|
||
| MickeyXtreme's News Archive January 21-27 2007 | ||
|
Saturday January 27, 2007 |
||
|
Disney's New President Has High Hopes For Central
Florida Disney Sequel Pirates to invade Disney's Tom Sawyer's Island FLW poaches Disney consumer products exec Arab Groups Protest Beck's Hiring |
||
|
|
||
|
Disney's New President Has High Hopes For Central
Florida
The new president of Walt Disney World said she is ready to meet the challenges of a changing Central Florida. Meg Crofton faced leaders of the community Thursday morning during Disney's annual community breakfast. Crofton took over the reigns of Disney World in the heat of a Florida summer. Five months later, her stated goal of Central Florida's largest employer and entertainment behemoth should come as no surprise. "We will do everything we can to make sure Central Florida's dreams keep coming true," said Crofton. This is Disney's year of a million dreams. New additions featuring characters from the company's blockbuster films, such as "Finding Nemo" and "Monsters, Inc.," led to a strong 2006 at Disney's local theme parks. Success goes hand-in-hand with growth, a Central Florida staple. "I think with growth, there are always those challenges that any community has to focus on and overcome. I believe our company and our community is doing that," Crofton said. Crofton also cautiously addressed Central Florida's violent crime rate, which reached record numbers last year. "We don't have a problem with crime in the tourism area, that doesn't mean that we are not very vigilant to watch it as well," she said. Even with an economy that shows signs of cooling, Crofton said she believes Disney World will keep pace with Central Florida's growth. Crofton is Disney World's fourth president and the first woman to earn that post. She took over for Al Weiss, who became president of Disney's worldwide operations. |
||
|
|
||
|
Disney
Sequel
Orange County Business Journal - Ed Grier has seen the world with Walt Disney Co., leaving his mark on parks from Florida to Paris to Tokyo. Now he has a chance to do the same as president of the Disneyland Resort, which includes the company’s two Anaheim theme parks, three hotels and Downtown Disney shopping center. Grier, 51, was named president in summer after three-year boss Matt Ouimet left to take an executive post with White Plains, N.Y.-based Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. Grier’s the third person to lead Disneyland since 1999 and the first in recent years to come from the operations side of Walt Disney Parks & Resort. “It’s absolutely a positive to have an operations guy (at the top),” said Jim Benedick, managing partner of ProFun Management Group Inc. in Tustin and a former manager at Disneyland. “Years ago, operations ruled the roost,” he said. “Disney needs to get back to that orientation.” Last year, Walt Disney combined marketing, sales and entertainment decisions in Orlando, Fla., and at its Burbank headquarters. The move put more emphasis on operations and guest relations for Disneyland’s president, former executives say. A soft-spoken, roll-up-the-sleeves kind of guy, Grier started his career at Disney as a senior auditor at Walt Disney World in Florida. The Atlanta native also was part of the opening team at Epcot in Orlando and boosted guest service and resort and financial operations in Tokyo. He’s no stranger to Orange County, having visited many times. He said he’s been surprised by how urban it has become—and how bad the traffic is. He said he loves the intertwining of Disneyland and Anaheim. The two have more or less grown up together, Grier said. He recently moved his family from Tokyo to Tustin, going from one of the newest Disneyland parks to the oldest. Grier has wasted no time, it seems, learning the lay of the land in OC and setting plans. He said his priorities for Disneyland include building on the park’s interaction between workers and visitors, spurring attendance after the blockbuster 50th anniversary push that peaked in 2005, and making sure the parks are well kept. Grier recently worked the third shift with “cast members”—Disney speak for workers—checking rides, touching up paint and doing other maintenance. “It’s important to do that so you understand what the cast member’s point of view is,” he said. Grier inherits a work in progress with Disney’s California Adventure. The park, which opened in 2001, enjoyed a spillover surge from Disneyland’s 50th anniversary. But it still hasn’t lived up to expectations. The company last week unveiled plans for a ride at California Adventure based on Pixar Animation Studios Inc.’s “Toy Story” movies. Some have speculated that Disney might turn California Adventure into a sort of “Pixarland” after its acquisition of the studio last year. Grier was mum on long-term plans. “We want to capitalize on all the synergies we’ve got,” he said. “Pixar is a big part of the Disney family now and that gives us a unique opportunity to use some of the Pixar assets.” Disney is looking to The Year of a Million Dreams, a companywide marketing push, to spur attendance after the 50th anniversary. Workers grant “dreams” to random park visitors each day during the yearlong promotion. Gifts range from an all-day FastPass to bypass ride lines to Disney cruises. Disneyland has given about 200,000 gifts. Grier said his favorite is the night’s stay in the Mickey Mouse Penthouse at the Disneyland Hotel. Several rides are in the works for Disneyland. The most eagerly awaited is the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage based on the Pixar movie “Finding Nemo.” The ride is set to debut in summer at the old submarine lagoon at Disneyland. The earlier submarine ride opened in 1959 and closed in 1998 after losing appeal. “Nemo is a great fit for this attraction,” Grier said. “It’s great storytelling, and we have a lot of innovation (with it).” Word also came last week about plans to revamp Tom Sawyer’s island with a pirate theme ahead of this summer’s third “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie. The success of the “Pirates” movies—which evolved from the 40-year-old Disneyland ride—has been a coup. The ride gave birth to hit movies that in turn generated interest in the ride. “Things like that help reinvent the property and look toward the future,” Grier said. That kind of thinking harkens back to earlier times, according to Milt Albright, who worked for Disneyland for 45 years, including at its opening. “Roy Disney (Walt Disney’s nephew) always said to maximize the utilization of existing” assets, Albright said. Grier also is involved in planning for a possible third Anaheim park. First talked about in 2000, Disney wants a “third gate” on a 75-acre parcel near Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue. The land has been used for little more than employee parking since the 2001 tourism downturn. Now that things are humming again—if not booming—the company is thinking about expansion. “What’s important for us is to focus on what’s (going to be there) for the next 50 years,” he said. Coming from Tokyo, where Grier was part of the masterplanning team, he has a grip on how the process works. There’s no firm plan for the Anaheim land yet, he said, despite rumors of a Wide World of Sports-type complex. “We probably have more ideas than we have room for,” Grier said. Grier also faces the issue of changes around the company’s parks. Disney has been critical of proposals to put housing in the city’s resort district. An Anaheim panel last week rejected a plan by SunCal Cos. to allow new homes near Disneyland. An appeal is expected. SunCal wants to build 1,500 homes, including 200 affordable apartments on the site. The district makes up 2% of Anaheim’s land but generates 24% of its sales tax revenue. Hotel room taxes make up about 28% of Anaheim’s general fund revenue, according to the city. Disney’s take is that homes would be out of place among the parks, hotels and shops. “It’s very important to maintain the integrity of the district because it’s a big economic generator not just for us but for the community,” Grier said. ED GRIER |
||
|
|
||
|
Pirates to invade Disney's Tom Sawyer's Island
The Orange County Register - Tom Sawyer's Island, a playground designed by Walt Disney himself, will integrate pirate games and characters this summer. The change to the Disneyland attraction, which will incorporate the pirate plots from Mark Twain's books, will coincide with the release of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequel – a movie series that has popularized pirates. Designers have yet to decide how much, if any, of the movie characters will be on the island. |
||
|
|
||
|
FLW poaches Disney consumer products exec
C21 Media - FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide (FLW) has poached the associate manager of Disney Consumer Products, Sarah Marti, to take up the newly-created role of creative services executive. Marti, who was responsible for the product development and marketing strategy for Winnie the Pooh, Disney Princess, Baby Einstein and Playhouse Disney franchises, will be based in LA, overseeing development of FLW products and promotions for brands including American Idol, The Price Is Right and Family Feud. |
||
|
|
||
|
Arab Groups
Protest Beck's Hiring
AP - Three groups are urging ABC News not to keep CNN Headline News personality Glenn Beck on as a "Good Morning America" commentator because they believe he's biased against Arabs. The Arab American Institute, American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee and the Muslim Public
Affairs Council all said Thursday they had written to
ABC News President David Westin about Beck. The groups said that Beck -- who's drawing strong ratings with his evening show on CNN Headline News -- has stated on his show that Arab and Muslim Americans are apathetic to terrorism. During an interview in November with Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim member of Congress, Beck asked him to "prove to me that you are not working with our enemies." "That blatant anti-Arab, anti-Muslim bias has been given credibility on a larger news show is something that concerns us," said Arab American Institute spokeswoman Jennifer Kauffman. Beck has said that his question to Ellison was poorly worded. "My message is clear: Islam is a peaceful religion for over 90 percent of the world's Muslims," he said. "I have urged viewers repeatedly to understand this, while asking all of the proud, peaceful Muslims here in America to take a more visible role in our fight against those who make a mockery of the Quran. I also make airtime available, at any time, to any Muslim organization to help reinforce this realistic, peaceful view of Islam." |
||
|
|
||
|
Friday
January 26, 2007 |
||
|
How Bob Iger
Unchained Disney Disney pitches in for arts center New Disney Public Affairs website Disney's dazzling 'Dreams' 'Grey's' doctor is in treatment Disney flick made quite the impact |
||
|
|
||
|
How Bob Iger
Unchained Disney
BusinessWeek - For the past year, the media-entertainment complex (aka Hollywood) has provided riveting theater. Summary firings at Viacom. (VIA ) A quixotic bid to break up Time Warner (TWX ). News Corp.'s (NWS ) O.J. Simpson moment. But one entertainment colossus has been remarkably peaceful--so much so it's easy to forget that not long ago this place was a snake pit of warring egos, board intrigue, and assorted skulduggery. That institution, of course, is Walt Disney Co. (DIS ). Not only has peace broken out since Robert A. Iger settled into Michael D. Eisner's throne at the pseudo-Tuscan headquarters in Burbank, Calif., but the Mouse House also has been racking up enviable numbers. It's posting record earnings, and the stock price has been defying gravity like Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. So the Oscar for Disney's turnaround goes to...Bob Iger. No, wait, to Michael Eisner. No, both. We'll explain. Ignore for the moment the splash Iger made last year when he rep
aired relations with Steve Jobs and took control of
Pixar, the Apple Inc. (AAPL ) founder's animation hit
factory. Most of the good news at Disney since Iger's
ascension--the resurrection of ABC, the $2 billion
Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, rising
attendance at Disney's U.S. theme parks--are the
payoff of plans laid during the Eisner era. And though
Iger was deeply involved in the revival at ABC, he is
the first to give his predecessor credit: "It was
because of Michael that I was able to hit the ground
running," he says.
On the other hand, those record profits deserve a second look. Yes, net income soared 33% in fiscal 2006, to $3.4 billion, while revenues climbed 7%, to $34.3 billion. But Disney had a one-of-a-kind year in 2006, with two box-office smashes in Cars and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest that by themselves gave Disney earnings a huge pop. That sets the bar high for Disney this year. While another Pirates film is due out this summer, along with Pixar's Ratatouille, Thomson Financial (TOC ) projects net income growth in 2007 of 12%, vs. 24% for the media sector as a whole. To buffer the company against the hit-and-miss vagaries of the movie business, Iger will need to complete an ongoing resuscitation of the Paris and Hong Kong theme parks, keep ABC's momentum going, and encourage the Pixar team to make more than one film a year. He must also make Disney nimbler and capable of moving quickly to seize the digital day. CRONKITE WANNABE It's on that final challenge that Iger has made the most progress. Behind the scenes he has upended Eisner's centrally planned company, hacking away at the bureaucracy and unshackling a group of veteran executives to plot their own courses. Putting Disney movies and ABC shows on the iPod is not just ground-breaking. It's a reflection of a faster-moving and more aggressive Disney. In an e-mail, Eisner, who declined to comment on his record as CEO, had this to say about his successor's performance: "Bob Iger and the entire management team have done a great job in the last year. They are making the right moves at the right times." Iger, who turns 56 on Feb. 10, is a guy who says things like: "The story shouldn't be about me. It's about the team." Sounds like the false modesty of a media-trained CEO, no? But Iger really does prefer to hover in the background, letting the limelight stream over his lieutenants. He rules by consensus, not fiat. And rather than heaving Eisner's people overboard just because he could, Iger has kept the team largely intact. Next to Eisner, Iger is bland, a scripted CEO who never shoots from the hip. Colleagues say they don't know much about Iger's personal life except that he's a basketball nut. And while Iger isn't without the vision thing, no one would call him a big strategic thinker. But by surrounding himself with smart people, including Jobs and the Pixar crew, and letting them get on with it, Iger has recreated a can-do culture at Disney. Iger, in short, is the Un-Eisner. He represents the new buttoned-down Hollywood--the anti-mogul in an industry where egos blot out the sunshine. "Bob lets [the person] who can handle the job get it done," says Jobs, who sits on the board and is Disney's single largest shareholder. "It's not [about grabbing] headlines. That's rare in that town." Most Hollywood bigs either have mogul DNA (Rupert Murdoch) or lust for power and riches from Day One (Eisner). But Robert Iger wanted to be Walter Cronkite. Growing up on Long Island in Oceanside, N.Y., the son of a marketing executive father and librarian mother, Iger got the journalism bug early as sports editor of his high school newspaper. By 1972 a shaggy-haired Iger was hosting Ithaca College's ICB-TV show Campus Probe, tackling such breaking news as the school's new credit union. But the networks never came calling, and Iger accepted a job as a weatherman at a local TV station. He might still be in Ithaca, N.Y., today had he not signed on as a schedule coordinator for ABC Sports in 1974. Soon after joining the network, Iger met the surrogate father who helped launch his career and instilled in him the management ethos he follows to this day. That man was Thomas S. Murphy, founder of ABC's then-parent, CapCities. Murphy, now 80 and retired from the Disney board, was a legendary figure who gave young talent the freedom to experiment. Iger calls it the Tom Murphy School of Management. "You put good people in jobs and give them room to run," he says. "You involve yourself in a responsible way, but not to the point where you are usurping their authority. I don't have the time or concentration--and you could argue maybe even the talent--to do that." Disney acquired CapCities in 1996, and Iger, by then Murphy's heir apparent, found himself working for an entirely different species of boss. Eisner was everything Murphy wasn't: micromanaging, imperious, bullying Eisner rarely demonstrated much admiration for Iger, but he valued his diplomatic skills. In 2000, Iger became Disney's president, and it wasn't long before Eisner was dispatching him on thorny missions requiring the common touch Eisner seemed incapable of. When ABC tried and failed to steal David Letterman from CBS to fill Ted Koppel's late-night slot, Iger was the one who sweet-talked Koppel into sticking around. When dissident board members Roy E. Disney and Stanley P. Gold staged an anti-Eisner rally at Disney's 2005 annual meeting, Eisner sent Iger to talk to the press. And when Miramax Film founder Harvey Weinstein was battling Eisner over the terms of his divorce from Disney, Iger stepped in to "get the talks over some rough spots," recalls William Morris Agency CEO Jim Wiatt, who helped broker the deal. "Bob kept the two sides talking when I thought they'd had just about enough of each other." To this day, Iger won't speak ill of Eisner. "I think fondly of Michael. I learned a lot from him," he says. "In a way, he founded the modern Walt Disney." What Iger tactfully leaves unsaid is that during the final years of Eisner's otherwise brilliant two-decade run, Disney lost its animating spirit. To say the culture was poisonous doesn't begin to capture the company's dysfunction. Eisner left behind a place where division chiefs were afraid to make decisions--the last thing the company needed when such rivals as News Corp. and Viacom Inc. were boldly staking out territory on the Web. Iger recognized that the problem wasn't the people running the show. It was the work environment--and he set about changing it. One of the first things Iger did was make the Monday morning meetings less autocratic. Where Eisner held court, Iger encourages a conversation. Even his office is more inviting. Out went the drabness of the Eisner years. In came airiness, family photos, and a cigar store Indian Iger found in the basement of the ABC building in New York. He hangs his suit jacket on it. To encourage his executives to drop by, Iger also installed a door to a more heavily trafficked hallway. He moved studio chief Richard Cook up from the second floor to the sixth, where Iger has his office. And he made a point of visiting the troops--for example spending half a day at Buena Vista Games Inc. talking to game developers in town for a brainstorming session. "These are guys who'll go back to England or wherever with a sense that their ideas are getting heard," says game unit chief Graham Hopper. "That's tremendously empowering to a creative person." Iger has also reached out to former Disney people who can help him chart a new strategic direction. One regular dinner companion is former studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg. Disney recently agreed to air a Shrek Christmas special produced by Katzenberg's DreamWorks Animation. Iger has also made peace with Stanley Gold and Roy Disney, inviting the latter back onto the board in an emeritus role and as a consultant. "He's got the company working like a team again," says Gold, once an Iger critic. "It's very impressive." 'WHERE'S MY WOW?' If Eisner struggled to rise above the petty and personal, Iger sees the big picture. Almost immediately he shunted aside the top strategic planner, Peter Murphy, who had come to be regarded as Eisner's top cop. Then Iger turned around and paid Murphy nearly a million dollars to stick around for another year. Why? Because Murphy was Disney's key negotiator in a three-year battle to get cable giant Comcast Corp. (CMCSA ) to pay higher fees to carry Disney's ESPN sports channel. Eisner never got over Comcast's hostile takeover bid in 2004, and the talks often bogged down. Iger figured Murphy was best positioned to get the job done. "You could see the difference in [Murphy's] body language," says Comcast President Stephen B. Burke. "He was free to make a deal without worrying about getting grief from Michael." In the end, Comcast agreed to pay an estimated $70 million more a year in fees, and Disney won a lucrative deal to provide movies and TV shows for Comcast's video-on-demand service. Murphy, who declined to comment on his departure, has left the company. Iger brings almost preternatural energy to the job. Every morning at 4:30 a personal trainer puts him through his paces at the Brentwood mansion (formerly owned by Michelle Pfeiffer and her TV writer husband, David E. Kelley) Iger shares with his wife, NEWSCASTER Willow Bay, and their two sons. By 6:45, Iger is at his desk, talking to New York. It's what Iger doesn't do with his energy that is most telling. He doesn't dump on people's ideas. Eisner famously wrote: "Where's my wow?" on subordinates' proposals he didn't like. And where Eisner got involved in every aspect of the creative process, from the color of the carpets at the theme park hotels to Tuesday morning script sessions, Iger lets his people take the lead. DISCREET AND NIMBLE ABC chief Anne Sweeney says Iger, having agreed with Jobs to put ABC shows on the iPod, turned over the details to her. She quickly understood that the intensely secretive Jobs wanted as few people as possible to know what was going on. Only five Disney people, including Iger, were involved in the negotiations; the deal was sealed in three days. Under Eisner a team of Disney lawyers and executives would nitpick over the details for weeks. Studio chief Cook has newfound freedom. Iger almost never attends script meetings. And during the Pixar negotiations, Iger allowed Cook to represent Disney. The CEO came in only at the end to close the deal, meeting with Jobs and having dinner with Pixar creative guru John Lasseter at his Sonoma Valley home. Eisner's departure also allowed Cook to go ahead with an Iger plan to cut in half the number of live-action movies the studio makes each year and do mostly family-friendly fare that meshes better with the theme parks and the Disney Channel. Nowhere has Iger given up more control than at Disney's animation unit. That's amazing given that the Mouse House was built on animation. In a good year it provides as much as one-third of the studio's profits. But with Disney animators turning out a steady stream of clunkers, Iger has given Jobs's Pixar team carte blanche. With Lasseter installed as Disney's new chief creative officer, the newcomers laid off 160 people and reassigned executives. Last year, Lasseter and former Pixar President Ed Catmull, who is now president of Disney Animation, delayed the Christmas release of Disney's Meet the Robinsons movie to rework it. Now it will be released in March. Jobs says Pixar's management control of the Disney animation unit was key to selling Iger his company. "I wasn't sure I could get Ed and John to come to Disney unless they had that control," says Jobs. "Bob said: ‘Dynamite it if you have to.' Thankfully, we saw plenty we liked." Iger's hands-off M.O. has its limits. The Pixar people decided, for example, not to release a Tinker Bell animated DVD later this year because they wanted time to make it better, even though the release had been timed to coincide with a new Disney promotion of toys based on fairy characters. And the quality-first attitude of the Pixarites, which could generate bigger box office, might also mean fewer animated movies each year. They're not big on sequels, either. That means less opportunity for tie-ins with merchandise, the theme parks, and Broadway plays. Then there's the ESPN-branded phone. Round-the-clock delivery of sports trivia and game scores was supposed to be manna to sports nuts. The phone flopped, forcing Disney to take a $30 million writedown. Iger waxes philosophical. "I don't criticize them for taking risks," he says. He figures ESPN has learned from the experience and now has more insight than its rivals into how best to put content on cell phones. During the Eisner years, Disney's digital strategy faltered. Iger seems determined to make up for lost time--even if it means more ESPN-style flops. A technophile, Iger travels with two iPods and is constantly road-testing the latest gizmo. His decision to acquire Pixar and let Apple put ABC shows and Disney movies on the iPod galvanized the company and sent a message to its managers: The new boss was willing to take risks to drag Disney into the digital age. "I said: ‘Wow. Now I get it,'" recalls Disney Internet Group chief Steve Wadsworth. "The company is ready to roll." ABC chief Sweeney recalls Iger dropping by her office not long after he took over to talk about the network's future. She suggested coming up with an ABC site where viewers could get TV shows whenever they want. "We had a really interesting discussion of how you'd construct your own [online] network," says Sweeney. "Bob's parting words were: ‘Go fast.'" A month later he announced the initiative at Disney's annual meeting. If one thing separates Iger from other media moguls like Rupert Murdoch and Sumner M. Redstone, it's his belief that he doesn't need to go out and acquire a MySpace.com (NWS ) or YouTube Inc. (GOOG ). While he hasn't ruled out buying an online property, Iger says he has the right content and world-class brands--Disney, ESPN, ABC--to lure eyeballs. The rollout in coming weeks of a reimagined Disney.com is central to Iger's plan to boost the company's online fortunes. The reconfigured site, which draws 21 million unique visitors each month, now features social networking and streamed TV shows aimed at young kids--another way to capitalize on that family vibe. The hope is that the site will get visitors to stay longer, allowing Disney to surpass the $700 million in digital revenues it projects for this year. Ultimately, Iger wants to go directly to consumers on the Web, supplementing the company's existing deals with cable and satellite providers. "Why not be there ourselves?" he says. It's a question Iger will continue to wrestle with as he remakes Disney. |
||
|
|
||
|
Disney
pitches in for arts center
Orlando Sentinel - Walt Disney World will make a "significant" contribution toward building the proposed $389 million Orlando Performing Arts Center, Disney President Meg Crofton told community leaders on Thursday, but she would not reveal the dollar amount. Jim Pugh, president of the OPAC board, said a Disney deal has been in the works for a couple of months, but he was surprised that Disney was comfortable enough to announce anything. "We are delighted," Pugh said of Disney's pledge. "It's a significant day for Central Florida when our entertainment partner steps up to do something significant for the whole county." Orlando's arts community and downtown players have been trying for more than a decade to rally support and raise money for the center. A deal last fall to set aside tourism tax money appears to have created momentum toward their goal of $100 million in private money. In recent months, the center got pledges of $25 million from Dr. Phillips Charities and $10 million from the Orlando Magic. So far, the board has collected $47.5 million in pledges. Crofton would only say that the amount of Disney's contribution would be revealed soon. Her staff said it likely would be a matter of weeks. Pugh said it could be a matter of days. Disney World has long heard grumbling that it has not showered the Central Florida community with the levels of civic leadership and arts, social and economic philanthropy that the company's California-based headquarters has provided Los Angeles. Former Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick, for example, made such complaints as he told the Sentinel in 2002 that he had to threaten Disney's public image to get the company to donate $300,000 toward a downtown bandshell in 1989. But Disney officials have always insisted such charges aren't fair -- that Disney World sometimes doesn't get enough credit for the millions of dollars of money and services donated every year or its executives' behind-the-scenes influences, and that Disney has a much bigger corporate presence in California. Lately Disney World has shown signs of becoming more assertive about hyping local contributions, including the $22 million in cash and in-kind donations that the company recently tallied and publicized for last year. On Thursday, Disney World launched a new Web site, wdwpublicaffairs.com, to help promote community connections. Perception appears to be changing. On Thursday, both Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty praised recent civic efforts by Crofton's predecessor Al Weiss, and expressed encouragement for Crofton's start, particularly with her performing-arts-center pledge. "That, along with the philanthropic activities, makes a pretty strong statement for their commitment to the whole community, not just for things that appear to benefit them," Crotty said. Crofton said she spent her first five months getting adjusted, but is ready to personally step up as a civic leader, starting by taking a board seat on the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission. Weiss also was on that board, and chaired it in 2004-05. In addressing Orlando's powerful, Crofton hailed more recent efforts by Weiss, now worldwide president of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, crediting him with helping lead civic efforts to lure the Burnham Institute labs to Orlando and to persuade the state to approve a University of Central Florida medical school. She called attention to community roles of key Disney executives and the 200,000 volunteer hours that Disney employees logged last year, noted the thousands of children with life-threatening diseases who receive Disney visits, and announced a new "Disney Wish Lounge" opened for them Thursday at Magic Kingdom. She also highlighted Disney World's year, casting developments in community terms for the community leaders. In noting the strong growth of the Disney Vacation Club and the groundbreaking of its latest resort, Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas, Crofton pointed out that time-share investments commit tourists to return more frequently to Central Florida. Crofton announced that Disney and Jostens, the scholastic merchandise company, will build a 70,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art indoor-sports field house at Disney's Wide World of Sports. "We're thrilled with this announcement," she said, "because it will continue to drive visitation to our region." |
||
|
|
||
|
New Disney
Public Affairs website
Orlando Sentinel - Walt Disney World launched a community-oriented Web site Thursday that includes information ranging from the company's events to employee achievements.
