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May 4 - 10, 2008 |
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Saturday
May 10, 2008 |
Theme
parks preparing for long, dry summer
Players protest closing of Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom
The Disney Formula
Sister triathletes lead team at Walt Disney World fundraiser
WDW's Wolfgang Puck Express Restaurant Designed by Architect
Anthony Eckelberry |
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Theme parks
preparing for long, dry summer
MarketWatch - While theme-park operators have yet to feel a
full-throated assault on their revenue from a sluggish economy,
trouble could be just around the corner.
Gas price increases show no signs of letting up, and there seems
to be little evidence of renewed prosperity on the horizon. It's
all likely to hit theme-park numbers at some point, industry
professionals say.
Walt Disney Co. and Six Flags Inc. both just reported quarterly
results this past week, and neither one gave investors any
trouble signs. Yet each could face their own hurdles down the
road if the economy erodes even further, and Six Flags already
has launched a pre-emptive strike, lowering prices to bring in
volume.
"We're not seeing any good
information out there that points to a stellar season," said
Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park
Services, an industry consultant. "We're putting our chips
on a flat-to-down season."
It's unclear, though, that
there will be trouble for the parks, which so far are
off to a good start. Disney reported an 11% rise in
parks revenue and a more than 30% leap in operating
income for the division during its fiscal second
quarter, which ended in March. The company said its
parks also got a lift from Easter being at an earlier
point on the calendar this year.
Consultants say Disney
benefits from operating "destination" parks in
California and Florida that attract tourists from across
the country and overseas. The same is true for Universal
Studios parks in both regions. Officials from Universal,
a unit of General Electric Co. would not comment for
this story.
Plus, overseas tourists
are taking advantage of a weak dollar, and Disney is
benefitting from that. But Disney also is better
positioned to absorb economic shocks than it has in
recessions past, company officials say. It's not
just domestic theme parks anymore; Disney also has
facilities in Hong Kong and Paris, as well as its
cruise-ship business and vacation business, a
spokesman said.
Disney had high
attendance even when gas prices spiked during 1999
and 2000, as fuel costs often have little bearing on
pilgrimages to a Disney park, the company says. It
was the travel scare following the Sept. 11, 2001,
terror attacks that took a bite out of Disney's
business, particularly at Walt Disney World in
Orlando, Fla.
Fear factor
John Gerner, an
industry consultant, concurs. Gerner, the managing
director of Leisure Business Advisors LLC of
Richmond, Va., said that gas spikes usually have
little to do with vacation planning. It was only the
gas shortages of the 1970s that caused some to cut
their vacation plans.
"They were much more
concerned about being able to get gas than how much
it was," Gerner said.
In a conference
call last week with analysts, Disney Chief
Executive Robert Iger also pointed out that in
Orlando, the company's hotel room inventory has
multiplied, leaving 75% of the rooms available
at a mid-priced or "value" rate.
During the 1990-91
recession, Disney's parks felt more of an impact
because more than half the rooms at its Orlando
resort were categorized as "premium" priced.
Iger was quick to add that a family of four can
stay and visit Walt Disney World for a week for
around $1,600.
It's uncertain
whether that kind of thinking will be enough to
keep the parks hopping, says Thor Degelmann, CEO
of Leisure Entertainment Development &
Operations in Newport Beach, Calif.
While international
tourism seems to be keeping Disney's numbers up,
that may not last. If that segment of the
business -- normally comprising a single-digit
percentage of sales -- starts to falter then
Disney may have to rely more heavily on
cross-country tourism.
Should gas prices
continue to rise and perhaps hit the $5
threshold, that could scare away visitors,
Degelmann said.
"That would scare me if I committed to driving
2,000 miles round-trip to get there," Degelmann
said.
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 The
game, launched in the summer of 2005 to promote the 50th
anniversary of Disneyland, attracted thousands of fans who
created more than 1 million avatars who trade virtual items and
play games to earn credits.
On Saturday morning, members of
the group plan to protest the game's shuttering around the
entrance to Disneyland in Anaheim. The game is set to close on
May 21 at 10 p.m. Pacific time.
"I've put three years of my life
into this," said Andrew Lawson, a 16-year-old from Sun City,
Calif.
Lawson said he plays the game 20
hours a week and has developed friendships with other players
that can't be replaced elsewhere.
According to VMK.com rules,
players are not allowed to reveal their real identities, e-mail
addresses or phone numbers as a safety measure—rules enforced by
staff monitors. The game is only open when moderated, from 7
a.m. to 10 p.m. Pacific time.
Scott Lawson, Andrew's father,
said his family stayed at the Disneyland Resort three times,
spending about $2,000 each time, to obtain a virtual hat based
on Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" series.
"We're saddened and upset at how
Disney handled this whole thing," said the 45-year-old traveling
salesman.
Walt Disney Co. spokesman John
Spelich, a vice president in the Walt Disney Internet Group,
said the company decided to close the site because it was
promotional and he encouraged players to go to other Disney
virtual worlds.
DisneyFairies.com had nearly 6
million avatars created in its "Pixie Hollow" game, while
Disney's "ToonTown Online" had more than 20 million, the company
said.
Combined with "Pirates of the
Caribbean Online" and "Club Penguin," more than 40 million
avatars have been created in other Disney worlds. Portions of
each site were free.
"You'd rather do anything in the
world than disappoint a guest," Spelich said. "But in this
particular instance, this promotional site is going to come to
an end. We have invited those players who like features of VMK
to sample the other ways we're offering to engage with Disney
online." |
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The Disney Formula
Globe
and Mail - In Billion-Dollar Kiss, one of my favourite books
about television, Jeffrey Stepakoff tells about writing for TV's
Dawson's Creek, which had started
out strong but after a few seasons was beginning to drop in the
ratings. One of the show's writers had a suggestion – have Pacey
and Joey, two antagonistic characters, kiss. That kiss created
such a stir that people started watching again, and the show did
well enough for long enough to become syndicated. It may not
have meant $1-billion – only shows like
Seinfeld do that well – but syndication is the cash cow for
any TV show.
I was
reminded of the kiss when I was reading about Miley Cyrus
and her controversial photos in Vanity Fair. What interested
me wasn't the argument that the photos were too provocative
for a 15 year old, but that Ms. Cyrus is considered
Walt Disney Co.
billion-dollar star, when you add up her show
Hannah Montana, her concert film
and tour, and all that merchandising. So one kiss can make
tens of millions of dollars, while one provocative photo can
threaten to break a billion-dollar franchise.
That
is, of course, the risk in investing in entertainment
companies. Tastes change, stars fall out of favour, hit
shows don't rebound after a television writers' strike.
While
the Miley Cyrus controversy raged this week, Disney released
its second-quarter results and they were impressive: a
22-per-cent increase in profit to $1.1-billion (U.S.) for
the quarter, or 58 cents a share. Analysts were expecting
earnings of 50 cents a share. Even the company's theme
parks, which analysts thought might take a hit with the
slowing U.S. economy, did well.
The
results reveal some of what we've all come to know about
Disney: It is the expert in creating massive franchises out
of its successes – not just Hannah
Montana, but also High School
Musical and Pirates of the
Caribbean. While the Miley Cyrus crisis appears to be
waning, you can't help but think that despite her celebrity
Disney is smart enough to have a pipeline of new young stars
to replace her just in case. The company also has a
wholesome, family image that it has always worked hard to
maintain. “Disney is the gold standard in entertainment,”
says Jeff Bock, a box-office analyst at Exhibitor Relations
Co., an entertainment-related research company. “They are
into everything. They get kids in their tweens and hold on
to them for the rest of their lives. Then they bring in
their kids. It's a cycle that never ends.”
But
Disney's success – and that of entertainment companies in
general – may run a little deeper. Yes, cultural consumers
can be fickle and the industry is notoriously competitive,
but consumers are also placing a greater value on
entertainment in their lives than ever before. Investors
might think that toothpaste and prescriptions drugs are
recession proof, but entertainment is something new to
consider.
