Sunday May, 27 2007

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" picks up where the record-breaking 2006 smash hit left off, with our heroes Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) allied with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in a desperate quest to free Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from his mind-bending trap in Davy Jones' locker. With the terrifying ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman, and its commander Davy Jones under the control of the East India Trading Company, there is havoc on the Seven Seas. Navigating through treachery, betrayal and wild waters, the heroic trio must forge their way to exotic Singapore and confront the cunning Pirate Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat). Now headed beyond the very ends of the earth, each must ultimately choose a side in a final titanic battle -- as not only their lives and fortunes, but the entire future of the freedom-loving Pirate way hangs in the balance. The film was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Gore Verbinski from a screenplay written by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio.

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Celebrities and stars from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy as well as other invited guests made their way up the red carpet and into Frontierland, where a movie screen and seats had been set up along the Rivers of America.

Guests were treated to a private party with lavish food (inspired by the Asian locales featured in Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"), as well as live entertainment before the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" premiere.

Keira Knightley who plays Elizabeth Swan was unable to attend.

Martin Klebba                  Jonathan Pryce                  Kevin McNally                  David Schofield

Keith Richards              Jerry Bruckheimer               Gore Verbinski 

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The tally includes $14 million from Thursday evening previews that took place before the film's official release the next day. The balance of $43 million includes sales of $3 million from midnight screenings.

Disney declined to forecast sales for the weekend, which will be boosted by the U.S. Memorial Day holiday on Monday.

The film, starring Johnny Depp as the woozy pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, has also also earned $85.5 million from 102 international markets, led by Britain, France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, Disney said.

"Pirates" marks the first Disney film to be released "day-and-date" around the world, and so comparisons with the performances of the first two films in the series are difficult.

The first sequel, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," for example, was rolled out internationally over an eight-week period last year following the soccer World Cup, Disney said.

The only markets the new film is not yet playing in are India, Lebanon and China.

"Pirates" is playing in a record 4,362 theaters across the United States and Canada, about 110 more than Sony Corp.'s (6758.T) (SNE.N) "Spider-Man 3," which set an opening-weekend record of $151 million earlier this month. That film was also released worldwide over the course of a few days.

Reigning North American champion "Shrek the Third" also entered the record books after debuting last weekend with $122 million -- the best opening by an animated film. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (DWA.N) and released by Viacom Inc.'s (VIAb.N) Paramount Pictures.

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The city is in its second big-time battle in recent memory with a supposed corporate partner. And this battle – with Disneyland – is even more of a head scratcher than the legal war of words with Angels owner Arte Moreno.

The city recently gave developer SunCal the OK to build 1,500 residences on a strip of land it controls next to what someday will be Disneyland's third Anaheim attraction. The parcel previously was designated for tourism-related business, zoning that was part of a 13-year-old agreement between the city and Disneyland that facilitated the massive renovation of the Anaheim resort district.

The Mouse didn't take the news well.

Disneyland has already run to court, hoping a judge will void the city's change of heart. And now the issue will likely also be in front of the voters, as a ballot box referendum may settle the skirmish.

Last week Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger gave his first public comments on the matter in response to a question I posed at a business journalism conference in Anaheim. Iger's opening remark that Disney "is probably the best neighbor that Anaheim has ever had" sounded a lot like somebody who felt he'd been hoodwinked by an old pal.

Anaheim's done very well with its partnership with Disneyland. On the flip side, the park has certainly enjoyed what's often been a pretty compliant city government for the tourism business.

So it's sad to see such a marriage hit a rough patch, especially over a deal that seemingly was cemented a long time ago. But a remarkable renaissance of one slice of Anaheim put forces to work that were never envisioned in the early 1990s, when the city and its tourism trade partner hammered out a long-term plan.

WORD GAMES

Anaheim battled Moreno over the silly renaming of his baseball team "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim." The city, rightfully so, knew the new name would limit branding opportunities created in sports news, broadcasts and the like. But since the city's stadium deal with the club only required the word Anaheim to be in the name, essentially, Moreno outsmarted the city.

Still, the marketing and baseball savvy that Moreno brought to the ballpark has, if nothing else, enriched the city with additional revenue from the flocks of fans filling the city's stadium.