The public affairs site -
wdwpublicaffairs.com
- also has links to other Disney Co. Web sites,
governments and community organizations, along with
other categories.
Jerry Montgomery, senior vice president of public affairs, called the site a clearinghouse of information on how Disney World interacts with the community, and how the community can get involved "with us to make a difference in Central Florida." "This is the latest step in our continued efforts to be a strong community partner," Montgomery said in a press release. |
||
|
|
||
|
Disney's dazzling
'Dreams'
USA Today - When it comes to wishing upon a star, Annie Leibovitz has far more influence than Jiminy Cricket. The famed photographer's reputation, combined with the allure of Disney, has sent a pop princess to Wonderland, a soccer stud to slay a dragon and an acclaimed actress scurrying slipperless down a staircase. Recruited by Disney to promote Disneyland and Walt Disney World's Year of a Million Dreams campaign, Leibovitz persuaded her famous friends to dress up as classic Disney characters. The first images in this ongoing series will appear in the March issues of Vogue, Vanity Fair, W, GQ, Conde Nast Traveller, Cookie and The New Yorker.
Because Cinderella is the favorite character of her 5-year-old daughter, Sarah, Leibovitz says, "princesses had to be dealt with." Scarlett Johansson was the first A-lister to sign on. She plays Cinderella, dashing down a staircase with the castle aglow in the distance. The image was photographed on the steps of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial on New York's Riverside Drive with Disney World's Cinderella castle digitally imposed behind her. "Scarlett Johansson couldn't wait to put on that tiara," Leibovitz says. The Harry Winston creation is valued at $325,000. The glass slipper was made for the shoot by Steuben. Says Johansson, 22, via e-mail, "It wasn't hard to coax my foot into the iconic glass slipper; it's every little girl's dream, mine included." Neither did Beyoncé Knowles require coaxing to dress up as Alice in Wonderland alongside Lyle Lovett as the March Hare and Oliver Platt as the mischievous Mad Hatter. "It was Annie's idea for me to play Alice," Knowles says. "If she wanted me to do it, I was up for it, because she's such a genius." Knowles, 25, says Alice was one of her favorite Disney characters growing up. And, she says, "it is my sister's (Solange Knowles) absolute favorite! She doesn't know I've done it yet, so she's going to get a real trip out of seeing me in the teacup. It was freezing cold in the teacup, but it didn't matter because we were all so excited and it was shot really fast." The Alice photo shoot took place in a field on Leibovitz's farm in upstate New York. "We had some teacups from Disneyland shipped in," Leibovitz says. "I hadn't realized that they each weighed several hundred pounds. We had to place them with a forklift. It took a whole day to do that, and then I couldn't move them, because the field was wet."
"I'm the prince, and I'm sort of slaying a dragon, which is something I've never done before, obviously," Beckham says in the Disney press materials. "When I was called about it and asked to do it, I was very honored and really looking forward to it, especially with Annie doing the pictures." Says Leibovitz: "It seemed perfect for David Beckham, who is a very masculine hero. Saving Sleeping Beauty came natural to him. He's a determined actor, and he became the Prince when he got on that white horse. He was serious about it. My daughter Sarah wanted to know where the dragon was, and I told her that I had left it out of the frame on purpose. I left figures like that up to the viewer's imagination." He describes himself as a "big kid" who loves to go to theme parks. A fan of Disney characters as a boy, Beckham is now enjoying seeing how these characters are perceived through the eyes of the three children (Brooklyn, 7, Romeo, 4, and Cruz, almost 2) he shares with his wife, Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham. "The role's reversed now," he says. "It's my sons that love the Disney characters and, you know, it's a big part of their lives; a big part of many children's lives around the world." |
||
|
|
||
|
'Grey's' doctor
is in treatment
AP - Isaiah Washington, who does the healing as a doctor on "Grey's Anatomy," is the patient now. He's in therapy for his use of an anti-gay slur against a castmate. "With the support of my family and friends, I have begun counseling. I regard this as a necessary step toward understanding why I did what I did and making sure it never happens again," Washington said in a statement Wednesday. "I appreciate the fact that I have been given this opportunity and I remain committed to transforming my negative actions into positive results, personally and professionally." Washington took a break from filming Tuesday to meet with gay rights activists and offer help in educating the public about the cruelty of such words, an offer the activists called sincere. Whether Washington was receiving outpatient counseling or had entered a facility was not specified, and the statement did not indicate whether he would miss work on the show. Washington's publicist, Kelly Mullens, declined to comment further. A call to ABC about the effect on production of the hit TV show was not immediately returned Wednesday. Series creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes issued her own statement, at once criticizing Washington for his use of the word "faggot" about co-star T.R. Knight and lauding Washington's decision to seek help. "I speak for all the executive producers here at `Grey's Anatomy' when I say that Isaiah Washington's use of such a disturbing word was a shocking and dismaying event that insulted not only gays and lesbians everywhere, but anyone who has ever struggled for respect in a world that is not always accepting of difference," Rhimes said. She said she's been working within "the `Grey's family" and with ABC and the Touchstone Television studio to address the issue "in a way that underscores the gravity of the situation while giving us all a foundation for healing." "We applaud and encourage Isaiah's realization that he needs help and his subsequent choice to seek immediate treatment for his behavioral issues," Rhimes said. She expressed appreciation to fans during this "stressful time" and said those involved with the show would continue to "make the best television we can." It was during an on-set quarrel last October with co-star Patrick Dempsey that Washington reportedly used the slur about Knight, who was not present. Although Washington apologized publicly at the time, the issue boiled up again at the Jan. 15 Golden Globes when he denied using the epithet. After being criticized last week by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and ABC, Washington issued an apology. He met Tuesday with the heads of GLAAD and Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, who said Washington agreed to efforts to fight bias but that no specifics were reached. ABC and Touchstone Television are owned by Walt Disney Co. |
||
|
|
||
|
Disney
flick made quite the impact Waterloo Record - It started with a Disney movie. That's how Bobby Ryan, the captain of the Owen Sound Attack, got hooked on hockey when he was a four-year-old growing up in Collingswood, N.J. "I had skated but the Mighty Ducks movie was what got me started," said Ryan, whose Attack visit the Kitchener Rangers tonight at 7:30 at the Aud. "I saw the movie. We signed up for classes learning how to play hockey just after that. Luckily, a lot of things fell into place for me. My mom took a job at a rink there. The ice was always available to me." In 2005, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks made Ryan, who has 293 career Ontario Hockey League points and is three points shy of passing Andrew Brunette to set a new franchise scoring record, the second-overall pick of the NHL draft. It all sounds sweetly perfect. A fairy-tale on ice beginning. A Ducky Hollywood ending. In between? Ryan's personal Fantasia trip had its dark, scary moments. When Ryan was 10, his father Bob came home late one night and, in a drunken rage, physically assaulted Bobby's mom. They were the Stevensons then. The family moved to California and changed their last names to Ryan. But his father's actions couldn't be escaped. Seven years ago next month, U.S. marshals burst into their Los Angeles-area home in the middle of the night and arrested Ryan's father. The dad was charged with attempted murder although his wife didn't want to press charges. A reduced charge of second-degree aggravated assault landed Ryan's father a four-year jail term. "There were a lot of dark times when my dad was away," said Ryan, who turns 20 on St. Patrick's Day. "It was just my mom and I." Ryan was home-schooled but his mom Melody had to work a couple of jobs to pay the bills and finance his hockey. "I had to teach myself through Grade 7, 8 and Grade 9," Ryan recalled. "She was so busy, I pretty much learned those grades on my own." Young Bobby had a job, too. He worked at a rink so he could get free ice. His mom worked at L.A. International airport as a customer service representative for an Asian airline. Her connections helped him get free flights for his elite-level hockey travels. "Those were tough times," Ryan said. "If it wasn't for hockey, we wouldn't have had to be doing either of those things. At some point, you look at it and say whether it was worth it or not. We made the decision to stick with it. Thank God we did." Things are pretty good now. Ryan's decision to play major junior hockey in Owen Sound has worked out well. He's a top NHL prospect and an OHL winger who is sure to hit 300 career OHL points by season's end. Even though his parents live separate lives, his family situation is much improved. His dad, who now goes by the name Shane Ryan, works in New Jersey at a gym owned by Philadelphia Flyers great Bobby Clarke. His mom, who had been living in Florida, recently moved back to Jersey and helps manage her cousin's upholstery shop. Both his parents come north to see Bobby play. His mom was up last weekend hoping to see Bobby set the team record. His dad has some troubles crossing the border because of his record. Ryan didn't expect either to be in Kitchener tonight or in Owen Sound tomorrow when the Attack host London. That's OK. Things are good. Ryan is more comfortable with his past and the incident of domestic violence that split his family apart. "Now, that my parents are around a little bit more, I think about it even more and how far we've come," he said. "Not just myself but, as a family, how far we've come since that day." Ryan handles adversity well. In December, the U.S. national junior team snubbed him by failing to invite Ryan back for a second worlds tour. The Attack have generally been a disappointment this season and, at one point, Ryan even had the 'C' stripped from him briefly. "Adversity is something you can learn from," Ryan said. "You can't help all the situations that have happened to you -- certainly, in past events and this year. You take everything with a grain of salt." Through it all, Ryan is often a stickhandling magician on the ice. His "backhand toe drag" manoeuvre last playoffs stunned the Rangers as the Attack put them out in the first round. This year, Ryan may have something up his sleeve for an OHL finale. Didn't the Mighty Ducks of the 1992 Emilio Estevez flick have a secret play? "They had the Flying V," Ryan recalled with a laugh. "That took all five guys though. That'd be a little harder to pull off nowadays, I think." |
||
|
|
||
|
Thursday January 25, 2007 |
||
|
First ‘Year of a Million Dreams’ Guests to Find ‘Suite
Dreams’ Cinderella's suite life Disney Animal Kingdom Villas officially announced National “Dream Jobs” Survey Reveals Four Out of Five Americans Are Still Searching For Their Dream Jobs Family Reunited at Cinderella's Castle in 'GMA' Contest Harry Winston Tiara and Steuben Glass Slipper Celebrate Opening of Cinderella Castle Suite The new look of clean! Dream a little China to Get 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' TV Show Buena Vista Publicity Promotes Warren Disney Unveils Innovative Unique Features for the Highly Anticipated Video Game Spectrobes Dino-slaying world of Disney Disney President Meg Crofton bears gifts Outsourcing at heart of Disney World labor talks 'Phantom' actress could be Ariel in Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' Miramax Get 1st Oscar Nod Post Weinstein Tickets on sale for Chicago area performances of Disney on Ice presents Princess Wishes Disney's Animated Classic "Peter Pan" Takes Flight at Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre Euro Disney says 1Q revenue up 5.8 pct. Disney Dining Plan: Deal or Drain on Your Walt Disney World Vacation? NYMF's Emerald Man Selected for Disney/ASCAP Workshop |
||
|
|
||
|
First ‘Year of a Million Dreams’ Guests to Find ‘Suite
Dreams’ A Michigan family has made history as the first Walt Disney World guests to win a night's stay inside Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom Park as part of the unique Disney Dreams Giveaway. The Fouch (pronounced like "couch") family of DeWitt, a small town near state capital Lansing, gained the key to the brand new Cinderella Castle Suite Thursday during "The Year of a Million Dreams," a Disney spectacular celebrating the dreams of guests at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California.
