
come as the company attempts to navigate a steep drop in
consumer spending.
Pixar's most recent films "are less valuable franchises. They're
valuable, but they're less valuable," said David Bank, a media
analyst with RBC Capital Markets. "They don't really highlight
that extra, that secret sauce that Disney brings to the table,
which is the ability to monetize across platforms.
"It's the difference between a solid single and a double versus
a home run," Bank added.
Big on sequels
It's one reason that executives in Disney's Burbank, Calif.,
corporate headquarters appear more excited about some of Pixar's
upcoming animated films: Toy Story 3 and
Cars 2.
"Toy Story 3 ... that's a real franchise," Iger said during the
same conference call. "You see Toy Story
attractions at every one of our parks worldwide, a big
consumer-products platform, real opportunities, I believe, for
Toy Story in other forms, from video games to
online, to also the possibility of sequels beyond
Toy Story 3."
Disney's varying levels of interest in Pixar's films are easy to
spot at Disney World, where all of the resort's theme parks have
added significant, Pixar-inspired attractions during the past
three years. The additions have focused primarily on Pixar's
earlier films, particularly Toy Story and
Finding Nemo.
Timing is certainly a factor: The more recent the film, the less
time Disney has had to develop its presence in a theme park. But
it is not the only explanation.
Two years after Finding Nemo's 2003
theatrical run, for instance, Disney had already opened the
interactive "Turtle Talk With Crush" show at both Epcot and
Disney's California Adventure, and had announced plans for the
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland. Within another
year, it had begun production of The Seas With Nemo & Friends,
an aquarium ride at Epcot, and Finding Nemo — The Musical, the
lavish stage show at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
In the two years since Ratatouille's 2007
release, the movie's most notable theme-park presence is a
6-inch-tall animatronic Remy that performs only for diners at
Les Chefs de France restaurant in Epcot. No other significant
projects based on the movie appear on the horizon in the U.S.,
though there has been some speculation among fans about a
Ratatouille-themed ride in Disneyland Paris.
For WALL-E, Disney designed a life-size
animatronic that made appearances when the movie premiered last
year. But the company has yet to deploy the robot in its theme
parks.
Pixar 'creates a halo'
The disparity extends to theme-park merchandise. Though
several Disney World shops sell some WALL-E
toys, other products based on that movie or
Ratatouille are difficult to find. Disney briefly peddled
Ratatouille-themed cheese plates and
coasters, for instance, but has long since pulled them from its
shelves.
The contrast is perhaps best illustrated by Disney's ubiquitous
souvenir pins. A recent search of the pin-trading shop in
Downtown Disney turned up more than 20 pins based on
Toy Story and more than a dozen based on
Finding Nemo — but only two featuring
WALL-E and none with
Ratatouille.
Even if they never become a major theme-park attraction,
analysts say the most recent Pixar films, given their tremendous
reception in movie theaters, do still have an intangible value
beyond the box office.
"They continue to create a halo around the Disney brand," said
Chris Marangi, an analyst with Gabelli & Co.
The people charged with bringing the movies to life inside
Disney theme parks say they have conceived scores of projects
based on all of the Pixar films. Turning them into more than
blueprints, they say, is simply a matter of finding an opening.
"We've thrown out some really fantastic ideas with all of those
more recent properties," said Roger Gould, creative director for
theme parks at Pixar. "It's a combination of a great idea
inspired by a Pixar film and the right opportunity and the right
location and the right park somewhere around the world." |
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CRM or CMR? Disney has
it Right Toolbox - CRM
stands for "Customer Relationship Management." By its very name
it proclaims that the vendor is in charge -- managing its
customers.
The internet has proven that the idea that any vendor controls
its customers is a delusion. Ask AOL whose customers left the
dial-up internet leader for cheaper ISPs (internet service
providers). Ask Yahoo who is no longer the search engine leader.
Go back in time and ask General Motors if they "manage" their
customers. As Sony whose Walkman dominated portable
entertainment for years until along came the iPod.
Just how "loyal" are customers?
Whom is managing whom?