Nevertheless, the city has waged a losing courtroom battle with Moreno, instead of using whatever negotiating clout the name change might have generated to win another concession – such as an extension of the stadium lease with the team.

The Disney battle will spin around a somewhat similar word game. Call it Word War II. Just trade "of Anaheim" for "affordable housing."

The critical slice of the SunCal project is 225 units of subsidized, low-cost rental apartments. That was enough to swing a 3-2 vote at City Council in favor of the zoning switch.

Anaheim is enjoying a residential building boom around its so-called Platinum Triangle, a neighborhood between the baseball stadium and the tourism district. So SunCal's 1,200-plus homes that aren't "affordable" aren't central to the city's needs.

It's those 225 affordable units that put Disneyland in a tough PR spot. It makes it easy to tag their position as "anti-housing." Disneyland certainly employs many Anaheim residents who can't afford the typical price of a local home.

Iger is aware of that, saying last week: "We believe that there should be affordable housing in this area, that it's an effort that should be a partnership between the local government and a number of businesses. Given all of the employees, or cast members as we call them, that we have here, we believe that giving them affordable housing in an area that's proximate to their place of work is something that we should all work to create. But we don't believe that the property that's being talked about is property that should be developed for housing."

So, Bob, where?

TOUGH TIMING

It's no secret that Disneyland wants to add another major attraction in Anaheim.

The big question has always been timing, especially after seeing how long it has taken for the park's second gate – California Adventure – to catch on. As politics take over, with a February vote looming, this zoning battle may accelerate Disneyland's timetable.

Last week, Iger politely danced around the new attraction's timing: "We continue to look at opportunities in this area in terms of investing capital to create growth. We've continued to invest heavily in Disneyland and in California Adventure."

He added: "The future of Disneyland is bright … I have no announcements to make about further developments except that Walt said ‘Disneyland will never be completed; we'll continue to build and to grow.' And that's what we're doing."

Political reality may require Disneyland to reveal tangible plans for the new park during the election campaign.

Meanwhile, I'm just wondering: What big business will Anaheim pick on next?

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Contrary to appearances, obviously no one goes to a theme park just to stand in queues. But with Disney's two facilities here hosting some 25.8 million visitors per year — more than any other amusement park, museum or zoo in Japan — navigating the lines for an attraction, a parade or even a bucket of popcorn is a routine procedure that's almost become an art form at the 20-hectare Disney colony just east of Tokyo in Maihama, Chiba Prefecture.

Naturally, Disney brains have come up with a variety of techniques to make the considerable waits they face less stressful for customers — or better yet, less noticeable.

Park officials emphasize that lines at TDR are much shorter now than they used to be, thanks to a Fast Pass system originally introduced in U.S. Disney parks which debuted at TDR in August 2000. Now available at 15 attractions, Fast Pass allows visitors to return at a designated time to join a much shorter line later in the day. Apparently, this has shortened waiting times significantly, while keeping the park constantly crowded with visitors spread around its various attractions, TDR officials said.

Attendants (called "casts" in Disney jargon) also play a vital role in easing visitors' hard feelings and vexations. Many are experienced enough, they say, to be able to tell just by observing peoples' attire — or maybe even through some acquired sixth sense — which attractions will be crowded at around what time, intelligence they will generally share with anyone looking to optimize their schedule for amusement.

"A lot of my work involves intuitive thinking," said Kazumi Ogawa, a ponytailed woman dressed in a park ranger uniform in front of Big Thunder Mountain, one of the most popular rides at the park. "I sense the wind has changed its direction, and then I think, 'it might rain soon.' . . . Then I tell people to watch out as they might get wet."

Providing entertainment for line-makers also keeps them from getting too bored and helps them almost forget, for a fleeting second, that they are actually in a line.

One recent afternoon, an 11-member brass band came marching out of nowhere and stopped in front of Space Mountain, another popular attraction at the park. While visitors stopped to listen to the band's rendition of a number from the movie "Mission Impossible," few of them seemed to notice the subtle crowd-control by two young female staffers.

Walking inconspicuously ahead of the band, the two lured passersby so expertly through hand gestures that the visitors clustered on three of the four sides around the band. Then, during the performance, the pair stood quietly at the back — while at the same time keeping a traffic line open past them for people who, while enjoying the live music, could stroll unstressed to Space Mountain.