Like the Fouch family, they'll be honored in a special ceremony, dine at Cinderella's Royal Table restaurant, and bed down for the night amid the splendor of Cinderella Castle Suite some four stories above the surrounding Magic Kingdom -- a salon, bedchamber and bathroom off of a private marble-floored foyer, all replete with rich details. The Suite was created from unused space within the Magic Kingdom landmark once envisioned as in-park living quarters for members of the Disney family. The Fouches became the recipients of the opportunity to become honorary Disney royalty for a day and night because 16-year-old Brad Fouch was sitting in seat eight in the second row of Simulator 4 of the Disney-MGM Studios' Star Tours attraction at 9:50 a.m. Thursday. That was the randomly selected location and time determined by the Disney Dreams Giveaway computer to award the Cinderella Castle stay. "I was thinking I had the bad seat because I was sitting on the end," Brad said. "It's like a dream," Lisa exclaimed. Hannah added, "This is a dream come true!" And indeed, for Hannah, who celebrated her eighth birthday Monday, it was. Before the vacation to Walt Disney World Resort, she had seen a Disney commercial in which Cinderella dances with a little "princess" and told her mom, "That's what I want to do!" Winning the night in Cinderella Castle Suite marked the second bit of good fortune Thursday for the Fouch family. As they entered Star Tours, they won Dream FASTPASS badges that would allow them to bypass standby queues at a variety of Disney-MGM Studios attractions and shows during the day. "I never win anything!" Lisa Fouch said afterward. "Mom, you can never say that again," Brad responded. The Fouch family's historic dream-come-true capped a 24-hour period at Walt Disney World Resort that also featured the premiere of Nemo, the world's favorite clownfish, in a brand-new theatrical spectacular and the official opening of an attraction starring the cast of marine critters that enchanted audiences in the Disney(Pixar animated film "Finding Nemo." --The undersea world that charmed audiences around the world in the film comes to life in an all-new musical stage show, "Finding Nemo-The Musical," at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Featuring original songs, the 30-minute show immerses guests of all ages in the story of Marlin and Nemo, an overprotective clownfish father and his curious son, through a dazzling production that combines puppets, dancers, aerialists and animated backdrops. The theme park's newly enclosed Theater in the Wild becomes a magical undersea environment through innovative lighting, sound, special effects and fantastic theatrical puppetry. --"The Seas with Nemo & Friends," a whimsical and visually stunning attraction for guests of all ages, picks up where the motion picture "Finding Nemo" left off. Featuring technology that causes the stars of the motion picture to magically appear swimming amid the marine life of the huge aquarium in The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion (formerly The Living Seas) at Epcot, the adventure begins when guests board "clamobiles" for an undersea voyage in a colorful coral reef setting. They learn that Nemo has wandered off. The journey in search of Nemo includes familiar characters such as Dory, Bruce, Marlin, Squirt and Crush. These deep-sea friends inhabit a variety of vibrant vignettes, including the actual aquarium -- a 5.7-million-gallon saltwater environment containing more than 65 species of marine life. In the musical finale of the attraction, Nemo is happily reunited with his father and friends. "The Year of a Million Dreams" celebration also features new immersive entertainment that beckons guests to become part of the show and, coming this spring, Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club in Magic Kingdom, an immersive and interactive attraction in which guests can laugh, joke, match wits and laugh some more with comedian wannabes recruited by Mike Wazowski, the one-eyed hero from the Disney-Pixar animated film "Monsters, Inc." And for the first time, Disney is awarding more than a million Disney dreams large and small -- including many money-can't-buy experiences such as a night in the Cinderella Castle Suite -- to eligible guests and mail-in participants selected through a random process as part of the unique Disney Dreams Giveaway. During the celebration that continues throughout 2007, guests will be recipients of Disney dreams such as unique Disney vacation experiences, admission to special events in the Disneyland and Walt Disney World parks, a Dream FASTPASS badge to enjoy some of Disney's most popular attractions, exclusive pin and lanyard sets, and traveling to each Disney resort around the world to serve as grand marshal in a Disney parade. Can't be in the parks? You may still have a dream-come-true through a mail-in entry (details at www.disneyparks.com/rules. For example, mail-in winners could win prizes such as the Disney Vacation Club membership, grand marshal of a Disney parade around the world, exclusive trading pins or Dream Mouse Ears. Some prizes, such as a stay in the Castle at Walt Disney World Resort or the Mickey Mouse Penthouse at Disneyland Resort, require same-day use, so mail-in winners will receive a prize of comparable value. |
||
|
|
||
|
Cinderella's suite life Orlando Sentinel - Since it began its "Year of a Million Dreams" in October, Walt Disney World has been giving away vacations, dinners and mouse-ear hats, letting families have the Magic Kingdom to themselves for a morning, or seats in parade floats, or just little moments of stardom.  But
for many Disney fans, the centerpiece, the highlight --
and the most Disney of dreams in the company's big,
15-months-long promotional campaign -- begins today.For every night through the rest of the year, someone will get picked to sleep in Cinderella Castle. The Sentinel got an advance look Wednesday at the castle's new guest suite. The three rooms blend 17th-century decor and 21st-century amenities with a 1950 movie. "People just relate the castle with Disney magic. It's so emblematic," said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. "The notion that 'I could actually spend the night in Cinderella Castle' is so special to people. I've announced this to audiences multiple times. . . . Always spontaneous applause."  As
Disney and other tourist resorts enter 2007, they do so
with uncertainty in the wavering tourism economy beset
with nervous international travelers and domestic
visitors worried about gas prices and weather.Walt Disney World is opening a handful of new shows and attractions (Finding Nemo -- The Musical had its official premiere Wednesday night) that visitors expect. But it's the notion of Disney dream fulfillment that's creating buzz, and it's clearly showing up in sales and bookings, Rasulo said. Such dreams have included big and small giveaways, offered to randomly selected guests or write-in entrants. Far more often, they feature simpler, intimate moments arranged spontaneously by park employees, and those have been just as effective, Rasulo said. On Wednesday, for example, bakers at Magic Kingdom's Main Street Confectionery invited Tiffany and Savannah Hemond, twin 12-year-old daughters of Larry and Sue Hemond of Maine, to dress up in aprons and help make sweets while other customers watched.  "Things
small and large have had enormous responses," Rasulo
said. "We are just thrilled with how the dreammakers'
spontaneous events have been going. We're thrilled with
what we're seeing in Internet buzz, sales and bookings."Nothing has caused more buzz than the Cinderella Castle suite. People have always wanted to sleep there, long before the Year of a Million Dreams, said Eric Jacobson, senior vice president of creative development for Walt Disney Imagineering, the company that designs Disney attractions. When Walt Disney World was being planned, Walt and Roy Disney had envisioned a family apartment in the castle. But while the space was carved out midway up the castle, the apartment was never built. Disney World opened in 1971, and almost from the beginning, Disney planners talked about creating a place there for guests, Jacobson said.  "The
time was right to make it happen. Everybody got together
on our team and said, 'Let's do the suite! It's such a
great thing for our guests to talk about,' " Jacobson
said. "The idea of staying in the Magic Kingdom in the
castle is the most requested dream by our guests. If you
say, 'If you could do anything you want at Walt Disney
World, what would it be?' It's 'Stay in the castle.' "For seven months, Jacobson's team of engineers, designers, artists and craftsmen and Walt Disney World construction workers have been trying to figure out what Cinderella's guest rooms might be like, then building them. Now each day an eligible Walt Disney World guest will be selected randomly at a park or Downtown Disney by early afternoon, and he or she will be invited to stay in the castle with up to five family members or friends. The Disney staff will help them move in from wherever they are staying. The celebration ends Dec. 31. Disney officials say they have not decided what they will do with the rooms after that.  Starting
today, visitors will arrive by slipping through a door
in the castle breezeway. An elevator takes them to the
third floor, opening to a richly paneled foyer decorated
with stained glass, a mosaic floor, framed, original
Cinderella movie concept art by renowned Disney artist
Mary Blair, and a glass display case containing a single
glass slipper. Nearby, a 24-hour concierge will be on
hand to take care of their every need.Like the foyer, the entire 650-square-foot, three-room suite (roughly the size of many business hotel suites) is a mix of 17th-century French luxury, 21st-century conveniences, and 1950s-era Cinderella movie motifs.  "That
was the biggest challenge, blending the 17th century
with 21st-century amenities, and still keeping true to
our medieval castle," said the project's interior
designer, Cathy Carverof Imagineering.The two queen-size beds, tables, wardrobes, chairs and other furnishings are either antiques, with flourishes such as 24-karat gold inlays, or, as with a sofa bed, made to look like period pieces with custom-made touches. Two framed mirrors -- one in the parlor and one in the bedchamber -- transform themselves, at the touch of a remote button, into 37-inch LCD TVs. The 17th-century desk has inlaid wood and inlaid computer hookups. Bathroom sinks resemble wash basins; faucets resemble handpumps. A waterfall flows into the whirlpool spa tub. And throughout -- in the art, the stained glass, the carvings, the knick-knacks, -- are little reminders of house mice, the pumpkin carriage, the fairy godmother, the prince and Cinderella from the 1950 movie. "This is her home. You are now experiencing Cinderella's home. This is her guest suite," Carver said. |
||
|
|
||
|
Disney Animal Kingdom Villas officially announced WDW News - Disney Vacation Club is developing a new time-share resort on Walt Disney World property to meet ongoing strong demand for its unique vacation-ownership program. Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas will be located at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, which readers of Travel & Leisure Family magazine recently honored with the No. 4 spot on their list of the 50 greatest family resorts in the United States and Canada. "We continue to see strong demand from families who want to build a lifetime of unforgettable memories by vacationing in ways they never dreamed possible," said Jim Lewis, president of Disney Vacation Club. "I am delighted to announce that our members will have yet another place to call home with Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas. This begins another exciting new era for Disney Vacation Club as we continue to explore future destination possibilities both domestically and internationally." The Disney Vacation Club accommodations will feature intricate African-inspired details and home-like amenities, and most will offer sweeping views of an expanded savanna inhabited by a variety of African animals. Members who call this resort "home" will live their very own true-life adventure in a setting inspired by the intrepid explorers and historic expeditions of 19th century Africa. Walt Disney Imagineers are designing the new village of Vacation Homes to feel curiously at home in the natural world. The architectural style will evoke the look of a thatched-roof, hewn-timber structure that will appear to emerge organically from the land beneath it, drifting in and out of view from lush landscapes like a giraffe hiding in the tall grasses of the savanna. Add authentic artwork, imaginative architectural details and Disney's world-class brand of storytelling, and the result will be an immersive village unlike any other. These new accommodations are scheduled for development in phases with an anticipated opening beginning fall 2007, with completion scheduled for spring 2009. The project's first phase will include 134 remodeled accommodations on the fifth and sixth floors of the existing Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge building, and subsequent phases will include the construction of 324 Vacation Homes in a new building on the resort property, for a total of 458 Vacation Homes. The highly anticipated project also calls for construction of a new table-service restaurant, themed pool and water-play area, fitness center, merchandise shop, sports-and-recreation facilities and more. Disney Vacation Club, now celebrating its milestone 15th anniversary, is an innovative time-share program that lets families enjoy flexibility and savings on future vacations at Disney destinations and more than 500 other popular vacation sites around the world. Since 2000, Disney Vacation Club membership has doubled to include more than 300,000 individuals from more than 100 countries and every U.S. state. Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas will be the eighth Disney Vacation Club Resort, joining five others at the Walt Disney World Resort, one in Vero Beach, Fla., and one in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Disney Vacation Club has sold out of memberships at its first six resorts, and sales remain ahead of schedule at its seventh property, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, which opened in May 2004 near the Downtown Disney area at the Walt Disney World Resort. |
||
|
|
||
National “Dream Jobs” Survey Reveals Four Out of Five
Americans Are Still Searching For Their Dream Jobs WDW
News - CareerBuilder.com today announced the results of
a national consumer employment survey conducted by
Harris Interactive that reveals nearly four out of five
“Eighty-four percent of
Key Dream Job Attributes Salary was one of the least important factors in determining a dream job. Money ranked third (12 percent) compared to having fun at work (39 percent) which topped the list, followed by making a difference in society (17 percent). Rounding out the bottom three attributes were traveling and seeing the world (5 percent) and being creative within a position (5 percent).
Childhood Dream Jobs As children, excitement and imagination played a major role in defining career paths as most respondents polled dreamed of growing up to be a firefighter (22 percent), princess (17 percent) or professional dancer (16 percent). Tied at 14 percent were those who wanted to be a cowboy or President.
The majority of
As Disney is
traditionally the place ‘Where Dreams Come True,’
Disney’s domestic theme parks are giving Americans the
chance to live out their “Dream Jobs” in conjunction
with its “Year of a Million Dreams” celebration.
Interested parties 18 years and older are invited to
submit their virtual resumes online from January 24
through February 20 at
www.careerbuilder.com/disneydreamjobs
to win the opportunity to work at a Disney theme
park for one day. Participants will be asked to showcase
their most original and creative Disney resumes
including why they want to work at a Disney Park,
qualifications and skills for their desired position, as
well as why this is their Disney Parks “Dream Job.”
Five finalists will be selected for each “Dream Job” by
the public to win the chance to become a Jungle Cruise
Skipper, Haunted Mansion Butler or Maid, Apprentice
Pirate, Fantasyland Princess-in-Waiting or a Disney Park
Parade Performer. Winners will receive a trip to the
Disneyland Resort in
Between Walt Disney World
in
Findings by Profession
Findings by Region/Cities
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive
on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 6,169 workers
(employed full-time; not self employed), ages 18 and
over within the proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
With a pure probability sample of 6,169, one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results would have a sampling error of +/- 1 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples would be higher and would vary. However that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
About CareerBuilder.com CareerBuilder.com is the nation’s largest online job site with more than 23 million unique visitors and over 1.5 million jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB), and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), the company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com powers the career centers for more than 1,000 partners that reach national, local, industry and niche audiences. These include more than 150 newspapers and leading portals such as America Online and MSN. More than 250,000 employers take advantage of CareerBuilder.com's easy job postings, 19 million-plus resumes, Diversity Channel and more. Millions of job seekers visit the site every month to search for opportunities by industry, location, company and job type, sign up for automatic email job alerts, and get advice on job hunting and career management. For more information about CareerBuilder.com products and services, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com. |
||
|
|
||
|
Family Reunited at Cinderella's Castle in 'GMA' Contest |
||
|
|
||
|
Harry Winston Tiara and Steuben Glass Slipper Celebrate
Opening of Cinderella Castle Suite |
||
|
|
||
|
The new look of clean! |
||
|
|
||
|
Dream a little
The poll, conducted by Harris Interactive for
CareerBuilder.com, the national employment search Web
site, shows that Walt Disney theme parks hold an
allure for the majority of U.S. workers.
The survey found that 84 percent of workers aren’t
currently in their dream jobs. The more than 6,000
respondents said that having fun at work is the most
important attribute of a dream job, followed by making
a difference to society and money. Travel
opportunities and the chance to be creative ranked
much lower.
The poll also found that 57 percent of U.S. workers thought it would be fun to work at a Disney park. As part of the announcement, Disney said it would offer five one-day "dream jobs" in a competition to be held in conjunction with CareerBuilder. Candidates must be at least 18 years old, and
willing to submit an on-line resume before Feb. 20. "This is an opportunity to have a once-in-a-day dream," Disney Worldwide Operations President Al Weiss said. |
||
|
|
||
|
China to Get 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' TV Show
AP - Who wants to be a millionaire? Potentially hundreds of millions do in China. Dutch company 2waytraffic, which holds the rights to the popular TV quiz show, "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?" said Thursday that it has licensed a Chinese company to produce a local edition of the program. The show has been a hit for ABC Inc., which is owned by The Walt Disney Company.The Chinese deal marks the show's exposure to the world's largest potential viewership: China has about 1.3 billion people -- 20 percent of the global total. China Media Company will produce and air at least 104 episodes of the show nationally starting in May, 2waytraffic said in statement on its Web site. It won't be the first time the show has aired in the Chinese-speaking world, however. Hong Kong's ATV station launched a local version of the show several years ago, although it was broadcast in the southern Chinese dialect of Cantonese. The mainland Chinese edition likely will use Mandarin, the country's national language. |
||
|
|
||
|
Buena
Vista Publicity Promotes Warren TV Week - Buena Vista Television has promoted longtime publicity staple Barbara Warren to vice president of publicity for the distributor. In recent years, Ms. Warren has been running publicity efforts for Buena Vista talk show "Live with Regis and Kelly." Ms. Warren will continue to report to her current boss, Kim Harbin, vice president of publicity for Buena Vista. "Barbara has been an integral part of the BVT publicity team for more than a decade, spearheading key syndication launches including 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire,'" said Ms. Harbin. "She is great at what she does and is a wonderful human being." Ms. Warren joined Buena Vista in 1994 as publicity manager, but had been serving as executive director for the division since 2000. Prior to joining the syndicator, Ms. Warren was the senior marketing representative for Disneyland marketing, special projects, where she managed the marketing plans for special events. |
||
|
|
||
|
Disney Unveils Innovative Unique Features for the Highly
Anticipated Video Game Spectrobes BUSINESS WIRE -Spectrobes, Disney's eagerly awaited video game for the Nintendo DS, will not only take players on a captivating action-filled intergalactic journey, but will also introduce innovative new gameplay features designed specifically for the platform. Disney today announced that Spectrobes will include a unique code input card system, local wireless gameplay, Nintendo Wi-Fi downloadable content and a compatible online community. For the first time on the Nintendo DS, players will be able to use collectible trading cards to unlock additional content within the game using the touch screen. In addition, players will be able to download content via a Wi-Fi connection; play together locally using a wireless connection; and take advantage of online community features to extend the Spectrobes experience beyond the game. "With all of its innovative features on the Nintendo DS, Spectrobes delivers the type of engaging experience fans of action role-playing games are looking for," said Craig Relyea, vice president of marketing, Buena Vista Games. "Following in the footsteps of Kingdom Hearts, Spectrobes is another uniquely original game franchise that is rich in story, characters and unique gameplay features. The game features two junior Planetary Patrol officers named Rallen and Jeena who must save the galaxy by awakening, training and collecting prehistoric creatures called Spectrobes. These creatures hold the key to defeating merciless enemies known as the Krawl. Spectrobes fully utilizes aspects of the Nintendo DS, such as its revolutionary touch screen and microphone, through creative gameplay that includes excavating and awakening dormant creatures with the stylus and voice commands. Included in each Spectrobes game is a pack of four translucent lenticular code input cards, perfect for collecting and trading. Once players unlock the special ability in the game, they can fit a code input card over the Nintendo DS touch screen and use the stylus to consecutively tap numerical holes in the cards, unlocking new content, which includes creatures and minerals. Along with inclusion in game packages, additional trading cards will be available after the game's release. Once awakened and trained, Spectrobes are powerful creatures that can be used by Rallen to battle against the Krawl or other players and their creatures locally via wireless gameplay. Players can enter a one-on-one battle with a friend or participate in an organized tournament for up to 16 players. Players can also earn the ability to download content such as videos, creatures, custom parts and minerals through a Wi-Fi connection. Also, once connected to the Internet, the Nintendo DS will generate a personal planetary patrol badge number that can be synchronized to each player's profile page on the Spectrobes web site. Once connected to their game results, players' profiles will include information about their Spectrobes creatures, armor and weapons. In addition, a leader board on the web site will track the top scores from several special sequence battles in the game, allowing players to show their success to a global audience. Developed by Kyoto, Japan-based Jupiter Corporation, Spectrobes will be available worldwide on March 13, 2007. Spectrobes is rated E for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and will have a suggested retail price of $29.99. For more information about Spectrobes, please visit: www.spectrobes.com About Buena Vista Games Buena Vista Games, Inc. (BVG) is the interactive entertainment affiliate of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS). BVG publishes, markets and distributes a broad portfolio of multi-platform video games and interactive entertainment worldwide. The company also licenses properties and works directly with third-party interactive game publishers to bring products for all ages to market. For more information, please log on to www.bvg.com. About Jupiter Corporation With headquarters in Kyoto, Japan, Jupiter Corporation designs and develops interactive entertainment software and publishes video game titles licensed by Nintendo. Jupiter's motto is "Let's Play! Let's Smile!" and they continue to push boundaries with innovation and creativity. For more information, please log on to http://www.jupiter.co.jp/company/ Nintendo DS is a trademark of Nintendo. |
||
|
|
||
|
Dino-slaying
world of Disney Sun Media - What would Walt think about a Disney-published video game that sees gritty futuristic soldiers gunning down one another with all manner of weapons, or fending off murderous dinosaurs by stabbing the beasts repeatedly in the throat, sending fountains of blood gushing everywhere? Actually, Walt might have thought it was kind of cool. But Buena Vista Games, the Mouse House's video-games division, is well aware that they're stepping outside the realm of Chicken Little and Kim Possible with Turok, a man-versus-man-versus-dinosaur shooter slated to hit the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 later this year. It's certainly not the first time a Disney property has trod into adult-themed territory -- the formerly Disney-owned movie studio Miramax was responsible for everything from the Hellraiser films to Kill Bill -- but until now, the bloodless virtual world of the 2003 shooter Tron 2.0 was about as close as Buena Vista Games got to overt violence in its offerings. The new Turok game won't be classified by the Entertainment Software Rating Board until it's complete, but Buena Vista Games acknowledges that the 17-years-and-older "Mature" rating is a given, making it the first Disney video game aimed at adults. And how. "Definitely, it's not insignificant, it's something they treat with a great deal of respect and caution," says Josh Holmes, whose Vancouver-based studio, Propaganda Games, is hard at work on bringing Turok to life for the game's release in the second half of 2007. Taking Disney into a new and possibly controversial realm of violent video games isn't the only burden that Propaganda is shouldering. They're also keenly aware that the Turok video game franchise has hundreds of thousands of devoted fans, going back as far as 1997's critically acclaimed Turok: Dinosaur Hunter on the Nintendo 64. But each new sequel was less and less well received, and the franchise finally petered out with 2002's disappointing Turok: Evolution, two years before then-publisher Acclaim Entertainment went belly-up. Holmes says the new Turok game will be a "reboot" of sorts for the series, similar to the way Batman Begins breathed new life into the Caped Crusader after the craptacular Batman & Robin all but destroyed the franchise. But the game will also be reinventing the character of Turok himself, morphing him from a warrior who finds himself in a mystical lost world to a grizzled futuristic commando, battling a rogue comrade-in-arms on a planet populated by genetically altered dinosaurs. "The main connections (to the previous Turok games) are the character's name is Turok, he's Native American, there's a bit of a sense of spirituality, he's in a lost land full of dinosaurs and he's on an epic journey to survive," says Holmes. The Sun was the only North American newspaper invited to a recent demonstration of the work-in-progress Xbox 360 version of Turok at Propaganda Games' offices in Vancouver, where members of the development team showed off the game's crisp visuals (Turok uses a modified version of the Unreal Engine 3 software, the technology driving the Xbox 360 blockbuster Gears Of War) and demonstrated a handful of levels that are close to completion. While the story will revolve around Turok's mission to stop his former special forces mentor and the madman's army of human soldiers, the dinosaurs are arguably the game's biggest stars, ranging from ruthless Velociraptor-like hunters to a lumbering T-Rex dubbed Scarface. The game's wide variety of thunder-lizard fauna will be essentially neutral, and can be manipulated by clever players into acting as unwitting allies. In one demonstration, we saw Turok use a flare attachment on one of his many firearms to lure curious raptors into a squad of enemy soldiers. The resulting bloodbath took care of the bad guys without Turok firing a shot. "At the end of the day, we found ourselves trying to infuse elements that have nothing to do with dinosaurs, like lions hunting on the savannah and how they stalk and attack their prey in packs," says Holmes. "Even films like 28 Days Later and Dawn Of The Dead, the ravenous, never-stop quality of the zombies in that was another big inspiration -- how we can infuse that almost meth-addicted zombie feel to our raptors so they scare the crap out of you." And they do. When a raptor gets close to Turok, the beast will leap on top of him while the camera pulls out to a third-person perspective. In some cases, surviving the encounter will require pounding furiously on a controller button to repeatedly stab the monster in the throat. It's intense, to say the least. In another level, Turok battles a massive sea serpent-like monstrosity that won't be found in any paleontology textbooks. The encounter takes place in a cave surrounding an underground lake, and destroying the beast requires luring it close to geysers of flammable gas and igniting them with weapons fire. Propaganda's vision for the new Turok is broad, and the game will include everything from stealthy assassinations to drivable vehicles to a robust online multiplayer component. It's a departure from the Turok games of yesteryear, and certainly from the comic book franchise that originally spawned the character in 1954. But Holmes is confident that fans old and new will take to the new Turok like a T-Rex to a freshly killed Brachiosaurus. "At its essence, games are about gameplay, and we're trying to go back to all the things that were cool about the game experiences we had in Turok," says Holmes. "That idea of entering into this magical outdoor world and exploring that and being frightened and shocked and awed by these creatures that are there." As for Disney, Holmes says that Buena Vista Games, who acquired Propaganda Games in 2005, fully supports the vision of the new Turok, and the company is eager to reach out to a more adult-oriented audience in addition to the young'uns served by its family-friendly fare. Still ... "I'm not sure if you'd asked them a year and a half ago how they feel about stabbing a raptor in the gullet and watching blood spew out of it, whether they'd be like, 'Wow, that sounds exciting,' " says Holmes. Rest in peace, Walt. If you can. |
||
|
|
||
|
Disney President Meg Crofton bears gifts Orlando Sentinel - Walt Disney World President Meg Crofton made her first appearance this morning before Central Florida community leaders and she came bearing gifts.
Disney will contribute to the proposed new Orlando
downtown performing arts center, she said at Disney's
annual community leadership breakfast. She did not
reveal details but assured the gathering of
politicians and business, social and government
leaders that it would be significant.
Crofton also announced that Disney, together with Jostens, the scholastic merchandise company, would be building a new indoor sports facility at Disney's Wide World of Sports. The 70,000-square-foot new facility would pick up some of the load now carried by the frequently overflowing Milk House fieldhouse.
Crofton, named Disney World president in August, said
she had asked the community for time to get started at
Walt Disney World, and the community granted her that
time. Now, she said, she's ready to get more engaged
in the community, starting soon by taking a seat on
the Economic Development Commission board.