We
spend our shared family time around entertainment, says
Robert J. Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for
Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. And
with the increased fragmentation of pop culture – where
children have their own computers and televisions – it's the
way we spend a lot of time alone, too.
“We
give lip service to quality time with family, but we are
increasingly spending it as time watching family
entertainment: DVDs, television, video games,” Mr. Thompson
says. “It's how we live our lives now.”
It's an
important concept for investors to register, especially as
the U.S. economy slows. In times of recession, consumers
don't cut back on staples.
Mr.
Bock believes that Disney is the entertainment company that
is most recession-proof. It has “a marketing machine like no
other,” he says, and targets a lucrative market that few
companies acknowledge – young females. In the short term, he
says that two of the company's films coming out this summer
are almost certain blockbusters – the second
Chronicles of Narnia instalment,
Prince Caspian, and
Wall-E, an animated film with a
robot character that is so likeable that “Disney even out-cuted
themselves.” So cute that Entertainment Weekly predicts it
will rake in $280-million-plus.
As
investors who are aware of Disney's business strategy know,
that's only the box office returns. Then there's the
merchandising and DVD sales, and maybe a video game and a
park ride to follow. It's how Disney works, and how it
became considered the blue-chip stock amongst media
companies. Remaining recession-proof would only bolster that
reputation.
In last
week's column, I passed on advice about how investors in
mutual funds should do their homework and calculate just how
much money they are making. In trying to make the equation
as simple as possible, I left out an important fact and just
made things more complicated.
So
here, again, is how to figure out your returns:
First,
figure out your total return (which includes all interest,
dividends and capital gains) and then figure out all your
costs, including fees and commissions other than MERs – the
cost of managing the funds. The industry standard for mutual
funds is to report returns with MERs already subtracted.
When
you've figured out your results, compare them to an
appropriate benchmark. For example, if your mutual funds are
in Canadian equities, you can compare that to the S&P/TSX
composite index. The website showmethebenchmark.com can also
help find the right benchmark for you.
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Sister triathletes lead team at Walt Disney World fundraiser
Orlando Sentinel - This is the second
Mother's Day that Kaley and Chloe Crebs don't have a mom, but
they refuse to spend it grieving.
On Sunday, the Longwood sisters will lead a team of more than 50
of their mother's friends, who will swim, sweat and cycle in the
Danskin Women's Triathlon, a breast-cancer fundraiser at Walt
Disney World.
"I think my mom would have wanted us to do this," said Chloe,
15. "It's an inspiration to see all these ladies out there
participating."
The idea came to them last year, only a few months after their
mother, Lynn Crebs, died. She was 48.
"I knew I didn't really want to be in church and listen to
everybody talk about moms," said Kaley, 21. "I knew I wanted to
do something different."
So when Tess Angeline, one of Lynn's best friends, told the
Crebs sisters she was planning to participate in the
breast-cancer triathlon, they signed on, too.
The timing and cause were perfect, Kaley said. Last year, the
sisters raced along with seven of their mom's friends. This
year, they spread the word and, before long, friends of friends
were joining.
The sisters' father, Tim, and 18-year-old brother, Kyle, will be
cheering them on for a second year.
When the girls stood at the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon last
year, ready to start the triathlon, the speakers blared out one
of their mother's favorite songs: "Brick House."
"I was standing there in tears," Tim Crebs said. "That was
confirmation that my wife was up there, with us."
Lynn Crebs was diagnosed with stage-3 breast cancer in 2003. She
withstood chemotherapy without complaint. If she felt bad, she
never let it show.
"When she told us she had breast cancer, she said she was going
to put her faith in God," Chloe remembered. "She said, 'Don't
worry about it; just pray.' And that's what we did."
After the chemotherapy sent the cancer into remission, Lynn and
Tim continued to take their kids camping, even driving across
the country to visit Yellowstone and Glacier national parks. She
kept home-schooling. She even joined Weight Watchers, determined
to take off a few pounds.
Then biking became a passion for Lynn. In the summer of 2006,
inspired by her son's new bike, Lynn got one, too. Soon a bunch
of her friends got bikes. And their husbands and children all
got bikes.
By the end of the summer, Lynn had logged more than 1,000 miles
on her bike.
"We would ride the [Seminole] Wekiva Trail every day," says
Angeline, 38, who had joined Weight Watchers with Lynn. "We
often thought: 'Are we crazy? It's like 100 degrees out here.
Why aren't we waiting until January?'
"But she wasn't here in January."
Indeed, that October, Chloe noticed that Lynn looked unusually
tan, a result of jaundice. And she began getting bloated. When
Lynn went to her doctor for a blood test, the news wasn't good.
The cancer was back, and it had spread to her liver.
Two weeks later, Lynn was dead.
As the kids struggled to cope with the loss of their mom and Tim
tried to handle his grief and the children's, Lynn's friends
tried to help.
"We were distraught," says Angeline. "I was trying to take care
of my kids and my family and her kids and her family."
A few months after Lynn's death, Angeline began training for the
breast-cancer triathlon: a quarter-mile swim, a nine-mile bike
ride and a two-mile run. Because it's an event for women only,
she encouraged the Crebs sisters to try it with her.
"It turned into one of the best grieving processes," the
Sorrento woman says. "It was a target, a focus. It allowed us to
put our energy into accomplishing a united goal. And because it
was going to be their first Mother's Day without their mom, it
was really part of their survival."
Together, Kaley, Chloe and Angeline, along with six other
friends, cheered one another on through the triathlon. After she
crossed the finish line, Kaley felt proud of herself, but also
suddenly peaceful, certain that her mom would be proud of her,
too.
This year, Kaley and Chloe invited more of their mother's
friends to join them. To their amazement, more than 50 have
signed up, including two of their aunts; mothers and daughters;
and friends of friends.
When Kaley e-mailed Linda Werner, director of Circle Christian
School, where the Crebs siblings have attended classes, Werner
was intrigued.
"I'm 55 years old and I don't like exercise, but I thought: You
know what? I'll do it for you and for your mom and the other
moms at the school who are battling breast cancer."
Other mothers from the school joined in. "It just exploded, and
now there's 25 to 35 of us who have never done this before,"
Werner says.
For the Crebses, the race is their way to remember a determined,
loving woman.
"I know, hands down, that my mom would be in the race if she
could be," Kaley says. "But I don't think she'd be surprised by
what we're doing. I think she knew what we were capable of." |
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WDW's Wolfgang Puck Express Restaurant Designed by Architect
Anthony Eckelberry
Dexigner - Architect Anthony Eckelberry has
completed the redesign and expansion of the Wolfgang Puck
Express restaurant in Orlando Florida.
A new dining room structure was added to the building and the
existing space was remodeled for better customer flow and visual
appeal.
The restaurant now has double the previous seating capacity.
The restaurant's contemporary design features the brand's deep
chocolate brown and accent green colors, sumptuous leather
booths and banquettes, light wood table tops, and two
family-style tables, making Wolfgang Puck Express the perfect
gathering place for friends and family, whether for breakfast,
lunch or dinner.
Other design features include black and white photos of Chef
Puck and fresh ingredients that are commonplace in the kitchen.
Floor-to-ceiling glass doors offer a complete view of the
bustling dining room from the new and expanded patio with brick
columns and awnings. |
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Friday
May 9, 2008 |
'Teacups' beating
victim sues Disney
'Flogos' will
create Mickey Mouse clouds
"Prince Caspian" is the newest "prince" to join the Disney's
Hollywood Studios family of stars
Disney parks
attract more Europeans
Disney, UTV
seal $203 mil deal
Panini bags Disney brands
'Vanity Fair' photos of young Disney star not at all obscene
Months of Talks End in New Contract for ABC’s President |
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'Teacups' beating
victim sues Disney
Orlando Sentinel - A Clermont woman who was beaten by another
park visitor at Walt Disney World has sued the theme park,
saying that its negligence caused her to suffer permanent
injuries.
Eben Self, an attorney for Aimee Krause, said that he filed suit
in Orange County Court on his client's behalf late Thursday
afternoon. In a complaint provided to the Orlando
Sentinel by Self, Krause and her husband, Paul, claim that
Disney World provided inadequate staff and security at the Mad
Tea Party ride, where Krause was beaten by Victoria Walker of
Anniston, Ala., in May 2007.
