CBS and Fox also had reason to smile. The Eye's "Criminal Minds" and "CSI: NY" combined for another winning night to start the season, while Fox's tuner-comedy "Glee" held up well despite heavily promoted premieres on the other nets.

NBC really struggled, however, and the domino effect of its "Jay Leno Show" scheduling was evident. Net finished fourth among the broadcast nets for a third night in a row.

Alphabet's critical fave "Modern Family" opened at 9 o'clock with a 4.2 rating/11 share in adults 18-49 and 12.60 million viewers overall. The ensemble laffer built on its lead-in from a special "Dancing With the Stars" results show (3.3/10 in 18-49, 15.36m) by 27% in 18-49.

"Modern Family" was followed by Courteney Cox starrer "Cougar Town" (4.4/11, 11.28m), which built on "Family" by 5% in 18-49 to become television's top-rated new comedy since ABC's "Samantha Who" two years ago.

In a good sign, "Modern Family" held fairly steady in 18-49 on the quarter hour (4.3 at 9 p.m. and 4.2 at 9:15 p.m.), while "Cougar Town" was a flat 4.4 in both half-hours and grew slightly in some other categories.

The Alphabet also launched a new drama on Wednesday, as "Eastwick" delivered a second-place finish at 10 p.m. (3.0/8 in 18-49, 8.50m). Though it fell off from its lead-in and lost audience in its second half-hour, it did improve on the early-season average of "Dirty Sexy Money" in the timeslot a year ago.

Next week, ABC will roll out two more comedies -- "Hank" and "The Middle" in the 8 o'clock hour -- as part of its risky bet to place five new shows on Wednesday night.

Powered by "Criminal Minds," CBS' lineup of returning skeins elbowed past ABC to win the night in 18-49 (3.6/10 to 3.5/10) while also prevailing in adults 25-54 and total viewers.

The net started modestly with returning laffers "New Adventures of Old Christine" (2.2/7, 7.17m) and "Gary Unmarried" (2.3/7, 6.86m) before winning in most categories from 9 to 11 p.m. with "Criminal Minds" (4.4/12, 15.84m) and "CSI: NY" (4.0/11, 15.06m). Both crime dramas logged their best scores since last fall.

"Criminal Minds" tied with "Cougar Town" as the night's No. 1 show in 18-49 and was also Wednesday's most-watched program overall.

Fox hung tough opposite the premieres with its third-week segs of "So You Think You Can Dance" (2.5/8 in 18-49, 5.50m) and "Glee" (3.1/8, 6.64m), with both shows winning among adults 18-34.

NBC finished fourth among the broadcasters for a third straight night to start the season, with medical drama "Mercy" opening meekly (2.3/7 in 18-49, 8.38m) and "Law and Order: SVU" kicking off its 11th season deep in fourth place in its tough new 9 o'clock slot (2.5/7, 8.36m).

Both shows would be airing in later hours if not for the net's decision to strip "Jay Leno" at 10 p.m. "SVU" was the show most affected by Leno's primetime arrival, as it was forced to move out of its longtime home of Tuesday at 10 p.m., where it was dominant. Now "SVU" has to go head-to-head with the Eye's potent "Criminal Minds."

On Wednesday, "Jay Leno" delivered its second-lowest scores to date (2.0/5, 6.38m).

CW's "America's Next Top Model" held up pretty well at 8 (1.3/4, 2.82m), but the net's new drama "The Beautiful Life" had another skimpy showing in its second outing (0.5/1, 1.05m).

Steve Milovich, who was raised in Price, was presented with the Distinguished Executive Alumnus Award at an annual banquet on Sept. 17, where scholarship benefactors have the opportunity to meet the students they support. He is the head of organization and human resource efforts worldwide in his company and believes business schools should teach the importance of ethical decision-making."He believes in teaching students to be innovative thinkers, to understand the global marketplace and to be empowered with accurate analytical skills," Huntsman said during the banquet. Coincidentally, he pointed out, they are the same areas, along with ethical leadership, that are emphasized by the Huntsman School of Business.

Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story" has already generated heat with $36,416 from four sites in Los Angeles and New York on Wednesday. Overture will take the financial bailout docu wide next weekend.

"Surrogates," set in a future where humans interact via androids, should satisfy sci-fi fans and may be able to expand into other demos thanks to the star power of Willis, who portrays an FBI agent investigating a series of murders. It's his first major role since 2007's "Live Free or Die Hard," which grossed $383 million worldwide.

Disney's marketing push for "Surrogates," directed by Jonathan Mostow, highlights the fast-paced action and futuristic aspects of the $80 million project, which carries a PG-13 rating and a relatively brisk 88-minute running time.

With Willis worldwide profile, Disney's also opted to go day and date with "Surrogates" in 11 foreign markets, including Australia, Russia, Spain and the U.K.

Rivals believe "Surrogates" should finish in the low to mid 20s, with "Meatballs" providing the most competition. The 3D toon had taken in $34.2 million in its first six days as of Wednesday and looks likely to decline about 40% for a second frame in the high teens.

The "Meatballs" opening was the third best September launch ever, just ahead of "Eagle Eye," which debuted on the same weekend last year with $29.2 million.

"Fame," MGM's first title this year, is an update of the 1980 musical drama centered on aspiring hoofers, actors and musicians. Thesps in the student roles are unknowns, with Megan Mullally, Debbie Allen, Kelsey Grammer and Charles Dutton in supporting roles.

"Fame" carries a PG rating and an $18 million budget, with support most likely to come from young females and fans of the original. Tracking shows a weekend take in the low to mid-teens.

Prospects are murky for the R-rated "Pandorum," starring Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster as astronauts on a deserted spacecraft, since its target audience will probably be more likely to attend "Surrogates." "Pandorum" carries a $40 million budget; Overture's exposure is said to be under $10 million.

With recent tepid performances by horror entries such as "Sorority Row" and "Jennifer's Body," "Pandorum" isn't expected to reach double digits.

Warners' second frame of "The Informant" may show some holdover strength during the frame; pic took in $13.5 million through Wednesday. And Fox Searchlight is sneaking for Drew Barrymore's "Whip It" Saturday at more than 500 sites before going wide next weekend.

Paramount is using a novel tactic to release "Paranormal Activity," which was budgeted at a miniscule $11,000. In addition to this weekend's release in 12 markets -- all college towns such as Austin, Texas; Madison, Wis.; Durham, N.C.; and Columbus, Ohio -- the distrib is asking fans to go to the film's website to demand additional play dates in their towns. DreamWorks bought the film, the tale of a demonic invasion in a couple's home, after it was screened last year at Slam dance.

Another entry aimed at the college market, Freestyle's rowdy comedy "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell," based on Tucker Max's book of the same name, opens at 115 locations.

On the art house front, Apparition expands Jane Campion's "Bright Star" from 19 to 130 after a solid launch. Openings also include Sony Pictures Classics' French biopic "Coco Before Chanel" in Los Angeles and New York; Miramax's Clive Owen drama "The Boys are Back" on six; and Variance's "Blind Date," with Stanley Tucci, at one site in New York.

Chicago-Sun Times - Walt Disney could make a mouse pilot a steamboat and romance blossom between a cocker spaniel and a mutt.

But that famous Disney magic doesn't seem to be working on a modest Hermosa Park two-flat he once called home.

Disney's birthplace at 2156 N. Tripp has been on the market for more than a year, said owner Radoje Popovic. In 2006, Popovic and his wife, Barbara, also unsuccessfully tried to sell the home on eBay.

The couple bought the home in 2002 for $190,000 and currently are listing it at $199,000.

Popovic says the building occasionally attracts Disney devotees who want a glimpse of the block where the Disney empire began.

Popovic, 62, grew up in the former Yugoslavia and immigrated to the United States in 1976, where he built his career as a real estate developer. He said he has a soft spot for the Disney movies of his youth.