The musicians, called Galactic Rangers, are slated to show up several times a day near the most crowded attractions to entertain people in the lines. It's a psychological trick — their appearance is always a "surprise" for visitors as the schedule and site of their performances are not widely publicized.

Such a nice little spectacle is key to turning around people's mood, said Yoshifumi Go, creative management consultant at Business Brain Showa-ota Inc. in Tokyo, noting that more companies should learn from TDR's approach to keeping people happy in long queues.

"I wish restaurants with huge lunch crowds treated people lining up outside with a cup of beer or something," he said. "And I wish banks would give ATM users (who endure notoriously long lines, especially around many people's pay day on the 25th of the month) real-time information on which branch has shorter lines. Such things might sound trivial, but they would help tremendously to boost customers' satisfaction."

Until that day dawns, when pantomime artists entertain us at every rush-hour station, banks raffle Hawaiian holidays every pay day and pachinko parlors cater to waiting lines with liberal lashings of mind-sharpening espressos, it looks as though Disneyland will have to remain Japan's favorite lining-up experience.

Still, as the urban myth has it, a couple on a date might be advised not to stand in a line so long that they, while waiting, realize that they actually have nothing to say to each other.

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Get'cha head in the game with Disney teen phenomenon

Ocala.com, FL - Every generation needs its coming-of-age cultural fix.

Last year, "High School Musical" turned up as a movie on the Disney Channel and suddenly the 21st century had its own teen dream come true. It went from cable-TV movie to CD to DVD to a pop culture watermark.

Disney has reportedly made more than $100 million with CDs, DVDs, books, games, lunchboxes, online promotions and just about everything else connected with "High School Musical."

Ironically, many of the fans are still in grammar school. Children from 6 to 12 are among "High School Musical's" biggest fans.

"They look at it and think, 'Oh my gosh, is that what high school is really like?'" said Bethany Polinkas, 17, of Palatka. "Of course high school isn't really like this, but the musical tells a lot of things every teenager goes through. And it's a lot of fun and very entertaining."

"It's about growing up and self discovery," added Tom Whatley, director of education for the Ocala Civic Theatre, which will present a stage version of the show from July 13-22. "It's about kids learning to like themselves and be themselves."

In case you've missed the hype, we offer our own condensed version of "High School Musical For Dummies."

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A pixie-dusted tour of Disney's parks

Orlando Sentinel - Imagine going to Walt Disney World with Will and "Just Jack" of TV's Will & Grace. Actually, imagine going with outrageous Jack and politically incorrect Karen.

That's the sensation while reading Queens in the Kingdom: being part of a joke-a-minute sitcom with a definite gay bent.

And the book is really gay. Gayer than a Cher-impersonation contest, a Bette Midler concert and a reunion of the Village People combined.

Heck, it's gayer than the Fringe Festival.

Not that there's anything wrong with that (to quote another TV classic).

The tone is set at the outset. On Page 1, straight folks are called "breeders." By Page 2, oblique references to Absolutely Fabulous and Whitney Houston have chirpily flown by. As the authors point out: If you don't fully appreciate the references, put the book down.

Writers Jeffrey Epstein and Eddie Shapiro don't just dish on gay cultural touchstones, though: They know their Disney stuff.

Queens in the Kingdom is exhaustive in its information, encompassing not only the major Disney parks here in Orlando, but also Downtown Disney, the water parks, restaurants and hotels.

In their cheeky style, the authors have labeled the hotel chapter "Where to sleep . . . or at least check in."

There are also comprehensive chapters on the Disney Cruise Line, the California Disney resort, and brief rundowns of the Disney parks in Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong, as well as nods to Universal, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens.

The authors overreach a bit by trying to provide info on Orlando's ever-changing gay scene; two of the bars they mention are closed, one for years.

But when they stay on more solid ground at the House of Mouse, Epstein and Shapiro provide a treasure trove of well-organized information.

Example of a helpful hint: When the queue splits at Pirates of the Caribbean, go to the left because that route is 250 feet shorter.

Example of a fun fact (called a "Fairy Fact," natch): The 5.7 million-gallon tank at Epcot's The Seas is so big, Spaceship Earth could fit inside.

Exploring Disney with this book might not make you a princess, but you'll certainly feel like a queen for a day.

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