They also claim that the theme park did not adequately train its
staff to recognize security threats such as those posed by
Walker, that the park didn't remove her from the ride prior to
the beating, in spite of park goers' requests, and that it
bungled its investigation of the beating.
Paul Krause also is suing Disney World for the loss of his
wife's support and companionship in the aftermath of the attack.
When reached Thursday evening, Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty
said she had no knowledge of Krause's litigation.
Last month, an Orange County jury convicted Walker of battery.
During the trial, Krause and several witnesses testified that
she was beaten and kicked by Walker because Walker was upset
that she and members of her church group lost their place in
line.
On the stand, Walker admitted that she grabbed Krause by the
hair but denied she harmed her otherwise. She also said Krause
provoked her.
Two doctors testified that Krause suffered permanent brain
damage and psychological trauma in the beating, but the defense
cast doubt on the severity of her injuries, noting that there
was little physical evidence from tests to substantiate her
claims.
The jury convicted Walker of battery, the least-serious charge
she faced. The jury also delivered a special finding saying that
Krause suffered minor injuries in the attack. |
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'Flogos' will
create Mickey Mouse clouds
Imagine gazing up into the sky and seeing fluffy white clouds
drift by shaped like the McDonald’s arches or Mickey Mouse -
welcome to the new frontier of advertising.
 A
special effects entrepreneur from America has come up with a way
to create foam clouds shaped like corporate logos that will
float up to 20,000ft into the air.
The 4ft wide shapes, which are
made from tiny soapy bubbles filled with helium, can travel for
around 30 miles before evaporating into thin air.
Francisco Guerra, whose company,
Snowmasters Inc., makes machines that churn out fake snow for
Hollywood films, is the man behind “Flogos”.
He has developed a machine which
can manipulate the bubbles into any shape and pump them into the
sky at a rate of one every 15 seconds.
The concept has already
attracted attention from The Walt Disney Co and Mr Guerra has
been commissioned to send clouds shaped like Mickey Mouse into
the sky above Disney World in Florida.
Mr Guerra said: “Flogos are a
revolutionary way to market products, services and events.
“It’s a shock factor when you
look up and there’s a logo over your head.
“They will fly for miles, they
are durable so they last a while. The secret is our formulation
and equipment. We’re able to keep the cloud together for a long
time.
“The Flogo clouds can hover at
various heights, depending on the amount of helium and oxygen
mixed into the formula. As a norm, they’ll fly about 300 to 500
feet high but they can sail much higher or lower if needed.”
He insists the Flogos are
environmentally safe because they are made from just water, air,
helium and a soapy agent.
Tests have shown that they pop
just like bubbles and disappear on contact with a tree or
building, sometimes leaving a powdery residue that blows away.
Major League Baseball franchises
and various Fortune 500 companies are reported to have expressed
an interest, as well as a presidential campaign. |
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"Prince Caspian" is the newest "prince" to join the Disney's
Hollywood Studios family of stars
 Disney
News - "Prince Caspian" will soon be the newest prince to join
the Disney's Hollywood Studios family and make appearances at
the Walt Disney World theme park in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The
"Prince Caspian" theme park character -- seen here in a
promotional photo shoot at Walt Disney World Resort -- is
scheduled to begin regular meet-and-greet appearances on May 16,
2008 at the showbiz-themed park. That same day, "The Chronicles
of Narnia: Prince Caspian" is scheduled to debut in U.S.
theaters. The film, presented by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden
Media, is the second motion picture based on C.S. Lewis' series
of classic books. The series' first film, the 2005 hit, "The
Chroncles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,"
earned more than $745 million worldwide. |
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Disney parks
attract more Europeans
Bombay - More people are visiting the once deserted Disney theme
parks in Europe.
Things are looking up for Euro
Disney in Paris which has revealed an operating profit of 1.3
million euros in the first half of its financial year which
ended in March.
That compares with a operating
loss of 36.3 million euros for the same period a year earlier.
Attendance has been up by 14.8%
.
Costs were also up by 10%, due
to the hiring of more workers to cope with the extra visitors
and spending on new attractions. |
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Disney,
UTV seal $203 mil deal
The Hollywood Reporter - The Walt Disney Co. has formalized a
deal to spend $203 million to raise its equity stake in
Bollywood's UTV Software Communications, Mumbai-based UTV said
Friday.
In the deal announced in February, Disney's stake in UTV rose to
32.1% from 14.9%. In the deal now closed, UTV sold equity to
Disney at $21.5 per share.
UTV Motion Pictures is among the biggest studios in Asia. It has
12-18 movies slated this year, including M. Night Shyamalan's
thriller "The Happening," a co-production with 20th Century Fox.
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Panini bags Disney brands
Licensing.biz - Panini has added two significant titles to its
portfolio - one a new launch and the other an existing magazine
it is taking on from the BBC.
Disney Presents launches with content on Enchanted to tie in
with the release of the film on DVD. The title will cover
favourite girl lifestyle content, in addition to featuring a
cover mounted A1 double-sided poster and Enchanted foil sticker
sheet.
The series continues with a High School Musical poster mag
special on issue two and Hannah Montana on issue three. The
latest Disney/Pixar movie Wall-E will be featured on issue four.
The monthly title will have a cover price of £2.10 and will be
aimed at ages eight to 12.
In addition, Panini is taking on the publishing of WITCH
magazine from the BBC from May 14th.
The four weekly title will return to its original A4 size format
and will feature a cover mounted notebook and pen set. To
support the transfer of business, the title will benefit from an
increased level of trade marketing activity to ensure sales are
maximized coming into the key seasonal period.
In terms of editorial content, the magazine will continue to
include gossip, fashion, quizzes, puzzles, horoscopes and
competitions, in addition to a 32-page comic strip.
"We are delighted to be taking over the publishing of WITCH
magazine, which sits perfectly alongside our existing Disney
tween property High School Musical and our exciting new launch,
Disney Presents," said Rebecca Smith, circulation controller at
Panini.
"The brand synergies enable us to offer even greater depth of
Disney coverage across all titles." |
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'Vanity Fair' photos of young Disney star not at all obscene
USA Today - 'Vanity Fair'
photos of young Disney star not at all obscene Poor Miley Cyrus.
Give the kid a break! I am the 56-year-old mother of four happy,
successfully grown children — three of them daughters — and I
admire this 15-year-old for all she has done in the past year,
including posing for Vanity Fair magazine.
How many of us could work as
hard as Cyrus has and still smile and be gracious?
The photo shows a vulnerable
young girl on the edge of womanhood. She is not overly made
up, and only her upper back is shown. She probably shows
more skin on the beach or in an evening gown. No one
complains about that.
If the photo had been shot
with Cyrus looking sleazy, then I might object. But for
2008, I don't think the photos are obscene in any way.
Her parents were there at
the photo shoot with her, by the way. And the photographer
was the legendary Annie Leibovitz. Miley has nothing to be
ashamed of or apologize for.
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Months of Talks End in New Contract for ABC’s President
New York Times - The Walt Disney Company signed the
president of ABC Entertainment, Stephen McPherson, to a new
contract, signaling confidence in the maverick executive’s
ability to deliver new hits to succeed workhorses like
“Grey’s Anatomy.”The
agreement, which was completed Thursday after months of
negotiations, locks up one of Hollywood’s most highly
regarded creative developers for an unspecified number of
years. “His ability to identify talent and develop
successful shows is second to none,” said Anne Sweeney,
co-chairman of Disney Media Networks and Mr. McPherson’s
direct boss, in a statement.
A spokeswoman for Mr.
McPherson said he was not immediately available to comment.
In a statement, he said, “I feel really fortunate to get the
opportunity to continue on with the phenomenal team.”
The renewal of his contract
had not been guaranteed. Mr. McPherson, known for his
competitive nature and frank discourse, has at times had a
testy relationship with colleagues at Disney, where
executives are expected to stay on message and get along
with corporate siblings.