"Every Sunday, when we were good, we would go see Disney cartoons," he said. "Today, kids have options -- they can go on the cell phone and other stuff like this -- but for us, that was it."

Walt Disney's father, Elias Disney, built the home in 1893 after coming to Chicago to work in construction for the World's Columbian Exposition. The animator was born there in 1901, and the Disney family sold the home and moved to Missouri in 1906.

In 1999, Popovic purchased his first Chicago home on Tripp and developed a relationship with the woman who was living in the Disney house. He told her he wanted to buy the house if she ever sold.

In 2002, she called him while he was in Belgrade caring for his sick mother and told him to make an offer.

"I didn't think twice," he said.

He dreamed of establishing an art center for neighborhood children in the building, where they could be inspired by Disney's artistry, as he and his brothers -- one of whom is an artist in Serbia -- were. "We went as far as talking with the alderman," he said.

HotelChatter - You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring at an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.

When superstar athletes win big championship games, the TV cameras always (infamously) ask them, "Where are you going?" and said champions always answer, "I'm going to Disney World!". But they may rethink their answer if they ever see the view from the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel in Orlando.

HotelChatter Flickr Pool, member Teruterubouzu writes in:

Our standard room had a lovely view -- of the bus stop. We didn't get a magical upgrade to a balcony room with resort view this time around. That said, it was recently refurbished, very conveniently located and we got a great room rate.

On Thursday, museum officials are accepting Simba's mask and the costume for tribal shaman and show narrator Rafiki to be placed in the entertainment history collection. They'll be in rare company among about 50 objects from Broadway, including costumes from "Hello, Dolly!," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Rent" and "Cats."

"We'll have Rafiki next to Dolly Levi. That's a big thing," said a giddy Thomas Schumacher, the show's producer.

"The Rafiki costume really speaks to the design and soul of the show," he said. "This is a completely original creation that doesn't look like anything else. That's kind of thrilling."

Designer Julie Taymor created the costumes, puppetry and scenic design that brought the 1994 animated Disney movie to life on stage in 1997. The hit show how now been seen by 50 million people worldwide -- the first American musical to hit that milestone and only the fourth in theater history.

The show, featuring the music of Elton John and Tim Rice, including the Academy Award-winning "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," has been presented in 13 different countries.

Museum curator Dwight Blocker Bowers said the show represents an evolution in Broadway design, one reason why he sought out the "Lion King" pieces. It also has an intergenerational appeal, which he said is rare because musical tastes tend to vary by age group.

"The musical is an indigenous American art form in terms of how we know it," Blocker Bowers said. "The Lion King," he said, "took the musical to areas it had never embraced before," bringing animals to life with live puppetry and groundbreaking costumes.

Cook remained a staunch supporter of Miramax as rumors of the unit's demise swirled earlier in the year when independent filmmakers feared that Disney would abandon the often risky business of releasing offbeat sophisticated adult fare.

Even in the face of Miramax's box-office malaise, with such disappointments as "Adventureland," "Blindness" and "Happy-Go-Lucky," Cook told The Times in May that he still had faith in the direction of the specialty label and its leader, Daniel Battsek, the British executive whom he handpicked four years ago to run the once-maverick company founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 1979.

But that was then, and this is now. Miramax has never appeared to be a priority for Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger, nor does it fit his strategy to focus on Disney's "branded" mass entertainment that can be exploited across the Burbank studio's various businesses including theme parks, television and consumer products.

After Disney's $4-billion acquisition of Marvel Entertainment closes, Iger and his soon-to-be announced Cook successor -- Disney Channel head Rich Ross is said to be a top candidate -- will be plenty busy conjuring up ways to commercially exploit their new family of superhero characters.