Beyond that, she said she and her predecessor Al Weiss, who continues to live and work in Central Florida, will be splitting responsibilities toward the community. She noted that Weiss was a critical player last year in getting the Burnham Institute to agree to locate research facilities in Central Florida, and in getting state approval for the University of Central Florida to open a medical college. Weiss will continue on those projects, Crofton said, while she looks for her own. |
||
|
|
||
|
Outsourcing at heart of Disney World labor talks
San Diego Union Tribune - At Walt Disney World, where employees are called “cast members,” almost 500 outside contractors recently have joined the show, putting outsourcing front and center in labor talks that opened this week. The Florida theme park's largest union contract,
set to expire on April 28, is at stake. “We're starting to see a pattern,” Miller said. “And when the canary dies in the mine shaft, we want to fix the problem before all the miners die.” Neither the union nor Disney management will reveal publicly, or to each other, the dollar value or other details of their initial bargaining positions until a meeting scheduled for March 6. Both sides agree that wages, pensions, health care, scheduling and seniority also will be top items for negotiation. On the outsourcing issue, Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty said the company had used outside contractors since 1971, but offers displaced employees other jobs at comparable pay. “Recent initiatives have impacted fewer than 600 jobs, which represents approximately 1 percent of our work force of nearly 60,000 cast members,” Prunty said. “We will continue to look for ways to staff our resort in a smart and efficient way and, on occasion, we will work with appropriate external partners when it makes sense to do so.” Since 2005, while the current contract was in force, Miller said Disney had subcontracted or announced plans to subcontract 200 valet and baggage handler jobs in hotels, 235 custodial positions and 49 stagehand jobs in Orlando. Earlier this month, the company announced plans to subcontract food service in the company cafeteria at Disneyland in California, which doesn't affect the Orlando union but raises a red flag, Miller said. “It appears to be a signal of the direction Disney is going in and that makes work preservation a major issue for our members,” Miller said. “What good is it to have good jobs if they're subcontracted and disappear?” The Service Trades Council represents food and beverage workers, staff in hotel services, bus, monorail and watercraft drivers, lifeguards, vacation planners, housekeepers and custodians, and people working in attractions, as stage techs and as characters. |
||
|
|
||
|
'Phantom' actress could be Ariel in Disney's 'The
Little Mermaid'
International Herald Tribune - When "The Little Mermaid," Disney's next big Broadway musical, tries out this summer in Denver, it is expected to star a hometown actress, according to The Denver Post newspaper. Sierra Boggess has been offered the title role of Ariel, the newspaper reported Thursday, quoting the performer's father, Mike Boggess. He told the Post the offer was made Jan. 23, although a contract has not yet been signed. "Casting is still in progress for the production," Disney spokesman Chris Boneau said Thursday. "We hope to be able to announce the cast in the next couple of weeks." The 24-year-old Boggess, who has appeared in the touring company of "Les Miserables," currently is starring as Christine in the Las Vegas production of "The Phantom of the Opera." Based on the hit Disney animated feature and Hans Christian Anderson tale about a young mermaid who yearns to live on land, "The Little Mermaid" will open Dec. 6 in New York at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Preview performances begin Nov. 3. The show, directed by Francesca Zambello, will play in Denver from July 26-Sept. 9. An opening is set for Aug. 23. "The Little Mermaid" has a book by Doug Wright, author of the Tony Award-winning "I Am My Own Wife." The score will feature songs from the movie by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, who died in 1991, as well as new material by Menken and lyricist Glen Slater. |
||
|
|
||
|
Miramax Get 1st Oscar Nod Post Weinstein AP - Tuesday's nomination of the British royalty drama "The Queen" marks the first best picture nod for Miramax Films since its founders Harvey and Bob Weinstein parted ways with the Walt Disney Co., which owns Miramax. The brothers started their own independent label, The Weinstein Co., in 2005. The company has spent the last 15 months raising $1.2 billion and building the distribution infrastructure it needs to compete with other specialty film companies. Hollywood insiders speculated that when the Weinsteins departed, they would take their uncanny ability to produce Oscar-winning films with them, leaving Miramax to concentrate on smaller, inexpensive films that might make money, but not earn prizes. Under the Weinsteins, Miramax produced a series of Oscar winners, including "The English Patient," "Shakespeare in Love" and "Chicago." If Tuesday's nominations are an indication, the studio that continues to bear the names of their parents, Miriam and Max, might just surprise everybody. "If we continue to make the smart choices that have led to us being where we are at this point, if those movies we have lined up for next year can continue that, those sort of question marks will disappear altogether," Miramax president Daniel Battsek told The Associated Press Tuesday. Battsek said he considers the Weinsteins to be able competitors and expects to face off against them in the future. "With all these great movies, we expect to be a big competitor in next year's Oscar race," Harvey Weinstein said in a statement, referring to the studio's 2007 lineup. "We congratulate Miramax for 'The Queen' and are proud to be distributing 'The Queen' in Latin America," Weinstein said. In 2005, the last year the Weinsteins ran Miramax, they had two films in Oscar contention -- the Martin Scorsese epic "The Aviator" and the smaller Johnny Depp vehicle "Finding Neverland." Neither film won. Last year, the Miramax distributed film "Tsotsi" won the Oscar for best foreign language film. |
||
|
|
||
|
Tickets on sale for Chicago area performances of Disney
on Ice presents Princess Wishes ABC7Chicago - Tickets went on sale January 5th, for Disney On Ice presents Princess Wishes, an all-new skating spectacular featuring Disney's most memorable princesses. Cinderella, Jasmine, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Mulan and Snow White will all appear in the live production, which runs January 24 - 28 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., then moves to Chicago's United Center, Jan. 30 - Feb.11.
Produced by Feld Entertainment, Disney On Ice presents
Princess Wishes is an inspiring tale which recreates
the defining moments when seven Disney princesses'
wishes are fulfilled. The new touring show takes
audiences to a place where imaginations soar and
anything can happen if they just believe. Ariel's
dreams are unlocked from under the sea and, in one
magical moment, she finds happiness in an exploration
above the waves. Mulan uncovers inner strength,
Jasmine discovers a whole new world and Snow White
finds her one true love. Wishes also come true for
Cinderella, Belle and Sleeping Beauty.
"Before dreaming up this edition of Disney On Ice, we reflected on what makes Disney's princesses so special," said Producer Kenneth Feld. "It didn't take long to realize that every princess had one thing in common: they all embarked on an adventure to find their heart's fondest wish, and through believing, their wishes came true. We wanted to share that inspirational message with our audiences by celebrating the stories of these enchanting characters." Adapting the inspirational moments of these beloved princesses to the ice presented an interesting challenge to the creative team that collaborated on Disney On Ice presents Princess Wishes. To cause audiences to re-experience the emotions evoked by the films required glittering sets, dramatic lighting, breathtaking choreography and a few surprises. Tickets for Disney On Ice presents Princess Wishes became available January 5 at the Allstate Arena Box Office, 6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont, Ill., the United Center Box Office, 1901 W. Madison St., Chicago, all Ticketmaster locations, and on the web at www.ticketmaster.com. To order tickets by phone, call (312) 559-1212. Ticket prices are $13, $18 and $25, with a limited number of $55 V.I.P. and $70 front row seats available. All Opening Night tickets at the Allstate Arena and United Center will be $12, excluding V.I.P. seats. Groups, call (847) 891-8916 for Allstate Arena tickets or (312) 455-7469 for United Center tickets. For general show information, call the Allstate Arena at (847) 635-6601 or the United Center at (312) 455-4500. To learn more about Disney on Ice, log on to www.disneyonice.com. |
||
|
|
||
|
Disney's Animated Classic "Peter Pan" Takes Flight at
Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre
Buena Vista Pictures - A generous sprinkling of pixie dust, special live appearances at each show by Tinker Bell, and an opening night extravaganza is in store for moviegoers as Walt Disney's animated classic "Peter Pan" makes its big screen digital debut at Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre from February 1st-15th, it was announced today (January 24, 2007) by Lylle Breier, senior vice president of worldwide special events for Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. This special two-week engagement, which heralds the March 6th arrival of an all-new 2-disc Platinum Edition DVD, will feature a newly restored digital version of the film with enhanced picture and sound. Adding to the excitement on opening night (Thursday, February 1st), veteran Disney producer Don Hahn ("The Lion King," "Beauty and the Beast," etc.) will lead a special panel discussion at the 7:00 pm show. Highlighting the evening will be a reunion of the actors who voiced Wendy and John Darling (Kathryn Beaumont-Levine and Paul Collins), plus appearances by Margaret Kerry (the live-action reference model for Tinker Bell), legendary animation star June Foray (who voiced and posed for characters in the film), and other surprises. Tickets for all performances can be purchased at the El Capitan box office, online at www.elcapitantickets.com, or by calling 1-800-DISNEY6. Special group rates for parties of 20 or more are available by calling 1-818-845-3110. Daily showtimes are 10:00 am, 12:15 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:45 pm, 7:00 pm, and 9:15 pm. Commenting on the announcement, Breier said, "We're delighted to be presenting the digital debut of 'Peter Pan' at the El Capitan Theatre in advance of its new Platinum Edition DVD release. This film is one of the great Disney classics and we know that audiences are going to have a great time seeing it on the big screen in all its digitally restored splendor. With a surprise-filled opening night panel, and the live appearance by Tinker Bell at every show, we'll be offering the best show this side of Never Land. There will be lots of fun, fantasy and magic throughout this engagement, and don't forget, 'Peter Pan' is the perfect movie to see on Valentine's Day." Originally released in 1953, Walt Disney's "Peter Pan" is an enchanting animated adaptation of J.M. Barrie's classic tale of a magical boy who refuses to grow up. Accompanied by the three Darling children - Wendy, John, and Michael - Peter flies back to Never Land where they encounter the Lost Boys, Indians, Mermaids, and the treacherous pirate Captain Hook. When Peter's fairy pal, Tinker Bell, becomes jealous of his attentions toward Wendy and is duped into helping Captain Hook, Peter must fly into action to save the day and get his friends "off the Hook." Filled with memorable music (including "You Can Fly" and "The Second Star to the Right"), colorful animation, and fantastic characters, "Peter Pan" soared to the top of the box office and became a favorite with movie fans all over the world. The film was directed by Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, and Wilfred Jackson. The vocal cast includes Bobby Driscoll as Peter, Kathryn Beaumont as Wendy, Paul Collins as John Darling, and Hans Conreid as Captain Hook. On March 6th, 2007, Walt Disney Home Entertainment will release the special 2-Disc Platinum Edition of Walt Disney's "Peter Pan," brimming with fantasy, fun, and new bonus features. For this new "limited time only" release, the film has undergone an extensive digital restoration and features a new 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix. Among the highlights of the 2-Disc set: "The Peter Pan That Almost Was" - a never-before-seen alternate opening set in Never Land (instead of the Darlings' home), "In Walt's Words - Why I Made Peter Pan!" in which Walt reveals in his own words why he made the film, "You Can Fly: The Making of Peter Pan," three all-new multi-level games, a sneak peek at the all-new "Tinker Bell" movie and much more! |
||
|
|
||
|
Euro
Disney says 1Q revenue up 5.8 pct. BusinessWeek - Euro Disney SCA, the operator of two Disney theme parks outside Paris, on Thursday said revenue in the fiscal first quarter rose 5.8 percent, driven by strong Halloween and Christmas park entries and hotel occupancy. Sales rose to euro284.1 million ($364.1 million) in the three months through December from euro268.5 million in the year-earlier period, the company said in a statement. Revenue from Euro Disney's theme parks rose 9.9 percent to euro153.6 million ($196.8 million), reflecting an 8 percent rise in attendance and a 2 percent increase in guest spending. Revenue from hotels and Disney Village operations rose 8.4 percent to euro108.7 million ($139.3 million), with hotel occupancy rates rising 5.6 percent. Euro Disney Chairman and Chief Executive Karl Holz said the quarterly performance was "encouraging" for the fiscal full year, which ends Sept. 30. |
||
|
|
||
|
Disney Dining Plan: Deal or Drain on Your Walt Disney
World Vacation? Business Portal 24 - 'Twas a time, not many years ago, when we considered Disney's vacation packages and their add-on options with skepticism. Buy a dining package? Ridiculous! You had to overeat at only the most expensive restaurants to get your money's worth. But Disney changed all that with the introduction of the Disney Dining Plan package add-on for Magic Your Way vacation packages. |
||
|
|
||
|
NYMF's Emerald Man Selected for Disney/ASCAP Workshop Broadway World - The rock musical EMERALD MAN, a modern-day Don Quixote complete with comic books and superheroes, has been chosen for the 2007 ASCAP Foundation/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop in Los Angeles. It is one of 4 musicals selected out of 170 submissions. This news comes just months after the show's world-premiere as part of the 2006 New York Musical Theatre Festival Next Link Series. Presented by NYMF, in association with Kim Vasquez of Gray Lady Entertainment, Inc. "We're hearing a lot of "yes" these days," says bookwriter/lyricist Janet Cole Valdez, A former Motown staff songwriter, Janet co-wrote the show with composers Marc Bosserman and Tom Valdez. The three have numerous pop music, film and TV credits among them. The Burbank readings will feature an all-new Los Angeles cast which includes Jonathan Goldstein, co-star of Nickelodeon series Drake and Josh. Other cast members are Justin Alston, Justis Bolding, Sacha P. Comrie, Ryan Cusino, Steven Cutts, Jazz Emery, Tricia Kelly, Deedee O'Malley, Rob O'Brien, and Jon Statham. Mel Nelson is music director. The show will be presented in two segments, the first on January 29th and the second on February 20th, on the Disney lot in Burbank. EMERALD MAN, originally inspired by a true story, features a powerful pop/rock score. According to Valdez, "EMERALD MAN has been picking up steam online among young fans, ever since our songs were posted to our website. We regularly get emails from self-proclaimed EMERALD MAN fanatics all over the world, using terms like 'obsessed with the show' and 'can't stop listening.'" The ASCAP Foundation/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop is part of an ongoing series of workshops sponsored by The ASCAP Foundation to nurture new American musicals. |
||
|
|
||
|
Wednesday January 24, 2007 |
||
|
Swashbuckling Thrills and Royal Girls -- Now at the
Magic Kingdom Walt Disney World Wins 2006 Florida Energy Achievement Award Disney Sets 'Pirates,' 'Cars' Blu-ray Dates Hannah Montana Inc. FogScreen Walk-Through Screen Creates Effects on Disney's "Enchanted" Promo Tour Disney Theatrical Productions Announces Plans for 2007 Tapping the Stuff Dreams Are Made Of Disney's 5th Avenue Store Hosts BC/EFA Event January 28 Concert brings in $4,000 for Disney trip USA Field Hockey’s Newest Event to Debut with Disney’s Field Hockey Showcase We're going to Disney World |
||
|
|
||
|
Swashbuckling Thrills and Royal Girls -- Now at the
Magic Kingdom Disney Insider - Walt Disney World Resort has always been a place where dreams come true. And starting this week, Guests have the chance to live out two of the most popular fantasies around. If you've always wanted be a jolly buccaneer or discover your inner royalty, Disney's Princess and Pirate Party is for you. From swashbuckling tutorials and dance parties to a spectacular parade and fireworks show, this is a special opportunity that's not quite like anything the Magic Kingdom Park has done before. For just 13 nights through March, a ticket to the party (you'll need a special party ticket, which includes Park admission during party hours) buys you a magical experience. We talked to show director Tara Anderson while the event was in the final planning stages to learn what to expect -- and to get a few tips for getting the most out of the experience.  "Basically,
Mickey and Minnie are hosting a party that combines two
of their favorite things -- swashbuckling adventure and
royal romance," she says. "This is a party where we're
letting our Guests to become the pirate or princess of
their dreams. We have got areas set up all over the Park
-- Pirate Coves and Princess Courts -- where they can
meet their favorite Princesses or pirates. We have
treasures throughout the Magic Kingdom that they can
collect -- beads and chocolate coins and other chocolate
treasures. We're giving them a little bag to put them
in. We also have a brand-new fireworks show and a
brand-new parade as part of this event." Practically every area of the Park has something special to see and do: in Tomorrowland, you'll find break-dancing space pirates and an out-of-this-world DJ dance party. In Mickey's Toontown Fair, there's the Princess Pavilion -- the best bet for autograph seekers. Toontown is also the site of the Pirate Playground -- if you want to play Dunk the Pirate or Catapult the Treasure, you're in luck. Another Dance Party in Fantasyland will give Guests a chance to boogie down with Sebastian and Flounder, rarely encountered in person. Adventureland hosts the Pirates of the Caribbean (of course!) and is also the site for Princess Jasmine's Court. That's where you'll find Princess Jasmine's Royal Guard Recruitment -- "it's an activity-type show where kids can come up and try some moves with their invisible scimitars, provided by Genie, to see if they have what it takes to protect the Princess," Tara explains. Tara recommends staking out a spot on Main Street USA for the grand parade. And she warns us that it's not something you'll want to miss! "We have beautiful new music and costumes. It's called Disney's Enchanted Adventures Parade. The Enchanted Adventures Song is the main song -- it's all about stepping into a story and entering into an adventure. We have a Jolly Roger Flag Corps, with the kind of flag work you see in marching bands with color guards. That's something we haven't done before. We're taking the parade to a place we haven't been in the Magic Kingdom, so that's very exciting to me." If you watched the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade, you got a little sample from this parade -- the pirate ship float. A crew of daring stunt buccaneers will bring this beautiful vessel to rollicking life. "We're going to have stunt pirates on there swinging from the mast and climbing the ratlines and sword-fighting and all kinds of stuff. It's very exciting! We're also going to have knights on horseback, and Jasmine and Ali riding horses. It's just going to be beautiful," Tara sighs. As if that's not enough, the nights are capped off with a brand-new fireworks display. "Our fireworks show is going to be terrific. It's called Magic, Music, and Mayhem, and it's going to feature all the Princess themes and magical characters like the fairies, and also pirates (of course!) and Tinker Bell. Also, for the first time at the Magic Kingdom, Tinker Bell will appear in our parade." She concludes "I think it's for everybody! Children will love it, but so will kids at heart. Pirates have such a wide appeal, and I think everybody (me included) likes to dress up now and then and feel pretty, and be treated like royalty. I just think there's going to be lots to do ... and you have a bag of booty when you're done!" Disney's Princess and Pirate Party runs selected nights from now through March 8. The Party hours are from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. -- plenty of time to dance, explore -- and dream. |
||
|
|
||
|
Walt Disney World Wins 2006 Florida Energy Achievement
Award UCF News - Walt Disney World’s “Strive for Five” energy reduction program has won the second-annual Florida Energy Achievement Award. The award is presented by the “Choosing the winner of this year's competition was especially hard because we had a number of high-quality applications from private companies and utilities who are conducting energy-saving programs in the state and achieving significant results,” said Jim Fenton, director of FSEC. “Our committee felt, though, that Disney's innovative, company-wide program designed to reduce overall energy consumption by 5 percent by involving everyone from management to cast members stood out because of its wide impact as well as its individual components.” Disney’s program includes a Web-based Utility Report Card distributed monthly with data on energy use, including comparisons between individual Disney areas. That approach helped to foster a spirit of competition among area managers. Disney also has an Energy Star Team that meets monthly to share and discuss best practices. “Not only are they meeting their energy-saving goals and getting their employees motivated to save energy in their homes, but they are making this program an integral part of their management goals and using creative programs to make it successful,” Fenton said. “I hope that their work inspires other companies in the state to make energy-saving an integral part of their work." The first Florida Energy Achievement Award was presented in 2005 to Sarasota County government for its many programs that reduce organizational energy use, conserve water, and provide support to other agencies and businesses in that community. Companies, organizations and individuals interested in applying for the 2007 award should visit www.fsec.ucf.edu this fall for details and an application. The |
||
|
|
||
|
Disney
Sets 'Pirates,' 'Cars' Blu-ray Dates High-Def DVD Digest - In what are sure to be three of the biggest-selling next-gen titles yet, Disney has set Spring street dates for the Blu-ray releases of the blockbuster 'Pirates of the Caribbean' films, and Pixar's first high-def title, 'Cars.' Just in time for the theatrical release of the third 'Pirates' epic, Disney has set a May 22 voyage for 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.' These guaranteed huge sellers will be followed on June 5 by 'Cars,' the Pixar hit and current favorite for this year's Best Animated Film Oscar. The dates recently began filtering to online retailer outlets earlier this week, and Disney has trumpeted the news in a full-page ad in the print version of this week's Video Business, the industry trade paper. The Official Blu-ray Group, of which Disney is a member, today also added the announcements to the upcoming release schedule on their official website. Though no official press release has been issued as of yet, word to High-Def Digest from the studio is that full details are on the way soon. So we'll certainly keep you posted on tech specs, bonus features and box art as soon as word arrives on these highly-anticipated releases. In the meantime, we've updated the listings for all three titles to our complete Blu-ray Release Schedule. We also set up dedicated threads for these latest Disney titles in our new Forums area -- click the following links to discuss the 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' Blu-ray release, the 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' Blu-ray release and the 'Cars' Blu-ray release. |
||
|
|
||
|
Hannah Montana Inc. For more than half a century the fairy from Peter Pan has been a signature Disney character. Lately, though, she's been sharing the spotlight with a newcomer to the Magic Kingdom: Hannah Montana. Since its March debut, the Disney Channel series hasn't just been a huge hit with kids and 'tweens; it's become a ubiquitous franchise. That isn't anything new for the media empire responsible in recent years for the "Lizzie McGuire" show, "That's So Raven," and "High School Musical." But Disney raised the decibel level with Hannah.