Mr. McPherson, 42, had made
it known that he was interested in taking on more
responsibility, and it was unclear whether he would stay
without gaining oversight of additional turf. The details of
his new contract are unknown, but it does not include
oversight of the ABC Television Studio, according to a
person with knowledge of the terms but who was not
authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
Disney is relying on Mr.
McPherson to lead ABC through a thicket of industry
problems. Advertisers, already moving dollars from
television to the Internet, are coming under additional
spending pressure due to the lagging economy. Viewership
continues to tumble. And the television industry, still
hurting from the recent writers strike, now faces the
possibility of an actors strike over the summer.
Mr. McPherson has played a
direct or indirect role in shaping some of the biggest hits
on television in recent years, including “Grey’s Anatomy”
and “Dancing with the Stars.” The network has not delivered
any home runs lately but has managed to score more singles
and doubles than most of its rivals.
Since Mr. McPherson took
over the network, ABC has risen to second place from last
among the four major broadcast networks, as measured by
viewership among people age 18 to 49, the demographic most
advertisers pay a premium to reach. The rise is particularly
impressive because it was accomplished despite the departure
of “Monday Night Football” to ESPN.
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Thursday
May 8, 2008 |
Celebrity Moms Celebrate Mother's Day at Walt Disney World
Super Bowl XLII MVP Eli Manning Parades Down Main Street USA
Disney’s Newly Crowned Prince, Plucked From a London Stage
Disney Honors 100 Students as Dreamers and Doers
Can Dubailand attract
Disney?
Disney still hammering out details of Night Kingdom
Double-digit percentage gain in Disneyland attendance
The Secret to Disney
Savings
Celebrity teen scandals marring Disney's image
Tiscali
inks movie deal with Sony and Disney
Citizen
Journalism, Live From Disney World
Annual passholders get weekend peeks at Disney World, Universal
Orlando |
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Celebrity Moms Celebrate Mother's Day at Walt Disney World
Disney News - If you find it difficult to find something special
to give your mom for Mothers' Day, you may draw some inspiration
from the way some of the stars of Hispanic television chose to
honor their moms, by creating a magical moment during a visit to
Walt Disney World.
Among the celebrities who came
up with an original way to celebrate Mother's Day are Giselle
Blondet and Paola Gutierrez whose mothers had the opportunity to
live an enchanting fantasy with their daughters.
Puerto Rican actress and
Univision TV-host Giselle Blondet, decided to give her mother a
different kind of gift than what she receives every year.
She treated her mother, Alba
Gómez, to a day of fame with a Hollywood-star style makeover in
preparation for a movie star photo shoot directed by Mickey
Mouse and Minnie Mouse at Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios.
Emmy award-winning Univision
news anchor and author, Maria Elena Salinas, was invited by her
daughters, Gaby and Julia, to a special afternoon treat of high
tea and pastries, which they shared with Sleeping Beauty's
Princess Aurora at the luxurious Grand Floridian Hotel. "We love
coming to this place, my daughters are my princesses," said
Maria Elena Salinas. "It is our very own special time to escape
our everyday and go to a place where we know that, together, we
will really enjoy ourselves."
Meanwhile, Paola Gutierrez -a
correspondent for the morning show "Despierta America"- and her
daughters Antonella and Isabella went all out and brought
grandma Norma San Martin from their native Bolivia, so that she
could be Queen for a Day in the Magic Kingdom, in special
magical moment hosted by Cinderella, Snow White and Belle.
"My mom had always dreamt about
being a queen, even if it was only for one day," said Gutierrez.
Her mother added, "This experience changed my life. After that
day I've felt like a real queen." Antonella stated, "being a
princess is not an easy job, but it sure is beautiful."
These very special moments for
these mothers took place during the Year of a Million Dreams
celebration at Disney Parks. This celebration continues to grant
one million people, randomly chosen among the guests at Disney
parks, magical moments, such as staying over at Cinderella's
Castle for one night, getting a special VIP escort and fast
access to attractions, and many other special surprises.
Among the activities that can be
shared with moms at Walt Disney World are tours during the
Flowers and Garden Festival and attending performances such as
Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba. The heart of Downtown Disney also
offers an array of shops, great dining and clubs to wrap up the
festivities.
And in case all this is not
enough, you can treat your mom to a day at a Disney Spa, where
she will feel completely renovated after receiving a massage,
manicure, pedicure and other exotic beauty treatments.
For more information about the
"The Year of a Million Dreams" celebration, please visit http://disneyparks.disney.go.com.
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Super Bowl XLII MVP Eli Manning Parades Down Main Street USA
From the Super Bowl “field of dreams” to the place “where dreams
come true,” Eli Manning of the New York Giants, MVP of the 2008
Super Bowl game, paid a visit to Disneyland today, three months
after shouting the famous “I’m going to Disneyland!” victory
phrase.
Manning was accompanied by his new bride, Abby McGrew, in a
cavalcade down Main Street, U.S.A., accompanied by Disneyland
characters. His visit also included a dream-come-true meeting
with young football players from the Tustin (Calif.) Pop Warner
football team.
 His
post-game “I’m going to Disneyland” pronouncement was captured
on tape February 3 just moments after the Giants’ dramatic 17-14
upset victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII
at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. It
was the latest episode of the “I’m going to Disneyland”
commercial produced over a 22-year span. Manning led his team on
an improbable 83-yard drive where he scrambled, broke tackles
and completed clutch passes before he tossed a 13-yard touchdown
pass to receiver Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds left in the
game.
Manning was originally slated to visit the Anaheim theme park
the day after the game, but bad weather, flight delays and
commitments to fans in New York forced a postponement.
The first of the “I’m going to Disneyland” commercials appeared
in 1987 and featured New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms
following his team’s triumph in Super Bowl XXI. The commercial
was regarded as a groundbreaking concept – a produced national
commercial involving a current event, airing on major networks
hours after the event. Since then, the commercial has created a
national catch phrase, shouted by people of all ages following
moments of great accomplishment.
This latest installment – the 38th in the long-running series –
followed a similar script, airing only hours after the
conclusion of Super Bowl XLII on February 3.
Manning joins a star-studded lineup of sports heroes such as Tom
Brady, Emmitt Smith, Michael Jordan, Kurt Warner, Coach Jon
Gruden, Joe Montana, John Elway, Jerry Rice, Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar, Doug Williams, Magic Johnson, Patrick Roy and
Super Bowl XLI winning coach Tony Dungy, who have been featured
during the two decades of “I’m going to Disneyland” commercials.
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Disney’s Newly Crowned Prince, Plucked From a London Stage
New York Times - As jarring moments go, the action figure in his
likeness was nothing compared to the billboard on the Sunset
Strip. There he was, towering eight stories above the boutiques
and rock clubs, with sword brandished, lips pursed and “The
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” emblazoned across his
legs. “This has to be one of the weirdest moments of my life,”
said Ben Barnes, the young British actor who plays the title
role in the coming movie. He backed up to take in the
advertisement’s full effect. “I have no comprehension of what’s
about to happen to me, do I?”
Nope.
Mr. Barnes is a polite
26-year-old who, until Walt Disney Pictures came calling in
February 2007, was struggling in all the typical ways fledgling
actors struggle. Despite the splashy outdoor advertising
campaign, he is in many ways still living that life.
He crashed at a friend’s
apartment during a recent visit to Los Angeles. He has no
publicist. Arriving for an interview at the Sunset Tower Hotel,
he parked his rental car on the street because he was leery of
leaving it with the valet. Despite being blessed with more than
his share of tall, dark and handsome — and starring in a summer
blockbuster — he frets that a woman he has a crush on is
“utterly unattainable.”
His low-key life will change no
doubt with the May 16 arrival of the lavish “Chronicles of
Narnia” sequel. Mr. Barnes’s character is the swashbuckling
descendant of pirates who must battle his evil stepfather for
control of the magical kingdom. The movie, based on the C. S.