As for Miramax, the division continues to struggle but has high hopes for its latest offering, "The Boys Are Back," an emotional drama directed by Scott Hicks and starring Clive Owen as a widower struggling to raise two sons, which opens tomorrow in limited release in Los Angeles, New York and a few other cities. The film, based on Simon Carr's 2001 memoir, received strong industry trade reviews and Oscar buzz at the recent Toronto Film Festival, where it received a five-minute standing ovation after its world premiere.

Miramax's most recent releases, "Extract," an R-rated comedy starring Jason Bateman and Ben Affleck, and director Stephen Frears' period romance "Cheri," headlined by Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Friend, didn't do much business.

It's unclear what Disney's plans for Miramax are now that Cook is gone and the studio is about to push the reset button on its movie agenda. Presumably it would be tough to find a buyer for the unit right now given the weak economic climate and the difficulty most smaller independent films face attracting adult audiences.

Then again, keeping Miramax alive doesn't cost Disney that much money and the specialty label's smart, low-budget movies provide a much-needed relief from its big sister studio's slate of mainstream films. As was its history under the Weinsteins, Miramax continues to put out movies worthy of Oscar attention. Its 2007 drama "No Country for Old Men" won for best picture and was profitable; Daniel Day-Lewis won a best actor Oscar for Miramax's 2007 film "There Will Be Blood"; and a year earlier, Helen Mirren took home a best actress statuette for the 2006 release "The Queen."

Nonetheless, chances are Disney will continue to scale back the operation, whose overhead and production and marketing budgets were dramatically slashed after the Weinsteins left in 2005. The company now has about 80 employees between its headquarters in New York and its L.A. office.

Or, not out of the question, Disney could do something more drastic, such as shuttering the operation as Paramount and Warner Bros. did with their specialty labels, and just concentrate on repackaging Miramax's rich library, which boasts Oscar winners like "Shakespeare in Love" and "The English Patient."

A studio spokesperson said Disney doesn't plan to unload Miramax and was noncommittal about whether a downsizing is likely.

Vaughn Michael Hutchins, 24, was arrested last Wednesday as he was selling phony Disneyland Park Hopper tickets at the Santa Ana Train Depot, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.

Depp said he was shocked and very sad to learn of Cook's departure. He said: "There's a fissure, a crack in my enthusiasm at the moment... it was all born in that office."

Depp said that when some Hollywood executives were "opposed to his body language", Cook supported him.

Depp had agreed to reprise Captain Jack Sparrow for Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides to be directed by Rob Marshall. But he said he is waiting to see the screenplay before deciding whether to commit to the project.

Depp spoke of his collaboration with Cook on the movie:

As Bart puts it: "Iger is clearly a man who understands that, on many levels, he has the best job in town, and he projects the resulting equanimity," adding that since Iger inherited Eisner's job, "the Magic Kingdom seems to have picked up a new vigor and self-confidence along the way." Bart points out that while Eisner was always in the middle of some traumatic, headline-inducing drama--the "bizarre" Michael Ovitz experiment,  the $280 million settlement with Jeffrey Katzenberg, the "incessant intrigues" with Steve Jobs, Roy Disney and Joe Roth, not to mention Iger himself, Iger has made a series of canny deals involving Pixar, Dreamworks and Marvel while "carefully cultivating strong relationships with a range of complex individuals," notably Jobs, John Lasseter, Spielberg and Marvel's Ike Perlmutter, who Bart coyly describes as "quixotic," which is apparently Variety-ese for "difficult."

It's true that most people in town, including the ones I've spoken to about Iger's handling of Cook's abrupt departure, find Iger largely unknowable. He's a quick study, but he plays his cards close to the vest. It's a quality you find in a lot of ambitious modern day corporate chiefs, who seem to have all been trained to keep any uncomfortable thoughts or turbulent emotions buried deep inside their nice suits. It's a big departure from the days of Eisner, Barry Diller, Jonathan Dolgen and Larry Gordon, showbiz lions who all knew how to express their anger and frustration with the loudest of roars. 

But that doesn’t make the House of the Mouse your burgers-and-fries kind of place.