"Hannah Montana is really an in-the-zeitgeist kind of thing," says Paul Yanover, executive vice president of Disney Online. Of course, the show never would have succeeded without its bubbly star, 14-year-old Miley Cyrus, daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, best known for his top 40 hit "Achy Breaky Heart." Miley Cyrus plays Miley Stewart, a seemingly normal kid at Seaview Middle School who, unbeknownst to her classmates, is also Hannah Montana, a rock star not unlike Hilary Duff, who made her name as Lizzie McGuire. Billy Ray plays her dad, giving the series a reality-show twist. Says Rich Ross, Disney Channel Worldwide president: "It's art imitating life imitating art." The result is a thoroughly modern sitcom with an age-old Disney message: It's great to be a star, but it's more important to be a regular kid. No wonder Hannah is fitting in just fine with Tinker Bell. Four our interview with Miley Cyrus, Fortune brought in an expert - Faith Leonard, the writer's 11-year-old daughter - to ask some of the questions. Here's that interview. Some say the character you play on Hannah Montana is as important to the company right now as Pirates of the Caribbean's Captain Jack Sparrow. How does that feel? That's awesome! I haven't heard that. Disney's awesome. We're all a big family here. We're always hanging out with stars from other shows. Have you met any of the head honchos at Disney, such as CEO Bob Iger? Yeah, they're really cool. You appreciate that because when you go into the Disney Channel building - where you audition - you're like a nervous wreck. Why do you think Hannah Montana is so popular around the world? I think everybody has a goal or a dream, and just showing an average girl having her dream come true and still being able to balance her friends and her school is something they relate to. She's this big Hilary Duff-type celebrity, but that's as important on the show as her homework and her family and friends. Wouldn't it be easier for Miley Stewart to be Hannah all the time? I think she definitely likes being able to chill with her friends and her family and have a normal life. Personally, I wouldn't want to be Hannah all the time. That wig is really itchy! Any thoughts on where you're going to be in five years? Do you worry about turning out like Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears? That has definitely crossed my mind. I definitely don't want that to happen. But I really have a good family and good friends who are going to keep that from happening. Is it easier to do the show with your real dad playing the role of your dad?* It helps a lot. If he wasn't there, it probably wouldn't be what it is. The chemistry between us is really cool. What do you think of the song "Achy Breaky Heart"? Oh, my gosh! We listened to that song so much when we were younger, we don't even listen to it anymore. *These questions were asked by Faith Leonard. Fortune's Devin Leonard and his 11-year-old daughter Faith recently caught up with Hannah Montana's Miley Cyrus and talked to her about the duality of Hannah, the perils of teenage celebrity and the importance of chilling out with your "peeps." Here are more answers from Disney's biggest new star. Do you ever wish you had a secret identify that you could use to hide from the pressures of celebrity? Sometimes when I'm out with all my friends and things get so crazy, I can¹t go shopping with them anymore and I have to leave, I kind of wish I had a little bit of a secret identity. But I like meeting the fans. How long do you think the Hannah Montana phenomenon will last? I don't know. I love doing it. I hope it can go on as long as possible. When the show is done filming, we¹ll still have a lot of episodes coming out because we film a lot in advance. But it's going to be sad not to do them everyday. We have a lot of fun on the set. We've been together for two years. we just love each other. Tell us about your media consumption habits. Do you have a Blackberry? An iPod? Oh, my gosh! My Sidekick is always with me. I have my e-mail on there, which I'm always getting from managers and all those guys. That's where I have my business I've got AOL instant messenger. That's for all my friends and then my phone. I'm always on my phone, but I'm obsessed with my Sidekick. I don't go anywhere without it. What do you watch on TV? I'm not a big reality show person. I never got into American idol. I've never seen an episode. But I'm going to get into it this season for sure because everybody talks about it. So that's my new thing that I'm going to get into. Disney plans to create a virtual world based on the Hannah Montana show as part of the new Disney.com. Have you seen it or talked to the company about it? Yeah, they are going to be doing a lot of cool things with the Internet Who do you relate to more: Miley or Hannah? Both. My life is kind of that double life type thing. So I think Miley When I'm hanging out with my family and my friends. When I'm on stage singing, I feel like Hannah Montana, the rock star. I'm a lot like both of them. Was your dad originally cast as the dad on the show or was he picked after you were picked? It was really weird. I went into casting and they wanted him to come on once or twice as an uncle or something crazy. I said, "Well, my dad wants to move out here, too. He'd love to audition." So he came out and auditioned after I'd gotten the part. He actually auditioned for me. Let me tell you, just as a father-daughter type thing, that was really weird. I'm glad that it turned out for the best because he wasn't originally going to be the dad. |
||
|
|
||
|
FogScreen Walk-Through Screen Creates Effects on
Disney's "Enchanted" Promo Tour Market Wire - The new Walt Disney film "Enchanted" -- to be released in November/December 2007 -- has a promotional tour traveling to the main European cities of London, Paris, Madrid, Brussels and Munich in which FogScreen walk-through screen is featured.
A Finnish invention FogScreen walk-through screen generates a thin, dry fog that is possible to walk through without getting wet. It allows you to actually walk through an image projected in mid-air. FogScreen walk-through screen uses ordinary water and does not contain any chemicals, earning the distinction of being said "the audiovisual innovation of the decade." "We chose FogScreen because of the unique qualities it has to bring the magical well to life," explains "Enchanted" Experience Project Manager, Maria Walker. "Its real life movement and fluidity capture a water effect like no other. Our concept required guests to walk through the well water effect without getting wet which FogScreen allows," she continues. "Disney's 'Enchanted' promo tour is presenting a creative way for using the FogScreen technology. Installation of the wishing well is a unique set-up with the built-in FogScreen effect. The set up has been made with FogScreen One screen and despite the one meter size, which is extremely convenient for a tour such as this, the installation is very impressive," says Mika Koivula, CEO of FogScreen Inc. In addition the Walt Disney "Enchanted" Tour FogScreen Inc. has been providing fantastic experiences for many of the worlds best-known brands like Harrah's hotels, Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, x-box, Nokia and BudLight among many others. FogScreen Inc. is an innovation technology company founded in 2003. The Company bases its business on patented FogScreen projection screen, which is an invention making images appear and move in thin air. FogScreen walk-through screen is available at a screen area of 2m x 1.5m and as modular FogScreen One, 1m x 1.5m. The concept of One is that the screen can be used as it is or several One can be linked seamlessly together. Please find more information at www.fogscreen.com. |
||
|
|
||
|
Disney Theatrical Productions Announces Plans for 2007 Disney Theatrical Productions - Following an historic 2006 marked by tremendous growth and unparalleled success on Broadway, in touring markets, and internationally, Disney Theatrical Productions (Thomas Schumacher, Producer, Disney Theatrical Productions) is preparing for a 2007 which promises exciting collaborations with some of theatre's most talented artists, the addition of THE LITTLE MERMAID to the canon of Disney Theatrical's titles, and an expanded slate of productions across the globe. Thomas Schumacher, producer said, "2006 was a year of spectacular growth for Disney Theatricals with the world premiere of TARZAN and the Broadway premiere of MARY POPPINS. In addition to these new productions, our long- running shows BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and THE LION KING saw continued success in New York and across the globe. We set some lofty goals in 2006, and I'm pleased to say upon reflection that we achieved them and more." TARZAN THRILLS BROADWAY AUDIENCES Disney Theatrical Productions started 2006 with the world premiere of Broadway's high-flying adventure, TARZAN, one of the most artistically innovative shows to come to Broadway in recent memory. Featuring direction, set, and costume design by multi-Tony Award winner Bob Crowley, and music by Academy Award and multiple-GRAMMY winner Phil Collins, TARZAN has thrilled audiences since opening in May 2006. Heralded by Time Magazine as "sensational" and by The Financial Times as "the only show of the [2005-2006] season that places us joyously in a world of wonder," TARZAN has proven to be a hit, having set the box office record at the Richard Rodgers Theatre an impressive five times in 2006. Audiences have responded enthusiastically with over 368,000 people having seen the show on Broadway to date. MARY POPPINS BECOMES HIT OF FALL SEASON Fall 2006 saw the Broadway premiere of MARY POPPINS, the most eagerly anticipated show of the season, which quickly proved to be a hit with audience members and critics alike. The Broadway production was heralded by New York critics as, "a roof-raising, toe-tapping, high-flying extravaganza" (The Daily News) and led one critic to exclaim, "I loved the movie, but I have to confess I love the Broadway musical even more" (WABC-TV). MARY POPPINS, produced in partnership with Cameron Mackintosh, has become the biggest hit to open during the 2006-2007 season and is the must-see new musical for theatregoers of all ages. The London production continues its record-setting run as it enters its third year at the Prince Edward Theatre in the West End. THE LION KING CONTINUES GLOBAL SUCCESS THE LION KING is Broadway's most popular destination for theatergoers, having set new box office records six times in 2006, positioning it to become the longest running show in the Minskoff Theatre's history. On the road, THE LION KING's two national touring productions have experienced unprecedented success in cities across the country including a recent triumphant return engagement to Los Angeles' Pantages Theatre. Internationally, THE LION KING celebrated continued success as an English- language production made its premiere in Shanghai, China. The limited engagement marked an historic event for THE LION KING, having played 100 performances at Shanghai's Grand Theatre. In addition, THE LION KING had record-setting runs in Amsterdam and Australia: the Amsterdam production was seen by almost 2 million guests during its two-year run, while the Australian production celebrated 1,000 performances and over 2.2 million guests during its stops in Sydney and Melbourne. THE LION KING has become a global phenomenon with a total of seven productions currently running worldwide: New York, London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Seoul, and two U.S. national tours. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST'S HISTORIC RUN COMING TO AN END After enchanting audiences for more than 13 years, Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the inaugural Broadway musical from Disney Theatrical Productions, will take its final bow at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Sunday, July 29. The production will have played 46 previews and 5,464 regular performances. Schumacher said, "For many theatergoers, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST has been their first introduction to the magic of Broadway musicals, and we're glad to have another six months to allow even more people to see the show before it must end. That's a wonderful legacy for all of us at Disney Theatrical, and we're so proud of the show's record-breaking run on Broadway, throughout the country, and around the world. Though the Broadway production is coming to a close this summer, through our relationship with Music Theatre International (MTI), BEAUTY AND THE BEAST will continue to live on in regional and high school productions around the world." Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is the longest-running American musical currently on Broadway and the sixth longest running show of all time. The production has logged more performances than other landmark shows like Miss Saigon; 42nd Street; Fiddler on the Roof; and Hello, Dolly! Around the world, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST has played in a total of 13 countries and 115 cities, making it one of the most successful musicals of all time alongside such titles as Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, and Les Miserables. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST originally opened at the Palace Theatre in 1994 and played there for the first five years of its run. The show subsequently reopened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in 1999. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is the longest running production in the history of both the Palace Theatre and the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST has celebrated record-breaking box office runs in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain and the United Kingdom. In 1999, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST became the first Broadway musical to be performed in Beijing, China in Chinese. The show has been translated into six languages: Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, German, Portuguese and Korean. WORKING WITH ARTISTS FROM BROADWAY AND BEYOND Led by director Francesca Zambello, some of the theater's most innovative artists will gather this summer in Denver to create THE LITTLE MERMAID, based on the beloved Disney film and the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Casting is nearly complete with rehearsals set to begin May 2007. Then, beginning Thursday, July 26, 2007, the process continues with seven weeks of previews and performances at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Following Denver, the team moves back to New York where Broadway previews are set to begin Saturday, November 3, 2007 ahead of a planned Thursday, December 6, 2007 opening at the Lunt- Fontanne Theatre. Schumacher said, "What excites me most about developing new projects is taking people who have never worked on Broadway such as Elton John, Julie Taymor, Phil Collins, and now Francesca Zambello and giving them an opportunity to create new work alongside theatre's most talented artists such as Alan Menken, Bob Crowley, Tim Rice, and Richard Eyre." With a score composed by eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken and his frequent collaborator, the legendary Howard Ashman, THE LITTLE MERMAID will feature the classic songs "Part of Your World," "Kiss the Girl" and the Academy Award -winning Best Original Song, "Under the Sea," as well as 11 new songs by Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater. The book for the new musical is by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® -winning playwright Doug Wright. Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID will come to life thanks to Menken, Slater, Wright, Zambello and a visionary team of artists including Olivier Award winner Stephen Mear (choreography), George Tsypin (scenic design), Tatiana Noginova (costume design) and Tony Award winner Natasha Katz (lighting design). Dick Cook, Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, said, "THE LITTLE MERMAID will be the perfect addition to our Broadway division, and it's a fantastic opportunity for entirely new audiences to experience the magic of this beautiful story and these timeless songs. Of course, everyone will ask 'How will they do that?' and I can promise you that this new production won't disappoint. It's been a fantastic journey to watch the Broadway division grow, mature and take enormous risks, and we are very proud that Disney has four musicals on Broadway, more than any other single producer on Broadway today." Composer Alan Menken said, "BEAUTY AND THE BEAST has meant so much to me, both in remembering the joy of creating the animated film and seeing how audiences have embraced it on Broadway for all of these years. I have had the pleasure of watching so many diverse and talented performers sing these roles in the past 13 years. While it saddens me to say goodbye to BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, I am excited to watch THE LITTLE MERMAID take shape as a Broadway musical, and to be a part of its exciting journey to the stage." Schumacher said, "It's extraordinary that our team will have brought three unique new productions to Broadway in three successive seasons: TARZAN, MARY POPPINS, and THE LITTLE MERMAID. We've been working on these projects for many years, some for over a decade, and each has been nurtured at a different pace. The stars aligned and all three of them will have come to Broadway by the end of 2007." EXPANDING GLOBAL SUCCESS Disney's award winning musical, THE LION KING is celebrating its 10th anniversary on Broadway with an historic Johannesburg, South Africa production to launch in June 2007. The production will feature a local South African cast, many of whom have been in other productions of THE LION KING around the world and are now coming home to perform in their native country. To date, THE LION KING has employed almost 100 native South Africans in its productions worldwide. THE LION KING will perform in the Montecasino Theatre in northern Johannesburg, which is being built for this production. In October 2007, a French-language production of THE LION KING will premiere in Paris, marking the 11th country the show will have played during its first decade. On the road in 2007, THE LION KING will premiere in Appleton, Austin, Ft. Myers and Jacksonville, and play return engagements in Ft. Lauderdale, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Louisville, Charlotte, Dallas, Memphis, and St. Petersburg. Disney's first international production of TARZAN is currently in rehearsals and will open April 15, 2007 at the Circustheatre near Amsterdam. The production is a continuation of a long-standing partnership between Disney Theatrical Productions and Stage Entertainment, the collaboration that has mounted six Disney musicals in Europe, grossing over $400 million in ticket sales. Elton John & Tim Rice's AIDA continues its success globally with productions currently running in Fukuoka, Japan and a national tour continuing through Germany. These productions join AIDA's past productions including a triumphant four-and-a-half year run on Broadway, a 53-city U.S. national tour, a two-year Dutch language production, and a year-long run in Seoul. CULTIVATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF THEATREGOERS Disney Theatricals also continues its unparalleled success in the nation's schools and amateur theatrical groups through its relationship with Musical Theatre International (MTI). In fall 2006, MTI introduced a version of the wildly popular Disney Channel movie HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL. The MTI version of HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL is one of the most popular titles in MTI's history, receiving an unprecedented number of license requests since the show became available. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL joined BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA, and other Disney Collection titles which have been top performers for MTI since the relationship with Disney Theatricals was launched in 2003. Schumacher said, "I'm thrilled with the Disney titles available through MTI. Developed through a unique collaboration with Disney Theatricals, MTI's Musicals from the Disney Collection also includes musicals developed especially for students. Aladdin Junior is a 60-minute show appropriate for middle-schoolers to perform. Cinderella Kids, 101 Dalmations Kids, and The Jungle Book Kids are 30-minute stage versions of classic Disney films aimed to introduce elementary school children to the joys of putting on a musical and introducing them to the thrill of live theatre in their own community." For more information on Disney Theatrical Productions on Broadway and around the world, visit www.DisneyOnBroadway.com. Tickets to BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE LION KING, TARZAN, and MARY POPPINS can be obtained the following three easy ways: * Online at
www.disneyonbroadway.com, Ticketing and additional details for THE LITTLE MERMAID will be announced at a later date. The original cast recordings of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE LION KING (RIAA certified Platinum), AIDA, TARZAN, and MARY POPPINS are available on Walt Disney Records at retailers nationwide. |
||
|
|
||
|
Tapping
the Stuff Dreams Are Made Of New York Times - As another Oscar season gets under way, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences faces a conundrum: Is what we have here a failure to communicate, or is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship? The academy and its television partner, ABC, are scheduled to start today their annual campaigns to encourage viewers to watch the Academy Awards show. ABC is scheduled to broadcast the coming Oscars, the 79th annual ceremony, on Feb. 25; the campaigns dovetail with the announcement this morning of the nominees. In recent years, the general public's interest in watching the Academy Awards, as reflected in the ratings, has become much more dependent on how familiar they are with the films and actors being nominated. By contrast, the Super Bowl usually draws large audiences year after year, in the neighborhood of 90 million, regardless of which teams are playing. For instance, in 2003, when "Chicago" was named best picture, only 33 million viewers watched the Oscar ceremony, Nielsen Media Research reported, compared with 55 million in 1998, when "Titanic" won. The Academy Awards audience last year totaled 38.9 million, when "Crash" won, compared with 42.1 million in 2005, when "Million Dollar Baby" was the big winner. The Academy Awards show is typically the No. 2 most-watched TV program each year, behind the Super Bowl. For the academy, the size of the audiences can affect the luster of its image, not to mention how much it can charge for the television rights to the ceremonies. For ABC, the ratings influence how much it can charge for commercial time during the broadcasts and, to some extent, the pedigree of the sponsors the shows attract. For those reasons, there are significant changes in the tune-in campaigns this year. For instance, the academy and ABC are trying to coordinate and integrate the campaigns more closely than in previous years. Also, the creative content of the campaigns is being broadened in an effort to appeal to the American ardor for movies in general, rather than for specific films or performers. The campaign from the academy, created by TBWA/Chiat/Day, is an upbeat celebration of lines of movie dialogue famous enough to have become catchphrases (like the two in the first paragraph of this article, from, respectively, "Cool Hand Luke" and "Casablanca"). The campaign from ABC, created internally, features the comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who will serve as the host of the show for the first time, joining the ranks of previous M.C.'s like Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Bob Hope. The ads are infused with the broad-based, good-natured humor for which Ms. DeGeneres is popular. They include depictions of her as a ticket taker in a movie theater, the leader of a children's band in a school and a living Oscar statue. In the past, "we were relying on the glory of the Oscars," said Sidney Ganis, president of the academy. "We've come to learn nothing totally promotes itself." "Yes, we are the Oscars; yes, we are the Academy Awards," Mr. Ganis said. "But we're in the marketplace, and everyone around us promotes." Michael Benson, senior vice president of marketing at the ABC Entertainment unit of ABC, echoed that assessment. "We still have 'event television' on the air," Mr. Benson said, referring to shows that viewers still make an effort to watch, "but it gets increasingly difficult to tell people what's on." "We want to get the audience excited for this show," he added, by demonstrating "the entertainment value Ellen will bring to the show." The centerpiece of the campaign from the academy is a series of commercials, directed by the filmmaker Spike Lee, presenting film fans uttering lines like "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" ("Gone With the Wind"), "It was beauty killed the beast" ("King Kong") and "Adrian!" ("Rocky"). The commercials can be watched not only on TV and in movie theaters but also on the academy Web site (oscar.com). The print and outdoor ads from the academy campaign are being tailored for the locations in which they will appear. For example, billboards with a well-known line from "Sunset Boulevard" — "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up" — will go up on the actual Sunset Boulevard. And posters declaring: "Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night" ("All About Eve") will appear on the sides of buses. Phone kiosks on Wall Street will bear signs reading, "Greed is good" ("Wall Street"). Phone kiosks in a certain neighborhood in San Francisco will carry signs reading: "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown" ("Chinatown"). And phone kiosks in various big-city neighborhoods will bear signs reading, "E. T. phone home" ("E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial") and "You had me at 'hello' " ("Jerry Maguire"). "This is an issue you have to address, that if you look at the data it's the particular movies and the particular stars driving viewership" of the show, said Rob Schwartz, executive creative director at the Playa del Rey, Calif., office of TBWA/Chiat/Day, part of the TBWA Worldwide unit of the Omnicom Group. "Our approach is that this is like the Super Bowl," he added. "Irrespective of the stars, the films, the scripts, it's not just the movies; it's the Oscars." The idea behind the campaign is that "if the Oscars is a brand, its best product is the movies," Mr. Schwartz said. "The great writing, the great quotes — when you hear and see them, the scenes come to life." ABC, part of the Walt Disney Company, charged about $1.7 million for each 30-second commercial during the Oscar show last year, compared with $1.6 million for the 2005 program. The network has not disclosed the price for a spot during the coming show. By comparison, CBS is charging an estimated average of $2.6 million for each 30-second spot during Super Bowl XLI on Feb. 4. Among the advertisers for the coming Academy Awards are Diet Coke, sold by the Coca-Cola Company, and the Dove brand sold by Unilever, which is sponsoring a contest that invites consumers to create a commercial for a new product, Dove Cream Oil Body Wash (dovecreamoil.com). Only time will tell if television viewers will, to borrow a familiar line from "Moonstruck," snap out of it and resume their fervent annual interest in the Oscars, or if they will, to paraphrase another line from "Sunset Boulevard," decide that the pictures are still big — it's the Oscars that got small. |
||
|
|
||
|
Disney's 5th Avenue Store Hosts BC/EFA Event January 28 Broadway World - On Sunday January 28 (11:00-2:00 PM) Jacob Young (JR Chandler), the Emmy Award- winning star of ABC’s “All My Children” will host an exclusive event and raffle at World of Disney’s 5th Avenue Flagship Store (711 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY) to help raise awareness and funds to support the Sunday, February 25 “ABC Daytime Salutes Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS” concert at Town Hall in New York City. A raffle of rare and unique Disney items including signed posters from the Broadway companies of Disney’s “Tarzan” and “Mary Poppins the new musical” and a limited edition Waterford Tinkerbell figurine will be featured in the event that will also include autograph signings by Mr. Young and his fellow “All My Children” co-stars Melisa Claire Egan, Jeff Branson and Chrishell Stause and Kristen Alderson of “One Life to Live” who will also perform a number from the Disney songbook. This event is the first of several on-site and online auctions leading up to the annual “ABC Daytime Salutes BC/EFA” concert and is the latest example of the Walt Disney Corporation and ABC Television Network’s long standing commitment to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Through this and other events, they have raised awareness and substantial funds helping BC/EFA help those in need. All proceeds from this event and the upcoming concert will benefit Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS. Tickets to “ABC Daytime Salutes Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS” can be purchased online at www.broadwaycares.org or by calling 212.840.0770 x268 Jacob Young recently made his Broadway debut as Lumiere in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. He joined the cast of “All My Children” as JR Chandler in September 2003, receiving his third Daytime Emmy nomination. In 2000, Jacob joined the cast of “General Hospital” as Lucky Spencer and won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Lead Actor. Jacob portrayed Rick Forrester on “The Bold and the Beautiful,” for which he received his first Emmy nomination. Feature film credits include The Girl Next Door. He has also been seen in the ABC movie “Beach Boys: An American Family” and guest starred on ABC’s “Hope & Faith.” Over the past two years, Jacob has been featured in numerous ABC Daytime benefits supporting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The World of Disney NYC located at 5th and 55th has the greatest selection of Disney gifts, plus Character Greetings, authentic Theme Park merchandise and an amazing new Disney Art Gallery. A great way to experience Walt Disney World with a New York twist! Call 212-702-0702 or visit www.worldofdisney.com . ABC Daytime, which remains number one among all broadcast networks in the key Women 18-49 demographic, produces 1,000 hours of original television a year, with four network-owned daytime programs, including “The View,” now in its 10th season, as well as the popular daytime dramas “ All My Children," "One Life to Live" and "General Hospital." Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is the nation's leading industry-based, not-for-profit AIDS fundraising and grant making organization. BC/EFA is the on-going, committed response from the American Theatre community to an urgent worldwide health crisis. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of this community, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States. Since its founding in 1988, BC/EFA has raised over $100 million for critically needed services for people with AIDS, HIV or HIV-related illnesses. For information on BC/EFA’s events, programs and services visit www.broadwaycares.org |