Lewis children’s classic “Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia,”
is expected by some box office analysts to sell more than $300
million in tickets in North America alone. Prince Caspian is
also at the center of “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of
the Dawn Treader,” which Disney and Walden Media, the
franchise’s co-producer, plan to release in 2010. Filming for
that movie is scheduled to begin this fall.
For now, though, Mr. Barnes
finds himself in a rare position in Hollywood: an unknown actor
on the brink of certain global fame.
When Orlando Bloom landed his
role in the first “Lord of the Rings,” nobody could say for sure
whether the movie would catapult him to stardom. But “The
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” is as close to a sure
thing any movie gets in Hollywood. The first film, “The
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”
(released in 2005), sold more than $290 million in tickets in
the United States and Canada and $745 million worldwide.
“I keep telling him to remember
who he is right now,” Andrew Adamson, the film’s director, said,
adding that “I’ve been through enough of this to know how what’s
coming can really mess with you, good or bad.”
Mr. Barnes, no relation to this
non-acting, non-singing reporter, was coroneted a Disney prince
by accident. A London casting director saw his performance in
the West End production of “The History Boys” three weeks before
filming for “Prince Caspian” was to start. Mr. Barnes played the
decidedly non-Disney role of a sexually aggressive boy who toys
with his teachers.
Aside from “The History Boys,”
the actor’s résumé included a bit role in “Stardust,” the
fantasy starring Robert De Niro that flopped at the box office
last year, and a television pilot (in which he played a high
school quarterback) that never made it to television. But he had
experience as a heartthrob: while studying children’s literature
and drama at Kingston University (near London), Mr. Barnes
played the lead in the school production of “Don Juan.”
Disney and Walden were looking
for a particular type of actor, said Oren Aviv, president for
production at Walt Disney Studios. The role called for dark
features to contrast with William Moseley, the blond-haired
actor who portrays Peter Pevensie, the oldest of the children
who magically journey to Narnia. He needed to be able to pull
off a believable Mediterranean accent. Horse-riding skills were
important.
“We also needed somebody we felt
could handle the pressure of going from obscurity to stardom,”
Mr. Aviv said.
A few days later, in a phone
call from California about 3 a.m. London time, Mr. Barnes was
formally hired. “I just ran around my house screaming,” he
recalled.
(The producers of “The History
Boys” were not as thrilled, telling several London newspapers
that they were considering suing him for leaving on short notice
to star in a “children’s Disney movie.” They got over it.)
Mr. Barnes forgot he had fibbed
about knowing how to ride horses until he arrived on the New
Zealand set, where he was required to cross a river on
horseback. He had told the producers his riding was “average,”
but in reality he had seen a horse only once. “My mother still
can’t hear the word ‘Ben’ and ‘horse’ in the same sentence
without getting the giggles,” he said.
After three weeks of sword
training, with riding lessons on the side, Mr. Barnes was ready.
Ample eyeliner and hair extensions were added to give him more
of a roguish appearance. Mr. Barnes said he studied Mandy
Patinkin’s performance in “The Princess Bride” for inspiration
on his accent. (Luckily, he also worked with a dialect coach, as
Mr. Patinkin’s accent was not exactly authentic.) Mr. Barnes’s
first foray with Hollywood a few years ago had very different
results. He said his agent at International Creative Management
lured him to Los Angeles with an offer to bunk in a guest room
in exchange for free baby-sitting services. His first audition
was for the part of a lifeguard who gets eaten by a shark.
“I walk in, and here are a half
dozen guys literally comparing their calf muscles,” Mr. Barnes
said. “I freaked out.” He ended up getting the part. “They
decided to go with the sensitive surfer type,” he said, joking.
But the project fell apart.
Mr. Barnes is slightly better
known in Britain, but not for his acting. In 2004 he competed in
a televised singing competition as a member of a boy band called
Hyrise. Sample lyric: “When you touch me and tease me you’re
leadin’ me on.”
During one clip from the show,
viewable on YouTube in all of its synchronized, hip-swinging
glory, Mr. Barnes gives a pre-performance interview that is
particularly mortifying in retrospect. “I’ve got a bit of a
tricky note to hit tonight,” he says, “so I’m just going to
tighten my belt, wear my cheeky tight pants.”
The remarks, Mr. Barnes said,
were written by a producer.
“I learned a very important
lesson from that,” he said. “Never agree to say or do anything
that isn’t you.” |
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Disney Honors 100 Students as Dreamers and Doers
Disney News - They entertain residents of nursing homes
and serve food to people who are homeless. They volunteer with
migrant workers and sell lemonade to raise money for tornado
victims. They donate their hair for children with cancer and
crusade to prevent child abuse. And they do it all with can-do
attitudes.
 These
are some of the traits that describe 100 Disney Dreamers and
Doers honored during a 25th anniversary ceremony of
the program at Walt Disney World Resort. The award acknowledges
outstanding students who are making a difference through
volunteer service in Central Florida.
Since the first ceremony in 1983, more than 11,000
Central Floridians have become Disney Dreamers and
Doers.
A panel comprised of community leaders and Walt Disney World
Cast Members selected the finalists and three top Shining Stars
from nearly 400 students nominated by schools throughout Orange, Lake, Polk, Osceola and Seminole Counties.
The recipients of the 2008 Disney Shining Star Award include:
Elementary School: Emma O’Halloran,
Avalon Elementary School,
(Orange
County)
During the past year, Emma
O’Halloran has volunteered more than 500 hours to a wide range
of community organizations and projects. This fifth grade
academic achiever has donated her hair to children undergoing
chemotherapy and has planned bake sales to raise money for
Hurricane Katrina Victims. In addition, she has produced her own
movie, called HOPE, to help shed light on the issue of global
warming. In her spare time, she has given toys for cats in
shelters and donated Teddy bears to hospitalized children.
Middle
School: Corey Warner,
Sanford Middle School
(Seminole
County) While most seventh grade
students are doing their homework or playing video games, Corey
Warner is trying to launch his own non-profit organization to
raise awareness for abused and neglected children. In the past
few years, he has volunteered more than 3,000 hours with
Children’s Home Society. In addition, Corey launched a campaign
to “Can Child Abuse” and delivered 10,000 cans representing
10,000 votes, to attract attention during Child’s Week at the
State Capitol. He has also raised scholarship money to send
neglected children to summer camp, and distributed
back-to-school backpacks with school supplies and coupons for
free haircuts and lunch.
High School:
Tyler Freeze, Leesburg High (Lake County)
11th
grade student Tyler Freeze has not let a disability slow him
down. Despite having Cerebral Palsy, Tyler sings in his church choir, reigns as a member of the
homecoming court and tutors his peers in history. He is also a
reading tutor, helping younger students improve reading skills.
According to his classmates and teachers, Tyler
is always positive and is an inspiration to all.
All 400 Disney Dreamers and Doers receive four theme park
tickets, a certificate and a special pin. The 100 finalists also
receive a Disney Dreamers and Doers medallion. In addition, the
three Disney Shining Star Award recipients receive a Mickey
Mouse statue along with Walt Disney World Annual Passes for
themselves and their immediate families.
The goal of Walt
Disney World’s community initiative, Disney -- Helping Kids
Shine, is to engage children in society by creating healthy,
guiding relationships with adults, providing constructive
free-time activities, offering character-building opportunities,
and encouraging a sense of compassion for others, while helping
those children who face adversity. In 2007, Walt Disney World
Resort contributed more than $33.6 million in cash and in-kind
support to local non-profit organizations. Disney VoluntEARS
also donated 174,000 hours to community causes. |
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Can
Dubailand attract Disney?
Select Property - As Legoland yesterday became the latest theme
park to sign up in Dubailand, talk began again of the vast scale
of the project.
The world's biggest collection of cartoon character and thrill
ride theme parks will be built in the desert in Dubai. On
completion Dubailand will be twice the size of Disney World in
Florida, currently the world's biggest theme park.
At present a total of 26 projects will make up the $60billion
project, with separate theme parks also planned for Marvel Super
Heroes, DreamWorks and Universal Studios. Thomas the Tank Engine
and Bob the Builder will have their own parks. Jurassic and
Formula 1 theme parks are also planned, as is a wheel bigger
than the London Eye and a life-size replica of the Eiffel Tower.