Disney realized that customers manage vendors, not the other way
around. Thus they use the term CMR, customer MANAGED
relationships. Disney realized that in today's world the
customer chooses -- and loyalty goes to the vendor who not only
treats them well, but has a competitive product that they (the
customer) want or need.
"Know thy customer" is certainly a key to CMR -- and perhaps
more importantly, is "know thyself." Vendors must understand
what customers like about buying from them, and what they do not
like.
Sounds like we're back to a BPM (business process management) or
BI (business intelligence) approach to customer knowledge.
If the customer is in charge then we don't manage them. We
inform them. We deliver products and solutions that they not
only want (need), but present it to them in the ways they want
to interact with us through the internet, social media, RSS
feeds to the cell phone, the contact center, face to face. |
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Virginia Davis of Walt Disney's Alice Comedies
has passed
 Disney
News - Virginia Davis, Walt Disney's first human star and the
original Alice of his partly animated Alice Comedies, died
Saturday morning, animation historian Jerry Beck said on the
Cartoon Brew site. She was 90.
Also known as Virginia Davis McGhee, she had been in failing
health for the past year, Beck said.
In an interview published in this February's issue of
Autograph magazine, Davis reflected: "In particular, I like
to think that those who said over and over 'It all started with
a mouse…' became aware that Walt Disney's career really started
with a little four-year-old girl -- me!"
In 1924 and 1925, Davis appeared in the first 13 titles of
Disney's Alice Comedies series, which was an innovative
blend of live action and animation on film.
"My wife and I were lucky enough to meet and spend the weekend
with Virginia Davis a few years ago. We had come to help raise
money for the restoration of Walt Disney's old Laugh-O-Gram
studio in Kansas City," Floyd Norman recalled.
"At the time, Virginia Davis was in her 80s, but sharp as a
tack. She told us all about working for Walt Disney in the '20s,
and how the boss had encouraged her to move to Hollywood to
continue the Alice Comedies. She was an amazing woman, and we'll
truly miss her."
The comedies -- one-reel (5- to 10-minute) low-budget projects
-- featured simple plots about the adventures of a live girl in
Cartoonland. As Davis later recalled, "It was always a little
story where I would get into the cartoon through a dream or I
was hit on the head with a baseball, and suddenly I'd find
myself in a world of cartoon characters."
She was born Virginia Margaret Davis in Kansas City, Missouri on
December 31, 1918 to a homemaker and a traveling salesman. At
age two, Davis began taking dance and dramatic lessons. A couple
of years later, when Walt Disney was struggling with his first
studio, Laugh-O-gram Films, he happened to see Davis in a
Warneke's Bread advertisement in a local theater.
Later, when he went to produce his first Alice Comedy, Alice's
Wonderland, he remembered her long, blonde ringlets and charming
smile. Disney placed a call to her parents, and Davis became a
star.
Due to legal complications, Alice's Wonderland did not
see theatrical release, although it was shown privately to
cartoon distributors in 1923. It was released decades later on
the DVD collection Disney Rarities.
For the next two years, Davis starred in such Disney shorts as
Alice's Wild West Show and Alice's Spooky Adventure
for M.J. Winkler Productions. The "Alice Comedies" have been
periodically featured on the Disney Channel during its Vault
Disney segment.
Alice's Day At Sea, also with Davis, set a record many years
later. In April 1994, a poster for the 1924 short was sold at
Christie's in London for the equivalent of $36,534 U.S. This,
according to Guinness World Records, is the highest price ever
paid for a cartoon poster.
 Davis
later ended her tenure with Disney, who went on to make more
than 40 other Alice films. She continued performing in the
theater, including a West Coast tour of Elmer Rice's Street
Scene, and in a number of films for such studios as MGM, RKO,
Paramount and Fox.
Among her credits are Three on a Match (1932), starring
Joan Blondell as Mary Keaton. She portrayed Blondell's character
as a child. (Also in the film were a young Bette Davis and -- in
a smaller role -- Humphrey Bogart.)
Later, Davis did voice testing for Disney's Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs, as well as for some of the little boys'
voices in Pinocchio.