||
|
|
||
|
Concert brings in $4,000 for Disney trip The Daily Record - Reminiscent of a campfire on the prairie, where hay bales stacked the floor, four acts warmed the stage Saturday during the final concert of the Winter Western Roundup. Sons and Brothers organized the Winter Western Roundup concert series and the first in the "California or Bust" series to raise money for the Florence High School Band. The event raised $4,000 of the $12,000 the band needs to make the trip to Disneyland. The Winter Western Roundup featured the Sons and Brothers band, cowboy singer Dave Stamey of California, and cowboy poets Milton Taylor of Australia and Dick Warwick of Washington. "The purpose of this concert is to raise money to send the band to California this upcoming spring," said Frank Wolking, of Sons and Brothers. "The band has a chance to march in the parade at Disneyland. This will be an experience these young people will never forget." The organizers said they were pleased with the turnout. "We did OK. The auditorium was nice and full," Wolking said. "The people who came out got a great show." He also praised the FHS music and theater production class, who set the stage and helped with lighting and other production items. FHS band director Mike Nolan said the concert was a good time. "I was pretty pleased," he said. "Frank (Wolking) and Sons and Brothers are great people to work with." During the performance, the audience roared when Dick Warwick recited his poem about a chicken stampede, then smiled when he quoted his poem about the pocket watch his grandfather purchased. The Sons and Brothers music brought the audience to its feet after they sang their renditions of "Don't Worry About Me," featuring Mike Wolking as the main soloist and his version of the "Diamond in the Rough." The audience listened carefully as Aaron Wolking sang about the way life has of disappearing. When Milton Taylor recited his poetry about the cowboy riding in an airplane, the audience roared with laughter, then wiped a tear when he talked about his father, who had Alzheimer's before he died. At the end, the performers received a standing ovation from the audience. |
||
|
|
||
|
USA Field Hockey’s Newest Event to Debut with Disney’s
Field Hockey Showcase US Field Hockey Association - Field hockey’s brightest young stars will get the opportunity to shine at a venue known for making dreams come true when USA Field Hockey kicks off its newest event - Disney’s Field Hockey Showcase - Feb. 9-11 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports® Complex in Buena Vista, Fla. The inaugural event features 900 athletes on 56 teams in under-14, under-16 and under-18 age divisions competing for team trophies, individual medals and the attention of a gallery of college coaches gathered to evaluate the talent on display. “USA Field Hockey is committed to providing top-level events for our athletes, coaches, umpires and fans,” said USA Field Hockey Asst. Executive Director for Events Karen Collins. “With Disney’s Field Hockey Showcase, we have a unique destination event with a world-class venue to provide yet another opportunity to participate and excel in our sport.” The tournament field at includes clubs with long histories of success at USA Field Hockey tournaments including 2006 National Hockey Festival champions Lanco Premier (Pa.), Hollywood Field Hockey (Calif.) and New Heights (N.J.) in the under-19 division and WC Eagles (Pa.) and Jersey Intensity (N.J.) in the Under-16 division. Representing 13 states and Canada, teams may consist of the core of a high school team, an elite club travel squad or a team put together specifically for the Disney event. The teams will make the trek to Disney for a February outdoor tournament opportunity not generally available on the USA Field Hockey calendar. The outdoor game traditionally gives way to the indoor version of the sport from January to March with USA Field Hockey hosting its annual National Indoor Tournament, March 9-11 in Virginia Beach, Va. A familiar destination for USA Field Hockey events, Florida has hosted the annual National Hockey Festival on 12 occasions including the 1981, ’82 and ’94 event in Orlando. Games for Disney’s Field Hockey Showcase begin at 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9 and continue throughout the tournament with start times on Saturday and Sunday scheduled for 8 a.m. at Disney’s Wide World of Sports® Complex. The U14 championship game is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday followed by the U16 championship at noon and the U19 final at 2 p.m. A 220-acre facility in Lake Buena Vista, Disney’s Wide World of Sports® Complex plays host to more than 170 amateur and professional events each year including spring training for baseball’s Atlanta Braves, training camp for football’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Disney Golf Classic and college basketball’s Old Spice Classic. Schedules, rosters and results for Disney’s Field Hockey Showcase are available on the USA Field Hockey website at www.usafieldhockey.com |
||
|
|
||
|
We're going to
Disney World Members of the Newark High School Band will be thinking those words when they leave for Walt Disney World on March 29 to experience the musical kingdom, as part of an invitational "Festival Disney" for talented high school performers. "We're thrilled -- most of us have never been to Disney World, let alone have the chance to perform there," junior Hailey Rehberg said. A group of 14 musicians auditioned in 2006 by submitting their spring concert CD and a DVD, landing them the Disney gig and an opportunity to perform three of their own musical pieces in the musical festival, as well as participate in a workshop with Disney musicians. In the workshop, they must be quick studies of Disney music from such movies as, The Little Mermaid or The Lion King because selections won't be announced until the day of the workshop, said Mindi Chase, Newark High School band director and a West Aurora High School alum. "The students have been counting down the days," Chase said. "This trip is a result of perseverance and teamwork." Chase said the Disney band trip is evidence the Newark program has made it to the "peak of a very long mountain climb" after experiencing a comeback of a once declining musical program. Chase said five years ago, instrumental music was almost non-existent at Newark High School, but the administration remained steadfast and supplied the necessary resources to bring music back. "It's been a long journey that has taken effort and determination from everyone," Chase said. "It wasn't too long ago that our band had less than 10 members in both junior high and high school." It now has 80 musicians in 5th through 12th grades; 17 participate in the high school band. Chase said the Disney trip represents a healthy and growing band program that will translate into future opportunities for younger band members. "The trip is huge for our students -- some have never been on an airplane," Chase said. "It's also an opportunity for them to perform on a Disney stage and showcase how well we work and make music together." The Festival Disney will be a non-competitive environment providing positive feedback to students by specially selected, national adjudicators through written and recorded comments, as well as personalized feedback clinics. It will conclude with a Disney awards ceremony. Additionally, Disney's "You're Instrumental" workshop will immerse students into the world of professional Disney musicians teaching them to work as the masters do and polish their performance in a "studio recording environment." In addition to sight-reading, a Disney clinician will work with the students on listening and responding, focusing, self-confidence and professional recording techniques, culminating in a recording of their musical ensemble that will be played with a portion of one of Disney's animated feature films. "It'll be a once-in-a-lifetime experience worthy of lifelong memories," Chase said. The Festival Disney Web site opens with the proclamation, "When you own the Disney stage, you own the world," to describe how talented student performers have a chance to compete with the finest instrumental, choral and auxiliary groups from schools across the country. Students meet other students and attend performances. The National Association for Music Education has endorsed the program. Although the focus is on music, the World of Disney theme park is also part of the weeklong festivities in Florida. Newark High School senior Ali Hoskins said she remembers the days when band was comprised of a trumpet, flute, clarinet and saxophone. "We've grown so much -- now we're a full band," Hoskins said. "To think we'll actually be learning from professionals and performing the music we hear in the Disney movies is exciting -- the music is upbeat and fun," she said. |
||
|
|
||
|
Tuesday January 23, 2007 |
||
|
Disney not interested in Endemol stake: source Il Mulino New York Opens at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort Near-miss for ABC News anchor in Iraq Disney Project Gets Tiered Cinderella Castle Suite to be Unveiled Thursday, Jan. 25 Cinderella Glass Slipper will be a featured piece in the Cinderella Castle Suite The Guardian on DVD Bridge To Terabithia High School Musical Pep Rally reopens at Disney's MGM Studios Toon Disney Hosts "The Great Toon Weekend Getaway" General Mills & Disney Launch High Nutrition/Low Cost Cereal Line Magic Kingdom wish is granted P.G. dancer living dream at Tokyo Disney Will Smith In Negotiations To Play Philly Chess Player, Teacher |
||
|
|
||
|
Disney not interested in Endemol stake: source Reuters - U.S. media company Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) is not interested in buying Telefonica's 75 percent stake in TV producer Endemol (Amsterdam:EML.AS), a source close to the company said on Tuesday. "We are not interested in it," said the source. Disney was touted on Monday as possibly being interested with Endemol co-founder John de Mol in forming an alliance to repurchase the Dutch production house. Telefonica (Madrid:TEF.MC) expects to sell its Endemol stake in the first quarter this year. Shares in Endemol jumped as much as 12 percent on Tuesday following a Spanish newspaper report that Rupert Murdoch, who controls News Corp. (Other OTC:NWSAF.PK; NYSE:NWS), was interested in buying Telefonica's stake. |
||
|
|
||
|
Il Mulino New York Opens at Walt Disney World Swan and
Dolphin Resort Hotel Interactive - Il Mulino New York is pleased to announce its newest restaurant at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Florida, set to open early 2007. The acclaimed Il Mulino New York will offer its signature, superior dining experience in a more relaxed and vibrant setting at the Walt Disney World® Resort. Features such as Piatti per il Tavolo (family-style dining) and wood-fired pizzas complement Il Mulino New York’s family-friendly Orlando locale in a setting reminiscent of old-world bistro charm. The menu at will consist of fish, chicken, fresh pastas and meats, characterized by rustic and hearty blends of seasonal ingredients drawn from the Abruzzi region of Italy. Signature items will include Gamberi al Mulino (jumbo shrimp with Il Mulino spicy cocktail sauce); Gnocchi Bolognese (potato dumplings with meat sauce); Pollo Fra Diavolo (boneless chicken in a spicy red sauce) and Branzino (seared sea bass, cooked with cherry tomatoes, garlic, pancetta, and white wine). The Abruzzese-inspired menu will change seasonally and be enhanced with daily specials and a selection of desserts. All meals, which are presented by the apron-clad wait staff, begin with a complimentary antipasti tasting of sliced Cacciatorini sausage, sautéed marinated eggplant, garlic bread and a selection of foccacia and white and whole grain Italian loaves. A wine list including over 250 selections of Italian varietals that compliment the cuisine will also be offered. For a pre- or post-dinner cocktail, Il Mulino New York will feature a lounge with vibrant music and light fare. Il Mulino New York brings full circle the world-class dining options available at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin. The Orlando location offers a large kitchen and wine display upon entry. A softly illuminated wine bar with private outside terrace looks out onto an enclosed landscaped courtyard and fountain, and plush seating below a cloud of sparkling lights invites guests to sit and linger while sampling fine wines before or after dinner. The design juxtaposes fresh contemporary furnishings, materials and sleek glass partitions and custom lighting against the rustic textures of exposed brick, raw concrete, and wood floors to create a sophisticated Italian setting that one might discover on the outskirts of Rome. Il Mulino New York boasts over 220 seats, and is available to be taken over for large private functions. Numerous intimate dining rooms will be offered for special occasions or smaller group events. Open seven days a week, dinner will be served from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., with the lounge serving up cocktails from 3:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. All major credit cards will be accepted. For information and reservations, visit www.swandolphin.com or call 407-934-1199. In the heart of the Walt Disney World Resort, the award-winning Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort is the gateway to Central Florida's greatest theme parks and attractions. Guests will discover magical surroundings, superior service, luxurious facilities and guest rooms featuring the Heavenly Bed. Enjoy 17 incredible restaurants and lounges, the new Mandara Spa, five pools, two health clubs, tennis, nearby golf and many Disney benefits, including transportation to all Walt Disney World Theme Parks and Attractions. Guests also enjoy the Extra Magic Hours benefit, where each day, one of the four Disney Theme Parks opens an hour early or stays open up to three extra hours later so guests can enjoy select attractions. Valid Theme Park ticket and Resort I.D. required. The resort can be reached at 800-227-1500 or www.swandolphin.com. Il Mulino New York first opened in New York’s Greenwich Village 25 years ago. They have expanded their efforts and have opened outposts of this original concept in Long Island New York, Tokyo, Las Vegas, Chicago, Miami, and Puerto Rico. The location in Washington D.C. is coming in early -2007. |
||
|
|
||
|
Near-miss for ABC News anchor in Iraq AP - ABC news anchor Chris Cuomo was unhurt Tuesday after the convoy of military police he was riding with in Iraq was struck by a roadside bomb. Some of the soldiers suffered minor injuries in the attack, ABC said. The convoy of four heavily armored Humvees was going to check a report of a burning vehicle in northwest Baghdad when booby-trapped bodies left by the side of the road exploded. The vehicles returned to safety following a small arms battle, and Cuomo reported on the attack on "Good Morning America," where he is the news anchor. "If these vehicles did not have the armor that they did, this situation could have turned out very differently," Cuomo said. A hubcap-sized piece of shrapnel shattered glass but was stopped by the armor in the vehicle in front of him, he said. Another ABC News anchor, Bob Woodruff, was seriously injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq on Jan. 29, 2006. He will tell his story in a prime-time ABC special next month. While ABC is continually reassessing the safety of its journalists in Iraq, the network believes it's important to tell the story of what American military personnel go through every day, ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider said. |
||
|
|
||
|
Byteandswitch.com - There's nothing quite as fun, charming, or family-friendly as an animated feature film. But when Walt Disney Feature Animation needed to turn around the animated processing of the upcoming film Meet the Robinsons, there was no room for cute. "We were working on a movie with significant creative changes and we needed to meet a release date," says Jon Geibel, manager of systems at Disney. Late last summer, he and Disney VP of technology Jack Brooks had just four to five weeks to revamp the system they were using, which couldn't quite meet their performance requirements. Their system included primarily NetApp SAN gear and clustered storage from Panasas. Trouble was, there was only one tier of storage. This made it tough to run the enormous amount of processing the project and its changes required. "Digitally animated films have texture files with incredibly high access requirements," Geibel says. All characters and surrounding scenery require specific shading, lighting, textures, and rules of motion. Throughout a scene, each frame must be digitally set up to "call" these specifications. That means intense I/O. "It's not uncommon for a movie to have 25 million individual files," Brooks says. The Disney team decided to split the animation data into difference types and place each type on its own storage tier. The idea was to set up three tiers of incrementally lower performance and cost. Key to the new plan was a parallel file system from Ibrix, a solution earlier adopted by Pixar, an animation studio bought by Disney last year. The idea was to cluster file server caching in order to avoid relying on a single server, which could quickly become a bottleneck. In an apparent effort to repeat the Pixar success, the team replaced Panasas with Ibrix software working on 14 Dell servers fronting two EMC Clariion CX380s linked by a Cisco-switched 2-Gbit/s Fibre Channel SAN. That became tier 1. The second tier includes a NetApp FAS6070 equipped with Fibre Channel disks, and the third tier is a FAS6030 with SATA shelves. The transition didn't take long. After a few days of tuning, performance went up significantly. Tiering, plus the use of clustering by the Ibrix Fusion parallel file system, streamlined the rendering process. According to Brooks, the proof of success is in the amount of CPU usage the team now gets out of their 2,000-processor render farm (the servers that are tasked with producing the digitized movie). Previously, the servers were running 75 percent of their CPU capacity -- meaning that the a lot of time was being wasted on I/O, as calls for texture files battered the systems. Now, CPU utilization is up to about 90 percent. The team won't say what they paid for the new setup. But they will say they finished the job on time. Production of Meet the Robinsons wrapped last week, in time to hit theaters in March. |
||
|
|
||
|
Cinderella Castle Suite to be Unveiled Thursday, Jan. 25 Media Advisory - Walt Disney Resorts on Thursday, Jan. 25, a new era in Disney history begins. The long-awaited and much anticipated CINDERELLA CASTLE SUITE is unveiled. For the first time ever, guests will have a chance to spend the night in this royal suite, located inside Cinderella Castle and 4-stories above the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. It's the world's most exclusive resort room that doesn't take reservations. Guests are randomly selected each day during the Year of a Million Dreams Celebration to spend the night in the Cinderella Castle Suite. Expect local and national media outlets to show the beautiful inside of the suite come Thursday morning, starting at 6am eastern time. |
||
|
|
||
Cinderella Glass Slipper will be a featured piece in the
Cinderella Castle Suite WDW
News - This custom-made Cinderella Glass Slipper was
crafted by Steuben Glass and will be a featured piece
in the Cinderella Castle Suite. The one-of-a-kind
piece -- formed entirely by hand by skilled glass
artisans -- was created exclusively for Walt Disney
World to be on display for guests staying in the
Cinderella Castle Suite. |
||
|
|
||
|
The Guardian on DVD
Buena Vista Home Entertainment - Touchstone Home Entertainment presents The Guardian, the action-packed, pulse-pounding adventure of heroism and sacrifice, on DVD and Blu-ray January 23, 2007. Academy Award winner Kevin Costner (Winner Best Director, Best Picture "Dances With Wolves" 1990) stars with Ashton Kutcher ("A Lot Like Love," "The Butterfly Effect") in a riveting story of Coast Guard rescue swimmers who risk everything to save lives whenever disaster strikes. Costner portrays a legendary rescue swimmer with a painful past, and Kutcher is the brash rookie driven to make it onto the elite squad. Featuring intense water rescue sequences, The Guardian is an epic and emotional story that dives into the heart and soul of a true hero.  Bonus features, exclusive to this DVD, are: never-before-seen alternate ending; "Making Waves" behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of the film and its amazing rescue scenes; "Unsung Heroes," a program on the real-life Coast Guard heroes and their Hurricane Katrina rescues; deleted scenes; and feature audio commentary with director Andrew Davis and writer Ron L. Brinkerhoff. The Guardian is directed by Andrew Davis, the acclaimed director of "The Fugitive." The superb cast includes Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Sela Ward (TV's "Once And Again," "House M.D."), Melissa Sagemiller (TV's "Sleeper Cell"), and Clancy Brown (TV's "Lost"). The Guardian will be available on DVD for U.S. $29.99 (SRP), Canada $37.99 (SRP) and on Blu-ray for U.S. $34.99 (SRP), Canada $44.99 (SRP). |
||
|
|
||
|
Bridge To Terabithia WDW News - Discover a place that will never leave you and a friendship that will change you forever. In Theaters February 16. http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/terabithia/index.html |
||
|
|
||
|
High School Musical Pep Rally
reopens at Disney's MGM Studios WDW News - The High School Musical Pep Rally opened yesterday after it's move from the Magic Kingdom. The show begins by Star Tours and heads to the hat. The show there lasts for around 15 minutes, and then heads along Hollywood Blvd, and goes backstage by Sid's near the entrance. |
||
|
|
||
|
Toon Disney Hosts "The Great Toon Weekend Getaway" Animation World Network - Toon Disney presents "The Great Toon Weekend" every weekend beginning Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007. Leading off every Saturday and Sunday afternoon is TOON DISNEY'S BIG MOVIE SHOW (12:00-2:00 pm, ET/PT), followed by five hours (2:00-7:00 pm, ET/PT) of programming showcasing popular series that are based on hit Disney animated feature films. Beginning Jan. 27, Toon Disney's afternoon schedule is: 12:00 pm: TOON DISNEY'S BIG MOVIE SHOW 2:00 pm: ALADDIN (back to back episodes) 3:00 pm: TIMON & PUMBAA (back to back episodes) 4:00 pm: BUZZ LIGHTYEAR OF STAR COMMAND (back to back episodes) 5:00 pm: THE EMPEROR'S NEW SCHOOL (back to back episodes) 6:00 pm: LILO & STITCH (back to back episodes) Toon Disney finished 2006 with its most-watched year ever in primetime in total viewers (238,000) and total day in total viewers (210,000), kids 2-11 (148,000) and kids 6-11 (80,000) and total day in total viewers (210,000), kids 2-11 (118,000) and kids 6-11 (64,000). Compared to year-ago time period averages, Toon Disney's BIG MOVIE SHOW (M-F 5:00-7:00 pm, ET/PT) exceeds year-ago levels by nice margins, up by 11% in Total Viewers (437,000 vs. 394,000), by 9% in kids 2-11 (238,000 vs. 219,000) and by 13% in kids 6-11 (122,000 vs. 108,000). On Friday, Dec. 22, 2006, the channel premiere of THE POLAR EXPRESS stood as Toon Disney's most-watched movie ever in Total Viewers (1.35 million) and best of 2006 in kids 2-11 (677,000), roughly doubling year-ago time period levels (vs. 625,000 and 341,000, respectively). Toon Disney, a 24-hour basic cable channel geared towards kids 2-11 with a core of kids age 6-9, showcases a variety of Disney's classic and contemporary animated series and movies plus the fantastical action/adventure programming under the Jetix brand. Toon Disney is advertiser-supported and available in more than 59 million U.S. homes and on multiple Toon Disney channels worldwide. It is part of the Disney-ABC Television Group at The Walt Disney Co. |
||
|
|
||
|
General Mills & Disney Launch High Nutrition/Low Cost
Cereal Line Animation World Network - General Mills and Disney are launching a new line of breakfast cereals this month at the suggested retail price of $1.99. The line promises to offer whole grains and a good source of vitamin D and calcium to meets Disney's recently announced food guidelines for ready-to-eat cereals. The new line, ranging from 9.9 oz. to 11.6 oz., will feature three leading Disney properties: Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Disney Princess and Disney's Little Einsteins. These are the first Disney branded ready-to-eat cereal products to launch since Disney announced its food guidelines in October. "We are excited about this new launch," says Kymm Pollack, marketing director of General Mills' Big G cereal division. "This new cereal line leverages strong Disney equities that need no introduction while delivering everyday value at very attractive, competitive price points. They are high-quality cereals with a strong nutrition profile that parents will appreciate and popular Disney characters that kids will love." "This new line of Disney branded cereals reinforces our direction of broadening our business offerings at price points that all families can enjoy," said Lance Gatewood, vp of food, health and beauty for Disney Consumer Products, North America. "Importantly, General Mills has ensured that the new cereals meet Disney's food guidelines." General Mills (www.generalmills.com), with annual net sales of $12.5 billion, is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products. Its global brand portfolio includes Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso and more. It also has more than 100 U.S. consumer brands, more than 30 of which generate annual retail sales in excess of $100 million. General Mills is also a leading supplier of baking and other food products to the foodservice and commercial baking industries. Disney Consumer Products (www.disneyconsumerproducts.com) is the business segment of The Walt Disney Co. that extends the Disney brand to merchandise ranging from apparel, toys, home decor and books to interactive games, food and beverages, stationery, electronics and animation art. This is accomplished through the work of DCP's various lines of business: Disney Toys, Disney Softlines, Disney Home, Disney Food, Health & Beauty, Disney Stationery, Disney Publishing, Buena Vista Games, Baby Einstein, the Muppets Holding Co. and Disney Shopping, Inc.'s catalog and disneyshopping.com. The Disney Store, which debuted in 1987, also falls under DCP, through stores owned and operated by unaffiliated third parties under licensing agreements in North America and Japan, and wholly owned stores in Europe. |
||
|
|
||
|
Magic Kingdom
wish is granted Daily Item - Mackenzie Snyder is looking forward to seeing the "horsies" at Walt Disney World. The 8-year-old was chosen to travel to Walt Disney World through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. "She likes carousels. We're all very excited," her mother, Shelly Snyder, said. Mackenzie is looking forward to riding the horses on the carousel, and she wants to see Cinderella. "We saw 'Disney on Ice' yesterday, and she liked Mickey Mouse," Ms. Snyder said. Mackenzie was born with fluid on the brain and cerebral palsy. When she was one year old, she had her first seizure. Mackenzie, whom the family calls Kenzie, was nominated for a wish by Brenda Szumgraji, her nurse's supervisor. Cindy Hively is the nurse who works with Kenzie, a second-grader, at White Deer Elementary School. A couple of weeks ago, Make-A-Wish Foundation volunteer Nancy Weigle of Pottsville traveled to the Snyders' New Columbia area home to sign them up for the trip they plan to take in May. "We will be staying at the Gingerbread House of Give Kids the World," said Ms. Snyder. She explained that the Gingerbread House is a resort hotel with medical equipment, special beds and a kitchen to provide special diets such as Kenzie requires. Kenzie takes medicine and is on a Ketogenic diet to help limit the number of seizures. During the first six months Kenzie was on the special diet, she didn't have any seizures. Now she has them daily. In school, she uses a wheelchair. At home, she gets around by crawling. Making the trip with Ms. Snyder and Kenzie will be Kenzie's sister, Brittany, 15, who is a ninth grader at Milton Area Senior High School, and Kenzie's dad, Ken. Brittany has been to Disney World twice before with her aunt. Brittany is looking forward to showing us the things she has seen, Ms. Snyder said. The Make-A-Wish Foundation provides wishes to children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 18 who have life-threatening conditions. The wish can involve going on a trip, meeting someone special or receiving something that is needed. When Ms. Weigle visited, she gave Kenzie a white bear with a pink ribbon and the family Make-A-Wish T-shirts and hats. While they are gone, Kenzie's grandmother Agnes Rathfon of Lewisburg will be baby-sitting their new puppy, Miken. Her other grandparents are Rox and Ken Snyder of Lewisburg. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit www.wishgreaterpa.org. or call 1-888-545-9474. |
||
|
|
||
|
P.G.