Work has already started on Dubailand, with an Ernie Els-designed
golf course and three polo fields completed. A new cricket
stadium opens in August and from December 2010 a theme park will
be opening every six months.
One name conspicuously absent from Dubailand is Disney itself.
However Dubailand’s marketing director confirms that Disney is
not excluded and they are in talks with everyone, it all depends
on whether Disney wants to become part of the venture. |
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Disney still hammering out details of Night Kingdom
Disney Gossip - Remember when news of a boutique experience
aimed at attracting 2000 or so wealthy adult visitors to a new
wild adventure concept called "Night Kingdom" was leaked to the
Disney fan community? Well that was a trial balloon. Forces on
both sides of the project were interested in seeing if the
results they were getting in their $200 a head focus group were
represented in the general public.
Guess what? The focus group was right. The idea was weak and
quickly went on life-support. But a good idea never dies at Walt
Disney Imagineering. It just gets tinkered with incessantly
until it either changes completely from the original idea, or
someone on the top shelves it.
I think we can all see what Disney wants to do with the
"boutique park" experience. Catch some money from the deep
pockets of those who expect a certain type of luxury when the
travel, "whales" as they are known to the casinos. Five to Ten
years ago, "Night Kingdom" as we first heard it, probably would
have been enough. But since then the quality of luxury travel
has been elevated to a new level. In part this is due to places
like The Wynn Resort where guests are immersed in luxury from
the moment they enter the resort to the moment they leave.
The new luxury for Walt Disney World would be a resort that does
the same thing, immerses the guest in the show from the moment
they enter to the moment they leave. And it has to do it on a
new level. And it has to do it as part of the Disney brand
(possibly the Indiana Jones or Star Wars brand).
Pick a theme, let's say Jungle Adventure. Put a waterfall,
hidden treasure, secret map, and wild animals outside every
bungalow. Provide adventure experiences (dining, water park,
exploration events, full immersion dinner shows, etc) throughout
the week, so that the guest never has to leave this boutique
experience if they don't want to. And if they do, well the whole
world of WDW is just a short luxury private people mover ride
away.
The fact that Disney could provide something like this is why
I've always thought that letting Four Seasons build on property
was a bad idea. But I understand they owed an old friend (you
know the Saudi Prince that bailed them out in Paris) a favor.
So, the idea of a "boutique experience" at Walt Disney World for
those who can afford it hasn't died. "Night Kingdom" may emerge
again, but it will only resemble its old self in name and
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Double-digit percentage gain in Disneyland attendance
The Standard - The Walt Disney Co reported yesterday that Hong
Kong Disneyland grew its attendance by a double-digit percentage
in the first three months of the year, but the Tourism
Commission said it is concerned with the park's performance and
operation.
"Attendance trends have been
especially good at both our Paris and Hong Kong locations, each
of which grew their attendance by double-digit percentages,"
Disney chief financial officer Tom Staggs said about the
company's fiscal second-quarter results, which cover January
through March.
In a filing to the US securities
regulator, Disney said losses decreased at Hong Kong Disneyland
during the quarter. It marked the second consecutive quarter
where the park's attendance increased while losses declined.
"The government ... has urged
park management to enhance its operational efficiency, revamp
its marketing and promotion strategies, as well as strengthen
its cooperation with the local travel trade to ensure a
continued improvement in its performance," a spokeswoman for the
Tourism Commission said. Hong Kong Disneyland is still in
discussions with Disney and the SAR government about getting
more funding. If no agreement is reached before September 30,
the park will have to make alternative arrangements for its
funding needs, Disney said.
"If the shareholders do not
reach agreement prior to the September 30, 2008 maturity date of
the commercial term loan and revolving credit facility, Hong
Kong Disneyland would be required to make alternative
arrangements to meet its financial and development needs," the
entertainment company said.
The Tourism Commission
spokeswoman said talks are ongoing. |
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The Secret
to Disney Savings
WYFF -
If the weak economy has made you reluctant to fork out money for
a Disney World vacation, we can help.
News 4 has discovered a way to
"do Disney" on a budget.
Beth Haworth, a travel writer
and former Disney cast member, is the author of The Ultimate
Disney World Savings Guide eBook. The eBook is for sale on
Haworth's website, DW Secrets, and it contains strategies for
saving big bucks.
"I actually used to
work for Disney, and I watched all kinds of families at Disney
spend all kinds of money, so I kept my eyes and ears open, and
learned all the different tips and tricks to make a Disney World
vacation affordable," Haworth told News 4's Tim Waller.
Her money-saving secrets begin
the moment you arrive in Orlando, and need to get from the
airport to your hotel. Haworth said if you're staying on Disney
property, the Magical Express Shuttle Service will take you
there for free.
The alternative is spending $112
with private shuttle service for round-trip tickets for a family
of four.
Haworth also offers tips on
saving money on Disney park tickets.
"Instead of actually waiting to
buy your tickets at the park and pay gate prices, you can
purchase them in advance from what's called a Disney Authorized
Tickets Discounter, where they take their three-day and higher
tickets and sell them at a reduced cost," Haworth said.
In her savings guide, Haworth
has negotiated with two online ticket discounters, who give
readers an additional discount over already-reduced prices.
The Disney Dining Plan is
another great money-saving, said Haworth. Like the shuttle
service, the dining plan is available only to Disney resort
guests.
"For a set price, you get one
table service meal, one counter service meal and one snack for
each night of your stay," Haworth said. "Usually your sit down
table service meal covers your entire dining plan for the day.
It's like being able to eat your counter service meal and your
snack for free."
The dining plan can be booked
180 days in advance. The cost is $38.99 per night per adult, and
$9.99 per night per child.
Haworth said large families or
groups headed to Disney World can save money by staying off
property. Because Disney resort rooms only accommodate up to
four people, larger families would be forced to book two or more
rooms.
"In the Orlando area, there's
private vacation homes, and many of these homes, some of them
are up to six bedrooms and sleep up to fourteen people," she
said. "You have your own private pool. The kids will love it.
And you'll usually have your own kitchen to keep your food costs
down."
If you have ever bought
souvenirs at Disney, you know the prices can be less than
magical. So Haworth recommends that you shop before you get
there.
"Right by Disney, there's
actually several discount Disney outlets in the Orlando area.
It's a great place to go and shop and pick up a souvenir for 10%
to 75% off what you'd pay at the theme park," Haworth said.
In Haworth's eBook, she also
offers tips on how to move through lines more quickly. She said
when given the choice, choose the left line instead of the
right. The left line tends to move quicker, Haworth said.
And for Disney rides, Haworth
said you can save time by using the Disney FastPass.
"Insert your ticket into a
little machine and it spits out a card, and on that card it
tells you what time to return to your attraction. When you come
back during that time, and you enter into a separate line, and
actually skip the entire regular que line and basically go right
to the front," Haworth said.
News 4 tested the Disney
FastPass, and found that it can shave 45-60 minutes off your
wait for Disney rides.
One of Haworth's favorite values
is the Disney PhotoPass CD. For $125, professional photographers
will take your family's pictures and load them onto one CD.
"A lot of people shy away from
getting their picture taken thinking it's going to cost them a
fortune to have one picture printed. But at Disney, the best
thing to do is have as many pictures taken as you can by these
professional photographers," Haworth said.
Haworth said with these tips and
others (contained in her eBook), a family can save hundreds,
even thousands of dollars on their dream trip to Disney.
"Disney has a feeling about it,"
she said. "It really is the happiest place on earth." |
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Celebrity teen scandals marring Disney's image
PerthNow - It's months since the scandal surrounding nude photos
of Disney girl Vanessa Hudgens on the internet, but it seems her
indiscretions have been forgiven.
She has returned to the Disney
fold in Utah to film High School Musical 3: Senior Year.
Hudgens returns to the big
screen with on and off-screen love Zac Efron who said little
about the pictures when the scandal erupted.