In The Harvey Girls (1946), she was an uncredited Harvey
Girl, appearing alongside Cyd Charisse and Judy Garland. She was
in the scene in which Garland and Ray Bolger introduced the
Oscar-winning song "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe."
She also appeared in such early TV shows as Your Hit Parade
and One Man's Family.
Davis went on to earn a degree from the New York School of
Interior Design and became a decorating editor for the popular
1950s magazine Living for Young Homemakers. In 1963, she
began a successful career in the real estate industry in
Connecticut and later, Southern California.
Over the years, Davis remained in contact with the Walt Disney
Company, and was often a special guest at such events as the
annual Disneyana Conventions held at either Disneyland or Walt
Disney World.
She was inducted as a Disney Legend in 1998.
In 2005, Leonard Maltin interviewed her for the Walt Disney
Treasures DVD set. That year, the Annie Awards presented her
with its Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement.
She lived in Montana and Idaho during her final years.
Virginia Davis was predeceased in 2005 by Robert A. "Bob"
McGhee, her husband since 1943. She is survived by daughters
Margaret Sufke and Laurieanne Zandbergen, and by granddaughters
Kristianne, Nicole and Juliette Zandbergen.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and
friends. |
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Disney Entrepreneur Center Earns National Recognition
Disney News - Entrepreneur Magazine’s August issue names Orlando
as one of the “Top 10 Best Cities to Start a Business” and gives
kudos to the Disney Entrepreneur Center for its efforts in
mentoring small-business owners and directing them to the right
resources.
“We are unbelievably fortunate to have community leadership that
is creative, open to partnerships, and willing to give a new
idea or a new business an opportunity,” says Jerry Ross,
executive director of the Disney Entrepreneur Center.
Founded in 2003, the Disney Entrepreneur Center is a
one-of-a-kind resource available to any small business in
Central Florida and provides access to a variety of business
resources, technology, research tools and support organizations.
Since its inception, the center has facilitated $125,000,000 in
small business loans, coached and trained 70,000 businesses and
assisted with 700 new business start-ups.
According to Ross, the secret to growth isn’t in luring
companies from out of state but is taking care to cultivate what
you already have through “economic gardening.”
To learn more about the Disney Entrepreneur Center,
visit
http://www.disneyec.com/. |
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A Fest for Disney Fans
BuisnessWeek - Star Trek
fans hold a convention annually. Apple (AAPL)
fanatics and developers alike troop to San Francisco each year
for Macworld. So it was only a matter of time before the Walt
Disney Co. (DIS), with its own ultraloyal fan base, would
decide to stage an annual gathering of the faithful. So on Sept.
12, the media company intends to sprinkle a little pixie dust on
tens of thousands of its most rabid followers at a four-day
conference in the shadows of Disneyland.
The Anaheim (Calif.) affair, called D23 Expo (signifying the
1923 founding of the company), is not for the casual Disneyphile.
For prices from $37 ($27 for kiddies) for a one-day ticket or as
much as $111 for all four days, fans will get a
behind-the-scenes look at upcoming theme park rides, new cruise
lines, a look at trailers from upcoming animated flicks, and
question-and-answer time with stars from ABC or Disney Channel
shows. Fans can even join Lost University, which offers arcane
tidbits on the cult ABC supernatural show through online
courses.
It's marketing taken to a degree that only a promotional
machine like Disney can pull off. The convention is an extension
of the D23 fan club program that was launched at the Disney
annual meeting in March, according to Steven Clark, who is
heading the fan community efforts. The fan club today has more
than 20,000 members, says Clark, who pay $75 to get quarterly
publications and free or discount tickets to key Disney
celebrations throughout the year.
None of those celebrations will quite match the festivities
at the Anaheim Convention Center. Disney CEO Robert Iger will
address the crowd and presumably offer up news of new products,
as will Disney studio chief Dick Cook, who will likely bring
along some stars of upcoming Disney films. And there will be
John Lasseter, the Hawaiian-shirt-wearing chief creative officer
of Disney's animation unit. A former Disneyland employee turned
animation superstar, Lasseter's revival-style pro-Disney
speeches tend to bring shareholders to their feet at the
company's annual shareholder meeting. |
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