dancer living dream at Tokyo Disney
Prince George Citizen - A Prince George dancer has fulfilled a lifelong dream by landing a job with one of the largest and most renowned entertainment companies in the world. Cary Hamilton has landed a role as a performer in Tomorrowland at the Tokyo Disney Resort. Legalities of his contract keep Hamilton from naming the exact roles he's played from the Disney classic movies, but it's safe to say that during the contract he's had a featured role where he's flying across the stage in a harness. "The most challenging aspect of the show in the beginning was learning the lyrics," explained the 21-year-old. "The show was entirely in Japanese and we have to lip sync every line." Hamilton, who performs five 30- minute shows per day, five days a week, is currently on a break from performing and is on a backpacking vacation through Thailand. He plans on returning to Tokyo Disney at the end of the month. Perks of the job include living in an apartment complex among 150 foreign performers who work at Disney. Hamilton has his own furnished apartment, a daily allowance for living expenses, and his regular pay cheque is in U.S. dollars. All this began when Hamilton auditioned for West Side Story in 1999 and met Judy Russell's family, who was putting on the production. With encouragement from Judy's sons, Matt and Jonathan, Hamilton took his place under Judy's wing at 14 years old. With support from both his parents, Hamilton auditioned in Vancouver for Royal Caribbean Cruise lines right out of high school. A week later, he got the call to start his training in Miami, Fla. A month after that, he was on the job for a six-month contract travelling to the Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Aruba and the Bahamas. That job was quickly followed by another offer of a contract for a gig on a ship traveling throughout Antigua, St. Maarten, Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama then on to Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Croatia and Turkey. That's when Hamilton decided he wanted something more. "After my last contract with Royal Caribbean, I decided it was time to try for something better and headed home to Vancouver where I lived for five months studying dance, auditioning and working on movie sets as an extra," said Hamilton. "I worked on X-Men 3 and a TV show called The Evidence. I also picked up an agent and started auditioning for commercials as an actor." That's when he got the job at Tokyo Disney Resort. His next contract ends in October. "Next year I plan on either staying in Tokyo to pursue modeling and acting in film and television or head to eastern Canada to do the same and continue to train and audition in what I do best." |
||
|
|
||
|
Will Smith In Negotiations To Play Philly Chess Player,
Teacher AllHipHop - After a highly-acclaimed performance as Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happiness, Will Smith may play another real-life hero, Salome Thomas-El, in an upcoming Disney film. Smith is in negotiations to play Salome Thomas-El, a well known middle school principal and school board member in Philadelphia. Thomas-El chronicled his life in an autobiography called I Choose To Stay: A Black Teacher Refuses to Desert the Inner City, and Disney decided to turn the book into a motion picture based on Thomas-El's inspirational story. "I'm trying to get young people to understand that they have to try to give to the community because the community gave to us," Thomas El told AllHipHop.com. "At some point the community supported us or our parents so that we could be in the position where we are." Born into a fatherless home as one of eight kids in Philadelphia's tough inner city, Thomas-El left home to pursue his own dreams, only to return as a middle school teacher in his old community. His work as a teacher and principal at Reynolds Elementary School in North Philadelphia caught the attention of community members and even California State Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who awarded a $20,000 grant to Thomas-El's school. In his biography, Thomas-El notes the impact that the game of chess has had on his life. At a young age he learned the game of chess from an older brother, but never utilized his chess skills until he became a teacher, using chess as a way to teach his students many life-lessons, including decision-making, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills. "It's mentally challenging," Thomas-El continued. "You know, we come from a people that built pyramids that are still standing today with no machinery, no modern technology, and no nothing. So, if a kid is trying to master 64 squares, it's mathematical and very scientific. But it's also critical thinking, decision making, problem solving, and these are all skills that our children have." His success with students at Philadelphia's Vaux Middle School playing chess has led to eight national championships and many of his students became motivated to stay in school, graduated and went on to attend college. "When a young kid is growing up in the hood, they have to make several different life changing decisions on a daily basis," Thomas-El said. "He's got to know whose house to go into, whose house they are selling drugs out of, who drives stolen cars, who's carrying a weapon, who's looking for who. Chess is a series of decisions, consequences, rewards, sacrifices, and it's so relevant to a kid growing up in the projects and in public housing because you've got to be willing to take prisoners when you play chess. So, really it's like a release for these kids who are dodging bullets every day." Thomas-El now works to spread chess to all school children, working with America's Foundation for Chess. Disney Studios is preparing the untitled film on Thomas-El's life, which was written by Don D. Scott (Barbershop 1 and 2) and is based on the educator's autobiography. His second book, The Immortality of Influence features an excerpt written by Will Smith. |
||
|
|
||
|
Monday January 22, 2007 |
||
|
During union talks, Disney not always the happiest place 'Little' moves part of Disney's big plan Beads Fly and Hearts Are a-Flutter at Downtown Disney Pleasure Island ABC Leads Nominees for GLAAD Awards Atlanta Braves Celebrate 10 Years of Spring Training at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex Playhouse Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Coming To DVD Can 'Grey's Anatomy' heal cast rift? Walt Disney World Resort Offers Romance for Lovebirds on Valentine's Day and Every Day New Disney.com no small world Disney Institute Reveals 'The Keys' to Its Success Telefonica sees Endemol sale in Q1, Disney touted Doing Disney, where Jerry Orbach lives on, and Gilbert Gottfried is a "star" Hotel marketing group honors two Central Floridians |
||
|
|
||
|
During union talks, Disney not always the happiest place Sun-Sentinel - Walt Disney World and unions representing 21,000 workers begin new contract negotiations today hoping to avoid the long battle they waged last time -- yet knowing a new dispute may have emerged involving how the company transfers jobs to outside contractors. The labor talks involve Disney World and a cooperative of six locals called the Service Trades Council Union that represents full-time workers ranging from hotel maids and ride attendants to stage technicians and costumed characters. The sides headed into the talks saying little but expressing the usual hope for easy and satisfying bargaining. However, any similar hopes were harshly dashed the last time the two sides sought a deal three years ago. Disputes, primarily over health-care benefits and wages, forced a sometimes-hostile, eight-month argument before that contract was approved -- and approved grudgingly by some of the locals. That 120-page 2004 deal expires April 28. The 2007 negotiations are structured and scheduled to take months, as Disney and the six unions first seek special arrangements for each local, then turn attention to an overall pact. "Our goal is a working contract by the time this one expires," said Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty. Private-contractor tiffs This round of talks comes soon after union frustration heated up late last year regarding Disney's efforts to get private contractors to take over some work at Disney World and some hotels. In the past 15 or 16 months, Disney World has transferred nearly 600 jobs, involving some hotel maids, park custodians, valet, bell-service and baggage-handling workers, and production technicians. To date the moves have eliminated only about 1 percent of Disney World's nearly 60,000 jobs, and the company insisted that all its affected employees were offered other Disney World jobs at comparable pay. But the unions voiced anger and fear that the trend could continue and accelerate under the current contract's terms. Late last year, the Service Trades Council pursued a federal complaint about the issue and picketed Disney's northern entrance. The council's Web page now features an artist's parody of Disney Parks' "Where Dreams Come True" logo. The union's version features the slogan, "Hey Mickey . . . WHAT ABOUT MY DREAMS?" Disney, meanwhile, has vigorously defended the outsourcing moves as fiscally responsible, fair and important for quality customer service. It has dismissed any notion that a trend is under way, yet maintained that the company needs to keep the option for future subcontracting if necessary. "We need to keep our options open. We're going to continue to optimize the use of our cast members. Sometimes that might mean working with outside partners," Prunty said. "We understand that our cast would have concerns." Several possible hurdles As in 2004, health benefits and wages remain as potential sticking points, along with pension benefits and work scheduling, representatives of both sides predicted. "We think this is a good time for Walt Disney World to address the needs of the employees in this area. Attendance has been up. New attractions and new shows have been opening. Corporate profits are up 42 percent in the last two years, and cast members are working hard, and are proud of the work they are doing," said Service Trades Council President Morty Miller. "We're hopeful about the company being realistic about negotiating a fair contract for the employees we represent." The Service Trades Council also recently raised concerns, through a formal complaint to the National Labor Relations Board, about how Disney World sometimes schedules workers to keep up with the parks' seven-day workweek, numerous 24-hour operations and big seasonal swings in business. The Service Trades Council represents six unions: UNITE HERE 362; International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 385; International Alliance of Theatrical & Stage Employees 631Transportation and Communication International Union 1908; UNITEHERE 737; and United Food and Commercial Workers 1625. Approximately 8,000 part-time employees represented by the Service Trades Council work under a separate contact that expires in September. An additional 7,000 Disney World workers, ranging from carpenters and painters to security guards and phone operators, belong to other unions. About 60 percent of Disney workers belong to unions, though the number can vary depending on job needs. The most recent labor negotiations at Disney World, last winter between the company and 300 members of the Central Florida Musicians Association, went smoothly, on schedule and satisfactorily, both sides said. |
||
|
|
||
|
'Little'
moves part of Disney's big plan Variety - Ending weeks of speculation about how many shows Disney could simultaneously maintain on Broadway, the Mouse House last week announced it would shutter "Beauty and the Beast" in July after a record-breaking 13-year run, making way for another animated feature hit-turned-tuner, "The Little Mermaid." The reshuffle provides tidy symmetry with the exchange of one musical with songs by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman for another, both of them developed from features -- respectively from 1989 and 1991 -- that returned Disney's animation division to powerhouse status. The Broadway switch will add to a frenetic spring for Disney Theatrical Prods. chief Thomas Schumacher. While he launches a closing campaign to milk maximum business out of "Beauty" before it closes at the Lunt-Fontanne July 29, the producer will be closely overseeing preparations for the world-premiere tryout of "Mermaid" at Denver Center Attractions' Ellie Caulkins Opera House, starting previews July 27. (Broadway bow is Dec. 6, following previews from Nov. 3.) Schumacher starts his mornings these days watching rehearsals via Web cam from the Netherlands for the first international production of "Tarzan," which will open in Amsterdam in April. A third production is planned for next year in Germany. "Everybody thinks of our business as happening in an 8-block radius," says Schumacher. "That's the Broadway mentality. But it's a huge international enterprise of which 'Beauty and the Beast' has been a big part." In addition to the Gotham production -- the longest running show in the history of both the Palace Theater, where it opened in 1994, and the Lunt-Fontanne, where it transferred five years later -- "Beauty" has been seen in two North American national tours, countless licensed productions across the country and 13 international productions in 115 cities. Global grosses are in excess of $1.4 billion. The New York total will be close to $450 million when the show closes after 5,464 perfs, the sixth-longest running show in Broadway history. "That's an important legacy," Schumacher says. Regional and high school productions of the show will be ongoing through Disney's relationship with licensing org Music Theater Intl. The diversified scale of Disney Theatrical's business is evident in the development of its newest franchise property, "High School Musical." The tuner adaptation of the phenomenally popular telepic and CD will be staged by six professional theater companies this year, starting with Children's Theater Company in Minneapolis and Theater of the Stars in Atlanta. But those productions will serve primarily to whet appetites for licensed school and community theater stagings to follow. "We'll be doing over 5,000 performances by professional companies for kids this year but these are mostly to chum the waters for the licensing property," says Schumacher. "But you can bet if one of these professional productions turns out to be great, we'll think about moving it. I'm not looking at New York, but every option is open for 'High School Musical' right now." Directed by international opera helmer Francesca Zambello in her Broadway debut, "The Little Mermaid" will join "The Lion King," "Mary Poppins" and "Tarzan" in Disney's Broadway ranks, keeping the status quo at four. Adapted from the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about a magical underwater kingdom as told in Disney's 1989 animated film, "Mermaid" features a book by Pulitzer and Tony-winning playwright Doug Wright ("I Am My Own Wife," "Grey Gardens") and music by Menken and Ashman, with nine additional new songs by Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater. The film grossed $229 million worldwide and won two Oscars in 1990, for original score and song ("Under the Sea"). The creative team will include Stephen Mear (choreography), George Tsypin (sets), Tatiana Noginova (costumes) and Natasha Katz (lighting). No casting has been announced but the Broadway rumor mill has been buzzing about Sherie Rene Scott ("Dirty Rotten Scoundrels") in the villainess role of Ursula the Sea Witch. Schumacher is reluctant to discuss how the show's underwater world will be conjured onstage, hinting only that low-tech creative solutions will be sought. "Francesca always says 'No water, no wire,' " he explains. "There'll be a lot of choreography and a lot of music, but they won't be swimming through the air on this one." |
||
|
|
||
|
Beads Fly and Hearts Are a-Flutter at Downtown Disney
Pleasure Island WDW News - Downtown Disney Pleasure Island is buzzing in February as the nighttime destination presents two annual events: Pleasure Island becomes Sweetheart Island, celebrating the romance of Valentine's Day, Feb. 9, 10 and 14. Red and silver reign supreme on these special evenings, setting the stage for a host of heartwarming and humorous performances honoring the lovelorn and lovebirds alike. Parti Gras puts a Pleasure Island spin on the famous Mardi Gras tradition Feb. 16, 17 and 20. On these nights, feathered banners, fabric swags, purple and green garland, Mardi Gras masks and more are the backdrop for a party that includes special entertainers, live bands and more. Guests may experience the outdoor elements of these celebrations free of charge. Admission to the Pleasure Island nightclubs requires a separate ticket. Guests may visit the Pleasure Island ticket booths for details on ticket pricing and age restrictions. |
||
|
|
||
|
ABC Leads
Nominees for GLAAD Awards AP - ABC, whose hit show "Grey's Anatomy" has made headlines over an anti-gay slur used by an actor, led nominees for this year's awards from an organization that monitors depictions of gays and lesbians in the media. The network landed eight nominations from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the group announced Sunday. CBS garnered five nods, NBC three and PBS two. Among cable networks, CNN received four, Bravo and HBO three, and BBC America two. NBC is owned by General Electric Co.; ABC is part of the The Walt Disney Co. HBO is a unit of Time Warner Inc. "Grey's Anatomy," a medical drama, is nominated for outstanding individual episode. The show itself has gotten unwanted attention since actor Isaiah Washington used a slur to talk about castmate T.R. Knight in an on-set dustup in October with co-star Patrick Dempsey, then used it again at this month's Golden Globes as he denied ever uttering it. Washington apologized Thursday after the network admonished him. Nominees for feature film in wide release include "Little Miss Sunshine," "The Night Listener," "Running with Scissors," "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" and "V for Vendetta." Special prizes will go to singer Patti LaBelle, fashion designer Tom Ford and tennis great Martina Navratilova. The 18th annual GLAAD Media Awards -- consisting of 42 categories -- are split into four ceremonies, held in Los Angeles, New York, Miami and San Francisco in March, April and May. The awards "recognize and honor mainstream media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ... community and the issues that affect their lives." |
||
|
|
||
|
Atlanta Braves Celebrate 10 Years of Spring Training at
Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex WDW News - The Atlanta Braves will celebrate their 10th season of Major League Baseball Spring Training at The Ballpark at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in 2007. The Braves played the Cincinnati Reds in an exhibition game on March 28, 1997, in the official grand opening event at the sports complex and made The Ballpark their full-time spring training home in 1998. The month of February is the perfect opportunity for fans to get up close and personal with their favorite Braves stars. Braves pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 14, with their first workout set for Feb. 15. Position players arrive Feb. 20, with the first full-squad workouts on Feb. 21. Fans can seek out autographs and photos while taking in a Braves practice session. The Braves slate of 16 home games at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex begins on Feb. 28 with an exhibition game against Georgia Tech University. The Braves will battle several key rivals during the 2007 spring training season, including marquee clashes with the Mets, Astros, Cardinals and Yankees. Individual game tickets for the Braves home spring training games are currently on sale through Ticketmaster (407/839-3900 and ticketmaster.com and at the Disney's Wide World of Sports box office. Prices range from $14 (general admission lawn seats) to $22.50 (lower reserved). The popular mini-packs will include both three-game and five-game options in 2007 and are currently on sale, giving fans their first opportunity to purchase tickets to specific games on the Braves 2007 spring training schedule. Fans may also purchase Atlanta Braves Spring Training travel packages through Sports Marketing USA. Travel packages include Braves game tickets, accommodations at Walt Disney World Resort and other benefits. Information is available online at springtrainingtours.com/Braves/braves.html. Information on the Braves spring training season, group tickets and mini-packs is available by calling 407/939-GAME (4263) and online at disneyworldsports.com. |
||
|
|
||
|
Playhouse Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Coming To DVD Buena Vista Home Entertainment - The clubhouse is open! Mickey and his friends invite kids of all ages into their totally cool clubhouse for an exciting interactive adventure. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt, an all-new movie, premieres on Disney DVD March 20, 2007 from Walt Disney Home Entertainment. When Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Daisy get together, it can only mean one thing – a joyous animated bash loaded with laughs, all-new music and fun. This DVD is extra-special: it's got interactive programming that encourages young viewers to join in the action. For fans or first-time visitors, this is a great way to join the Clubhouse and have a grand time. The Eastertimed release date makes the DVD a perfect Easter gift. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt is priced to own for U.S. $26.99 (SRP). Bonus features are: "Donald's Hiccups," a 22-minute
never-before-seen episode from the Playhouse Disney
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse series; and an all-new song, "The
Best Easter Party Ever." Spanish and French language
tracks are included. |
||
|
|
||
|
Can 'Grey's