There were questions following
the appearance of the pictures, which showed the 19-year-old
actor and singer pose provocatively while fully undressed, as to
whether she should be a part of the third instalment of High
School Musical.
The movie itself is under the
Disney banner, a network known for its wholesome programming.
Hudgens isn't the only Disney
girl raising eyebrows.
Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus
had seductive photos on the internet of her and her then
boyfriend. She was also snapped by celebrity photographer Anne
Leibovitz for the cover of Vanity Fair.
Since then there has been media
speculation about whether Cyrus is a good enough role model for
pre-teens who look up to the talented 15-year-old.
While the ruckus has died down
from the Hudgens nude photos scandal and the Cyrus issue reaches
crescendo the question is – are we putting too much pressure on
these teens to live up to the wholesome image? |
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Tiscali
inks movie deal with Sony and Disney
IPTV
News - Italian telco Tiscali has revealed that it has signed a
deal with Sony Pictures Television International and Disney-ABC
Intl. Television under which it will offer Sony and Disney
movies on its IPTV service.
Following the deal, Tiscali can
now offer a library of up to 1,000 Italian and international
movies. No financial details were disclosed.
Tiscali also stated that it has
extended its IPTV service to a further six Italian cities,
bringing the total number of cities reached to nine. The
company is reportedly targeting a customer penetration in Italy
of 11% by 2009. |
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Citizen
Journalism, Live From Disney World
Wall
Street Journal Blogs - If you want to understand how citizen
journalists armed with cell phones are going to change the
world–and create challenges and opportunities for
businesses–spend a few minutes at
Twisney.com.
What you’ll find
there: Live updates from ordinary people walking around Disney
World, using their cell phones to share their experiences with
anyone who cares to take notice.
As journalism
goes, it’s not the Watergate break-in, or even live blogging
from a campaign event. But for some people it is, as the saying
goes, news you can use–and that makes it an idea worth
understanding.
Here’s how
Twisney works.
If a theme-park guest
wandering around Disney World wants to share something with the
Twisney audience, they can send a short email to an address
supplied by Twisney. Short really means short: Twisney will only
pick up the text from the email’s subject line, ignoring the
body of the email. Contributors can also send photos from their
cell phones.
You can read
these live missives in a couple of ways. One is to visit
Twisney’s Web site, where the messages appear overlaid on an
aerial view of the Walt Disney World parks on Microsoft’s
Virtual Earth map. (Twisney contributors can include a few words
about their location–“Pirates of the Caribbean,” say–in their
message, and the site automatically places the post on the
appropriate part of the map.) If your cell phone offers Web
access, you can call up the Twisney page while on the go at the
parks.
Twisney is even
simpler for those who already use the popular Twitter service,
which gives its users a simple way to send “microblogging”
updates from cell phones. It’s easy to send a cell phone text
message to Twitter and have it routed to the Twisney feed.
(Likewise, you can also follow the updates via Twitter.)
Twisney isn’t
the product of Walt Disney Co. or a venture-capital incubator.
It was created by a 34-year-old Disney fan and father of two in
his spare time away from his day job as a software developer.
Scott Mitchell says he decided to set up Twisney recently
because he and a fellow dad were taking their sons on a “guys
only” visit to Disney World. Mr. Mitchell wanted a way to update
his wife and daughter back at home.
“I thought, how
neat would it be to take pictures on my cell phone and shoot
them to my wife so she could see what we were doing,” Mr.
Mitchell says.
At first,
knowledge of Twisney remained within a small circle of friends
and family. Then in the past few weeks, word started getting
around, and now visits to the site number in the hundreds rather
the dozens. As the fan sites devoted to Disney theme parks take
notice, those numbers are sure to rise.
Right now, the
updates posted to Twisney are something of a mish-mash, the
contributions of some early adopters trying out the system. Some
simply want to share their experiences, such as the contributor
who wrote, “Enjoying a Dole Whip in Adventureland right outside
of the Tiki Room” last weekend. Others are sending photos.
But occasionally
the contributors share some intelligence that’s helpful for
those navigating the Disney parks.
And that’s where
the real potential of Twisney–and countless other micro-news
sites that haven’t yet been created–rests. The next logical step
for Twisney is to have users consistently share real-time
intelligence throughout the parks. How many people would tune in
for messages like “No line at Space Mountain right now”?
For Disney and
other companies that see such services evolve, there’s a
potentially valuable opportunity to encourage passionate
customers and even participate directly in the electronic
conversation. But there are headaches looming as well–such as
when the in-the-know park customers converge in one place after
reading that “No line at Space Mountain” message.
The broader lesson is that the
effort involved in participating in citizen journalism is
getting smaller. That’s going to increase the ranks of those
participating–even if they don’t consider themselves
journalists. |
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Annual passholders get weekend peeks at Disney World, Universal
Orlando
Theme Park Rangers - Annual passholders for Universal Orlando
theme parks and Walt Disney World parks have sneak-peek
opportunities this weekend, beginning bright and early Friday.
"Premier and preferred" annual
passholders for Universal Studios can check out the new
Simpsons Ride from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. this Friday, Saturday
and Sunday. Show your pass to get early admission to the
park. The mailer I received included a coupon to be used
between 8 and 10 a.m. for a free Squishee coupon and a
Simpons souvenir.It's
a little weird to call it a preview since it's been open for
more than a week, but at least the line should be more
manageable. There will be grand opening events next week.
Universal has designated May as
"Passholder Appreciation Month," and there are multiple
chances to take advantage, from early admission to discounts
for Blue Man Group and CityWalk to resort-based give-aways.
Check out the details at
www.universalorlando.com/annualpass.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday are
the dates for the annual passholder preview of Toy Story
Mania at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The hours are 9 a.m. to
7 p.m. You'll need a valid Disney annual pass plus a photo
ID to ride because it's not quite open to the public yet.
Last weekend was a cast
member preview at DHS, and when I checked in, folks without
proper credentials were turned away (politely, natch). Be
prepared.
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Wednesday
May 7, 2008 |
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When Walt Disney World guests "shrink" to the size of the toys
they play with at home (or remember from their childhood) and
become the star performers in the midway-game world of Toy Story
Mania! at Disney's Hollywood Studios, they are experiencing the
essence of Disney Parks: engagement in such an immersive and
interactive way that guests become part of the show.
Every day, Disney cast members invite guests to play special
roles in entertainment throughout the Walt Disney World Resort.
Other immersive experiences include such roles as starring in a
parade down Main Street, U.S.A., learning dance moves from the
Disney Channel sensation "High School Musical 2," dueling with
Darth Vader and many more.
"These experiences transport our guests deep into the magical
realms of what Disney parks are all about," said Jay Rasulo,
chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "Rather than imagine
being in a Disney parade or what it's like to sail with Captain
Jack Sparrow, these transformational experiences put our guests
right in the heart of their dreams."
It's a Disney tradition that goes back to the very beginning
of Disney Parks -- the opening of Disneyland in 1955 -- and is a
consideration every time the famed Disney Imagineers huddle to
fathom new magic.
In the latest immersive-entertainment experience, Toy Story
Mania! guests are transported into a 4-D world where they
compete in virtual midway-style games hosted by characters from
the Disney-Pixar films "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2," including
Woody, Hamm and Rex. Donning 3-D glasses and using spring-action
shooters, guests launch virtual darts at balloons, rings at
aliens and eggs at whimsical barnyard targets to see who can
rack up the most points. Guests may even experience some special
4-D effects during different parts of the game.
And the interactive fun doesn't stop when guests put down
their toy shooters. Here's a sampling of other immersive
experiences happening every day at Walt Disney World Resort:
"Block Party Bash" (Disney's Hollywood Studios). A new
traveling show that lets guests play, dance and party with
favorite Disney-Pixar characters from smash-hit animated films
like "Toy Story," "The Incredibles," "Monsters, Inc." and "A
Bug's Life." Block Party Bash rocks and rolls throughout the
park, putting guests in the middle of an impromptu party during
one of the wildest, most interactive street spectaculars ever.
"High School Musical 2: School's Out!" (Disney's Hollywood
Studios). Wildcat fever has guests dancing in the streets in
the new interactive show presented multiple times daily.