Anatomy' heal cast rift? AP - Friendships betrayed, careers at stake — how will the drama spilling from behind the camera into real life on "Grey's Anatomy" affect the future of the smash hit TV series? Whatever the consequences of actor Isaiah Washington's use of an anti-gay slur to describe castmate T.R. Knight, the pressure is on series creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes to restore order among the cast of the soapy medical drama. Millions of advertising dollars for ABC and corporate parent Walt Disney Co. are riding on her ability to keep the show healthy. On Thursday, ABC chastised Washington for using the term "faggot" about Knight in an on-set dustup in October with co-star Patrick Dempsey and then using the slur again at this week's Golden Globes as he denied ever uttering it. Later Thursday, Washington, who's gotten hold of the biggest role of his career on "Grey's Anatomy," conceded using the invective and issued a heartfelt apology. But it remained to be seen whether it would mollify Knight or co-star Katherine Heigl, who had leaped to his defense. A program relies on the executive producer, dubbed a "showrunner," to set the tone, especially when a crisis hits, said writer-producers Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman ("Queer as Folk," "Sisters"). "You're very much in charge, in control, and people look up to you in that way," said Lipman. "They will follow suit in how you handle it." He and Cowen once had to deal with an actor whose public remarks had infuriated fellow cast members, who snubbed him. The man chose not to return for another season and "frankly, we would have decided that as well," Cowen said, declining to identify the actor. The ABC statement, which said it was addressing Washington's actions but didn't specify how, came a day after a gay and lesbian advocacy group demanded the actor apologize. He did in his three-paragraph statement Thursday. "I can also no longer deny to myself that there are issues I obviously need to examine within my own soul, and I've asked for help," the statement said. "... I know a mere apology will not end this, and I intend to let my future actions prove my sincerity." Calls seeking comment from Rhimes and Knight were not immediately returned. ABC declined to expand on its statement. The hit show now in its third season hasn't so far suffered from his behavior, at least in the ratings: It drew 22 million viewers in the week before the verbal slur was reported last fall, while the episode last week was watched by 23 million. Morale on the set may be another matter. Washington plays respected surgeon Preston Burke and Knight is intern George O'Malley; the characters bonded when O'Malley bunked at Burke's house and again when Burke helped advise on care for O'Malley's ill father. "Only Rhimes and the cast know whether this rift can be mended, if they can go on, or if it can't be," Cowen said. "Will an apology suffice, will it make everything OK? If not, then you have to do something else." He and Cowen said they wouldn't presume to offer a course of action, but suggested that dumping a member of a popular ensemble cast could upset the show's balance. Keeping any show running efficiently is tough: Producing a season's worth of hourlong dramas, usually totaling about 22, is akin to turning out more than 10 feature films in under a year. A showrunner has to have the ability to "really manage their talent and keep them in line," said Nina Tassler, CBS entertainment president. Add strife like that on "Grey's Anatomy" to the mix and the challenge to keep the show from self-destructing can be overwhelming. "I've done two shows for 14 years and I've never had anything like that happen," said Neal Baer, a longtime executive producer on NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" who previously was with "ER." "If there's not respect amongst the cast, crew, writers, producers and directors, it would be very tough to function." Producers say serious discord is rare, although another ABC series, "Desperate Housewives," was made out in the early going to be a hotbed of sparring divas. Creator and executive producer Marc Cherry has called that inaccurate. It was last October when People magazine reported that Washington and co-star Patrick Dempsey quarreled when Knight was late to a scene and Dempsey insisted on waiting for him. Washington allegedly referred to Knight, who was not present, with the anti-gay slur. In a statement that followed the story, Washington expressed regret for "the unfortunate use of words" he called "beneath my own personal standards." Knight said soon after the incident that he was gay. Rhimes moved then to diffuse the conflict, deeming it "4 1/2 seconds of one day in three years. I feel like we've already moved on." But this week, in the awards season spotlight, it flared up again. On the red carpet before the Golden Globes ceremony, Washington was asked about the clash and responded with an apparent attempt at humor: "I love gay. I wanted to be gay," he said, with his wife next to him. "Please let me be gay." "I did not call T.R. a faggot. Never," Washington said backstage after the ceremony. Knight fired back during an appearance the next day on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show": "He referred to me as a faggot. Everyone heard it," Knight said of the October confrontation between Washington and Dempsey. Although producer Lipman said he believes those who use the anti-gay epithet deserve strong condemnation, the professional goal for Rhimes and the show now is to look ahead. "Hopefully, they all know they have something golden and they don't want it to be destroyed. That's what a producer would try to do to quell that — say, `Listen, we have something good here, we have a lot of talent, and it would be a shame for it be to blown apart by something like this,'" he said. |
||
|
|
||
|
Walt Disney World Resort Offers Romance for Lovebirds on
Valentine's Day and Every Day WDW News - All you need is love -- and a Walt Disney World vacation -- to make this year's Valentine's Day dreams come true. It's "The Year of a Million Dreams" at Disney Parks, and with dreams being granted to guests every day, there's no better time to visit the home of the world's greatest storybook romances. Whether it's a spa treatment for two, a horse-drawn carriage through the South or a view of the sunset over an African savannah, these top ten delights create the perfect setting for unscripted romance on Valentine's Day or any day! 1. A South Pacific paradise awaits at Disney's Polynesian Resort, where couples can lounge on a hammock made for two amidst tropical landscaping, cascading waterfalls and a picturesque view of Seven Seas Lagoon. 2. In the United Kingdom pavilion at Epcot, guests can stroll through the serene Perennial Garden, an oft-missed attraction (it hides snuggly behind the thatched-roof cottage of The Tea Caddy). Sample an English biscuit and a cup of Twinings tea, then relax on one of the many benches that provide excellent views of fluttering butterflies and seasonal flower blooms. 3. It was a "Bella Notte" when Lady and the Tramp shared that famous spaghetti noodle, so to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their classic romance, guests can recreate the moment at Tony's Town Square in Magic Kingdom. Couples can share a heaping platter of the restaurant's signature dish, spaghetti and meatballs dressed in Tony's tomato sauce, next to an indoor Lady and the Tramp fountain or outdoors on a patio that provides excellent parade views on special nights. (Info: 407/WDW-DINE) 4. Travel amidst scenic waterways and the grand manors of Disney's Port Orleans Resort-Riverside on a horse-drawn carriage ride, departing most nights from Boatwright's Dining Hall. For $35, couples can enjoy a 25-minute journey in an antique carriage with dreamy views of the resort's southern-inspired locales. (Info: 407/WDW-PLAY) 5. At Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, guests can indulge in one of many pampering services, including the Citrus Zest Treatment, a signature couples massage held in a romantic candlelit treatment room reserved solely for couples. The Grand Romantic Evening package offers a 50- or 80-minute aromatherapy massage, and for guests who prefer a hands-on experience, the Couples Instructional Massage provides the chance to massage one another with instruction from a certified masseuse. (Info: 407/824-2332) 6. Rent an old-fashioned fringe-topped surrey for two at Disney's BoardWalk, then bicycle around the old-fashioned pier amidst street performers, carnival games and the sweet smell of cotton candy. Guests can pedal to the nearby Disney's Yacht Club and Disney's Beach Club resorts or the Swan and Dolphin resorts for $19-$25. (Info: 407/560-8750) 7. Continue your storybook romance by renewing your vows with Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings. Disney's wedding specialists become the fairy godmothers, incorporating all the elements including ceremony, cuisine, floral arrangements and more. Each celebration can be custom-tailored to the whims and fancies of the couple to make their milestone magical. (Info: 321/939-4623) 8. A night's stay at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is an experience in itself! With most rooms overlooking a 33-acre savannah filled with 200 exotic animals and birds, guests can watch the sunset -- or sunrise -- over Africa from their private balcony. Room service can deliver breakfast in bed, or for more exotic cuisine, Jiko-The Cooking Place, a AAA Four Diamond restaurant, is steps away from the lobby. (Info: 407/W-DISNEY) 9. For the utmost in romance by sea, guests can rent the Grand Floridian's Grand 1, a 45-foot Sea Ray 450 Express Bridge Yacht, that provides private dining, butler service and a captain during a cruise along Seven Seas Lagoon. At Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Marina, the Breathless, a handsome reproduction of a 1930 mahogany runabout, is also available for private cruises. (Info: 407/824-2682) 10. Unmatched elegance lives at Victoria & Albert's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, central Florida's only AAA Five Diamond restaurant (and one of just 58 restaurants in North America with the distinction). A table for two offers Royal Doulton china, Cristofle silver, personalized menus, and soft harp music in an intimate 18-table dining room. A meal at the Chef's Table seats guests in Victoria & Albert's kitchen with a culinary feast custom-tailored to their specific tastes by Disney's executive chef. (Info: 407/WDW-DINE) Additional general information about Walt Disney World Resort is available by logging on to disneyworld.com, visiting a travel agent or calling 407/824-4321. |
||
|
|
||
|
New Disney.com
no small world Hollywood Reporter - With its world of fantasy and kid-friendly fare still center stage, the Walt Disney Co.'s remodeled Web site will offer greater interactivity when it launches in the next few weeks. The revamped Disney.com, which Disney CEO Robert Iger unveiled this month during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, will allow users to share videos, listen to music, create playlists and simultaneously play games and engage with friends within a virtual world of Disney characters and content for which the brand is well known. Disney.com is one of the company's most popular online attractions, according to Nielsen//NetRatings data for December, drawing nearly half of the 22.3 million unique visitors that came to Disney-branded sites in the frame. Disney Online accounts for 51% of Walt Disney Internet Group's traffic -- more than triple that of ESPN, which drew 15.8 million visitors in December, or ABC.com (6.3 million). Central to the Web page, which took a year to redesign, is Disney Xtreme Digital, the site's broadband component that allows users greater personalization of their favorite Disney content from the company's myriad TV, film, music and gaming properties. Through Disney XD, users can access premium Disney video and games, including the upcoming "Pirates of the Caribbean" massively multiplayer online game set to launch this year. "This is Disney.com on steroids," Iger said during the site's recent unveiling. But while users can customize their own programming channels by dragging content to their own "backpack" and communicate with other users through mash-ups and shared music and videos like on MySpace, that music and video must be from Disney. The homepage boasts new navigational tools, movable widgets and a video player in an environment full of bright fluorescent colors akin to "It's a Small World." Disney's online makeover also integrates more advertising opportunities, including sponsorships and video ads, while subscription-based products also will be sold through the site. |
||
|
|
||
|
Disney Institute Reveals 'The Keys' to Its Success SDSUniverse - Disney Institute's professional development program "The Disney Keys to Excellence" will be presented at the Sycuan Resort on Thursday, March 22. Sponsored by San Diego State University's College of Extended Studies, the full-day event reveals the "business behind the magic." Participants learn innovative Disney business strategies that can be implemented in their own organizations. Disney Institute programs are unique in the business world, according to George Aguel, senior vice president for Walt Disney Parks and Resort. "We don't simply teach theory," said Aguel "We take people inside the Disney operation, showcasing on-stage and behind-the-scenes locations. Attendees see firsthand how Walt Disney World Resort became the benchmark for businesses around the world." William E. Byxbee, dean of SDSU's College of Extended Studies, said the event is a win-win-win situation for Disney Institute, Sycuan Resort and the College of Extended Studies. "We are always looking for ways to expand upon the excellent academic programs offered by San Diego State University," Byxbee said. "This unique professional development program enables us to provide another quality educational opportunity to the community. The Sycuan Resort, which supports education at San Diego State, is an ideal venue for this event." Program Details The Disney Keys to Excellence program has four 90-minute sessions. Participants can attend one or all.
Cost and Registration Participants must pre-register. Early registration is strongly recommended. Registration fees are $99 per session, and include course materials. The full-day fee of $396 includes lunch. Group rates available. For details, visit the program Web site or call (619) 594-5640. |
||
|
|
||
|
Telefonica sees Endemol sale in Q1, Disney touted Reuters - Telefonica (TEF.MC) expects to sell its 75 percent stake in TV producer Endemol (EML.AS) in the first quarter of the year, a source close to the negotiations said on Monday. "The deal could take place soon," the source said, referring to the sale of Endemol, which the telecoms operator regards as a non-core asset. He declined to comment on a report published in Monday's La Gaceta newspaper that Endemol co-founder John de Mol had formed an alliance with U.S. giant Disney (DIS.N) to re-purchase the Dutch production house. Endemol shares jumped 5.6 percent to 20.61 euros by 1012 GMT. "We expect today's report (in La Gaceta) of a potential bid for Endemol to have a positive impact on the share price, but believe that a potential bid has been priced in," ING, which rates Endemol "hold", said in a note. "We believe a sale of Endemol by Telefonica could take a while and that a gradual increase of the free float is equally likely." A Disney spokeswoman in London declined to comment on the report. De Mol and Disney are already joint owners of one Dutch media company -- kids cable network Jetix Europe (JETIX.AS) -- of which de Mol owns 17.43 percent and Disney 73.7 percent, according to information from the Dutch regulator as of Nov. 1. For months, speculation has swirled that de Mol would buy back the company which he and co-founder Joop van den Ende sold to Spain's Telefonica for just under 5 billion euros in 2000. Last September de Mol said he had talked with Italy's Mediaset (MS.MI) over forming a consortium to buy a stake in the creator of Big Brother and Fear Factor. Earlier this month de Mol bought 5.15 percent of Endemol. |
||
|
|
||
|
Doing Disney, where Jerry Orbach lives on, and Gilbert
Gottfried is a "star" Orlando Sentinel - Relented and took the family to The Magic Kingdom over the weekend.
Yeah, here in Orlando, you're either a Disney Pod
Person, or a too-cool/too-cheap for Disney parent. We
dragged our 4 and 6 year olds for a weekend in the 4-6
year old friendly corner of the park.
How delightful to hear the voice of the late Jerry Orbach (among many voice actors, owned, in perpetuity, by Disney) in the Enchanted Tiki Room, and in the terrific 3-D film show, Mickey's Philharmagic. There, Disney musical show stoppers are re-purposed into new animation, complete with wind, spray and scent effects (scent, not so good). It's the best use of 3-D I've seen.
The rest of the park? Well, they've apparently figured
out that they needed to paint and fix stuff up, after
my paper did a nasty little series about how Eisner et
al were letting it go to seed a few years back.
Peter Pan, the ride, was aborably eye-popping, looking freshly painted. Even It's a Small World was dazzling, fresh and fun. The Country Bears, though, need new sound, new songs (this is a tribute to country music, circa 1966) and better animatronics. They added Gilbert G. to the Enchanted Tiki Room fake-bird show, with a guy impersonating Rowan Atkinson as well. Too few jokes in that one. It's way too expensive, the food is still too limited, the company plainly doesn't want you to get through it quickly enough to have days free to do the beach, Sea World or Universal. But the kids love it. The four year old is all but brainwashed. All the classic signs--she can't ready, but knows Walt Disney's name, could pretty much spell it, etc. So what're you gonna do? |
||
|
|
||
|
Hotel marketing group honors two Central Floridians
Orlando Business Journal - The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) has named its "Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing" for 2006. Included on the list are George Aguel, senior vice president for Disney Destinations, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, and David Gabri, president of Associated Luxury Hotels. Gone from the 2006 list is Richard Jackson, named last year when he was vice president of domestic and international sales at Universal Orlando. He is currently the vice president of sales for Wyndham Vacation Resorts. Also missing this year is Dale Brill, senior vice president of marketing for Visit Florida. Another honoree has an extensive history in Central Florida. Matt Ouimet, now president of the hotel group within Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, spent 17 years with The Walt Disney Co. His jobs included executive general manager of Disney Vacation Club, president of Disney Cruise Line and president of the Disneyland Resort. In a statement, Robert A. Gilbert, president and CEO of HSMAI, says, "We are looking to honor those whose work has really made a difference and raised the bar for the industry." Recipients were nominated through a "call for entries" to the industry and judged by a panel of senior industry executives for their work during the last year, based on the following criteria: Creativity and innovation; cutting-edge sales or marketing campaigns; triumph in challenging situations; and sales efforts that resulted in dramatic gains. The top 25 will be honored on stage at the HSMAI Adrian Awards Gala on Jan. 29. |
||
|
|
||
|
Sunday January 21, 2007 |
||
|
|
||
|
Disney characters get robotic facelift for Magic Kingdom
performance endgadget - We're hearing January is a fairly good time to hit up Disney World, and if you've got an itch to see giant rodents (and similar) perform on stage with near perfect mouth movements, we'd recommend heading on down. Apparently the engineers behind the relatively new Cinderella Castle stage show at the Magic Kingdom have spruced the characters up quite a bit, and most noticeable is the robotic facelift that the main characters received. Instead of just moving about while music loops in the background, the critters can now sing right along, as their mouths move almost in unison with the audio clips in the show. While we're sure your average six year old girl wouldn't notice such petty details, it's good to see Disney upping the ante on the mechanics to keep us geeks from zoning out while experiencing all that magic. |
||
|
|
||
|
Outrigger
Teams Up To Bring Disney Touristikpresse - It's coming! Broadway's award-winning musical Disney's The Lion King is coming to Honolulu. . .and Outrigger Enterprises Group is helping to make it happen. Outrigger Enterprises Group is partnering with WestCoast Entertainment to bring the premier engagement of the blockbuster, highly acclaimed The Lion King to Honolulu. The multiple-week limited engagement begins September 15 and will run through October 28 at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. "It is exciting to have a show of this tremendous
caliber here in Honolulu," As part of Outrigger's sponsorship of The Lion King, the company is offering exclusive hotel and ticket packages for the entire Honolulu engagement, allowing guests the opportunity to secure premium seats prior to individual tickets going on sale in April. To purchase a hotel and ticket package, simply call the special TOLL-FREE number 1-866-721-4221 and book any available room rate at any Outrigger or OHANA hotel on Oahu. The offer is also available for stays at the following Outrigger-managed hotels on Oahu - the Ala Moana Hotel and the new Embassy Suites(r)-Waikiki Beach Walk(tm). Guests can then purchase show tickets up to the number of guests registered in the room. During the call, the agent will confirm the room and
number of tickets |
||
|
|
||
| Back News |
"We
started by looking at the classic stories —Snow
White, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid,
Peter Pan," Leibovitz says in an e-mail
interview. "We put 10 or 12 of the obvious ones into
development. The people we got to play the central
roles in the first series of photographs felt the way
I did about Disney. They all grew up with Disney
characters."
Leibovitz,
who will soon dress another set of celebrities as
Peter Pan, Tinker Bell and Little Mermaid Ariel,
approached British soccer superstar (and new American
import) David Beckham, with the concept of playing
Sleeping Beauty's Prince. She asked the
31-year-old whether "prince" was an image he would
feel comfortable portraying. Not surprisingly, Beckham
was game, and the image was photographed near a lake
outside Madrid, where he had been playing soccer for
the team Real Madrid. The castle superimposed in the
background is from Disneyland Paris.
Jim
and Lisa Fouch and their children, Brad and Hannah, were
to spend Thursday night in the regal dwelling place --
the world's most exclusive resort, with only one room
available and no reservations accepted -- through the
Disney Dreams Giveaway, which awards extra-special
dreams through a totally random process. Now, nearly
every night for the remainder of 2007, another eligible
lucky guest will win a similar stay.
Where
Dream Jobs Come True
WDW
News - Befitting a princess, this Harry Winston tiara is
an exquisite, one-of-a-kind piece is made of platinum
and 18K white gold and features 366 diamonds totaling
more than 62 carats. It is valued at more than $325,000.
It is pictured inside the new Cinderella Castle Suite
with the custom-made Cinderella Glass Slipper, crafted
by Steuben Glass Company, that will be a featured piece
in the Cinderella Castle Suite. The piece was created
exclusively for Walt Disney World to be on display for
guests staying in Cinderella Castle during Disney Parks’
“Year of a Million Dreams” celebration.
TouringPlans
- Making a "clean" break from tradition, the Walt Disney
World Resorts are now introducing a new line of bath and
shower items.
So
your kids watch the show. You probably bought them the
Hannah Montana soundtrack that entered the Billboard 200
at No. 1, to say nothing of the show's merchandise,
spanning greeting cards, iPod accessories, and karaoke
machines. Soon your children will also be able to hang
out with their friends in Hannah's virtual world. It
will be part of a Disney.com redesign intended to help
the company compete with faster-growing kids' Web sites,
such as those of Viacom's Nickelodeon family. 
One
of the key features of the movie is an enchanted wishing
well. The effects of which in the tour have been created
by FogScreen walk-through screen.