Inspired by the Disney Channel's record-breaking, original film,
"High School Musical 2,"the high-energy cast invites guests to
join the fun as they sing and dance along to the movie's hit
tunes, including "What Time Is It?," "All For One" and "I Don't
Dance."
Jedi Training Academy (Disney's Hollywood Studios).
Taking a cue from the popular Star Wars Saga, the power
of the Force and the magic of Disney combine for an original and
intergalactic entertainment experience. Young Jedi hopefuls --
known in 'Star Wars-speak' as "Padawans" -- learn
lightsaber moves from a Jedi Master before facing off in a final
test against the evil Darth Vader. Created with Lucasfilm Ltd.,
Jedi Training Academy is presented multiple times daily,
adjacent to the popular Star Tours attraction.
"Playhouse Disney-Live on Stage!" (Disney's Hollywood
Studios). Some of the most beloved characters from the
Disney Channel lineup are featured in a singing, clapping and
be-bopping show designed for preschoolers. The show stars
favorites from popular Disney Channel programs including "Mickey
Mouse Clubhouse," "Little Einsteins," "Handy Manny" and more.
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (Magic Kingdom
Tomorrowland). Armed with infrared lasers, Magic Kingdom
guests join forces with Buzz Lightyear to defend Earth's supply
of batteries from the evil Emperor Zurg in Buzz Lightyear's
Space Ranger Spin, a spinning, brought-to-life Tomorrowland
spin-off of the hit movie "Toy Story." The shoot-'em-up fun
triggers sight and sound gags, while a lighted display inside
toy-spaceship ride vehicles allows guests to keep score.
Captain Jack Sparrow's Pirate Tutorial (Magic Kingdom
Adventureland). Looking for new recruits, Captain Jack and
his mate Mack lead guests through a series of pirate skill tests
to prove their mettle. Who is craftiest at wooden swordplay? Who
can flash their most menacing pirate grimace? Faster than you
can say "Yo, Ho! Yo, Ho! A Pirate's Life for Me!" the big moment
arrives: getting officially sworn in with the Pirate's Oath to
become honorary buccaneers of Captain Jack's famous Pirate Crew.
Woody's Cowboy Camp (Magic Kingdom Frontierland).
There's a rootin' tootin' good time in store as Woody, Jesse and
Bullseye invite everyone to Woody's Cowboy Camp! Ridin' in on a
wagon are some of their best cowpoke pals, along with Sam the
Singin' Cowboy who leads a rollicking hoedown. Led by Bullseye
and saddled up on wooden stick horses, kids giddy-up their way
through a cowboy obstacle course -- maneuvering around parents
donning hats shaped like cacti, mountains and mine shafts. It's
kick-up-your-spurs, hootin' and hollerin' fun as the cowboy
spirit comes to life on the dusty streets of Frontierland.
"Main Street Family Fun Day Parade" (Magic Kingdom Main
Street, U.S.A.). For the very first time, guests are able to
parade down Main Street, U.S.A. alongside favorite Disney
characters. It's a pennant-waving, drum-beating rush for guests
when they join characters and march alongside parade floats, a
marching band and an old-timey fire truck. There's even a
stroller drill team to accommodate little paraders and their
parents. When the parade hits Town Square, guests join the
performers for a flag-waving patriotic finale.
Also happening in the theme parks every day:
"Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor" (Magic Kingdom Tomorrowland).
Guests laugh, joke and match wits with the beloved animated
characters from Disney-Pixar's "Monsters, Inc." in an engaging
and interactive attraction created by the Disney Imagineers.
"Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor" features one-eyed hero Mike
Wazowski, who has opened a comedy club to collect laughs that
will generate power for the future. As Monster-of-Ceremonies,
Mike recruits two comedian wannabes whose slapstick humor
delights and engages audiences. Guests even get to text-message
jokes on their cell phones for possible use in the show.
"Turtle Talk With Crush" (Epcot). Crush, from
Disney-Pixar's "Finding Nemo," has made a different kind of
screen debut in The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion at Epcot
-- as a chatting, joking quipster who engages guests in
conversation from his movie-screen undersea environment. "Turtle
Talk With Crush" showcases real-time animation using digital
projection and sophisticated, voice-activated animation.
And that's not all! Coming in winter 2008:
"American Idol" Attraction (Disney's Hollywood Studios).
Starry-eyed Disney guests will get a taste of TV's pop culture
phenomenon -- up close and personal -- when Disney's Hollywood
Studios unwraps an "American Idol" attraction in winter 2008.
Guests will be able to experience the challenge of auditioning,
the rush of performing on stage in competition or the thrill of
judging the performances in a live interactive setting modeled
after the "American Idol" set. There will be multiple show times
daily. Guests advancing through the screening process have the
chance, in the nightly final competition, to win a guaranteed
reservation for a regional audition for the "American Idol" TV
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Disney Beats And Iger
Speaks
CNBC - The Walt Disney Company reported another stellar quarter,
with earnings of 58 cents per share, blowing away Wall Street's
consensus earnings estimate of 51 cents per share, while revenue
came in at $8.71 billion, also beating analyst expectations, and
up 10 percent over last year.
Most
impressive, CEO Bob Iger proved that the company,
despite its exposure to the U.S. economy, is incredibly
resilient. In Wednesday's trading, Disney stock
is up on the news (at this positing).
Investors were concerned the slowdown in consumer
spending could really hurt Disney's Parks and Resorts business.
But the division came through with 11 percent revenue and 33
percent operating income growth. And even better, looking
forward to the crucial summer season, room bookings haven't
dropped off.
So how did the
parks and resorts stay so strong? Well internationally, the weak
dollar certainly helped, and Disneyland Paris finally started
taking off. The U.S. parks also benefited from the weak dollar,
which drove foreign tourists to stay at the parks and spend big.
But what's most surprising is that U.S. visitors continued to
spend at the parks, no matter how tight their pocketbooks.
I got a chance to sit down with Iger in an exclusive
interview to discuss the numbers and his strategy. There are two
video clips posted with him.
Iger
attributed this to the parks shifting more of their hotels to a
more moderate price-range, giving families the option of an
affordable getaway. Lower priced rooms and the benefit of perks
for staying at hotels on the park property has boosted Disney's
share of tourists hotel spend. Bottom line: Americans may not be
spending on travel overseas, but they're not giving up their
annual family vacation, and Disneyland seems to offer a more
accessible option here than ever.
Another sign
of the company's resiliency in light of an economic
slowdown--the company's media networks division showed a 5
percent increase in revenue and a 14 percent increase in
operating income. Since Disney has the theme parks and consumer
products, it's probably less exposed to the industry-wide
downturn in advertising spending than any of the other media
giants.
Iger noted that the company's ten local stations have been hurt
by lower local ad spending, but with national spending still
robust the segment remained stable. ABC sold some of its shows
to international markets, which helped offset lower revenues due
to the strike, leaving the broadcasting division flat. Meanwhile
ESPN continues to be a growth driver, and the Disney Channel is
strong as ever, both in the U.S. and overseas.
I talked to Iger about the company's strategy of using
the Disney Channel as a launch pad for stars and brands to
exploit across all its platforms.
They've done it with the "High School Musical" franchise and
Hannah Montana, now they're doing it with the Jonas brothers.
They started with a TV show on the Disney Channel, now they're
starring in their own TV movie, "Camp Rock," which debuts this
summer. Their albums are huge for Disney's label, Hollywood
Records. And they're going on tour, having opened for Miley
Cyrus/Hannah Montana on her tour last year. And in keeping with
Disney's strategy of churning out new stars, they have another
budding star opening for them.
I asked Iger how often they'd like to launch a new brand/star
from the Disney Channel-- thinking about the fact that teenagers
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Disney
News - A Sable Antelope mother (right) and her calf (left) are
spending their first week on the savannah together at Disney's
Animal Kingdom theme park in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The calf's
first day on the outdoor savannah was May 7. The savannah can be
seen by guests on the theme park's Kilimanjaro Safaris
attraction.