Consider just a few of those burgers. At Disney World’s newest restaurant, the Greek-themed Kouzzina with celebrity chef Cat Cora, it’s a chargrilled lamb burger topped with feta cheese.

At Paradiso 37, another Disney newcomer, it’s an offering of mini-burgers (or “sliders”), including versions with blackened mahi-mahi and pulled pork.

At Le Cellier, a Canadian-style steakhouse, it’s a steak burger topped with house-made onion ketchup.

Clearly, we’re not talking McDonald’s.

But that’s precisely the point. Over the past two decades, Disney World has gone from fast food to fine dining, garnering attention from serious chefs and foodies alike. Its dozens of restaurants cover almost every cuisine, from regional American to South African. Its wine lists are full of prized (and often hard-to-find) bottles from across the globe.

Even its fast-food offerings — say, the smoked turkey legs found throughout the theme parks — are praised by gourmets, who trade Disney recipes like some Disney buffs trade collectible pins.

But even if you don’t make it to the event, which takes place at various venues within the Epcot theme park and Disney World resorts, you can see how far Disney has come food-wise during any visit to Orlando. It’s as obvious as that $6 smoked turkey leg served at the parks, or that $38 dish of wild king salmon with hearts of palm, heirloom tomatoes and a charred red onion vinaigrette that was featured recently at the California Grill.

Of course, the salmon also was accompanied by fireworks — literally. The California Grill, an ambitious, contemporary American restaurant that became the inspiration for the Seasons 52 chain, sits on the 15th floor of the Contemporary Resort. And that means it offers the perfect view of the nightly fireworks display at the Magic Kingdom.

Some chefs might scoff at the idea that they’re competing with such a spectacle for a diner’s attention. But at Disney, that’s an accepted norm, if not a point of pride. The restaurants here offer more than food, whether you’re talking the views of wildlife that can be enjoyed at Sanaa, a new African and Indian-themed restaurant at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, or the lovably cantankerous, old-school waitresses (they harrumph when you don’t eat your veggies) at the Prime Time Café, a diner-style, ’50s-themed restaurant at the Disney Hollywood Studios.

“We can provide an entertaining dining experience just like we provide an entertaining theme-park experience,” said California Grill chef Brian Piasecki.

Indeed, the restaurants are considered an integral part of the theme park giant’s storytelling strategy. Disney has always been about keeping to a theme. Why just dine anywhere when you can dine in a castle (Cinderella’s Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom’s Cinderella Castle, to be exact)? In that regard, some of Disney’s most popular restaurants are the ones that offer “character” experiences, replete with Mickey Mouse stopping by your table for a personal autograph session.

Emphasis on quality

Although such theming may be a Disney signature, and one that is increasingly copied by restaurateurs throughout the world in today’s “eater-tainment” era (think the Hard Rock Cafe), the real shift in Disney dining has been the emphasis on quality. Most Disney insiders say the big change came around 15 years ago, when the company put individual chefs and managers in charge of their restaurants. Before that, Disney World’s culinary operation was essentially a giant commissary: If a chef needed bread to fill his bread basket, he went to the central bakery, not to his in-house pastry chef.

Just as important: Chefs were suddenly encouraged to be creative and to pick up on trends in an increasingly food-savvy world. For example, when Scott Hunnel took over as chef at Victoria & Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in 1994, he recalls inheriting a ho-hum Continental menu that featured consommé as a soup course. Now, the soup course is gone altogether. Instead, Hunnel, who is arguably Disney’s most acclaimed chef, offers six-course feasts that may begin with prosciutto-wrapped Gulf shrimp paired with Florida melon and conclude with a Meyer lemon and blood orange “purse” with a blackberry-violet sherbet.

“It took me about five years, but we really changed the whole concept,” says Hunnel, whose restaurant has received a coveted five-diamond rating from AAA and has been ranked among the top 10 eateries in the country by the Zagat guide.

Another key to Disney’s culinary transformation has been the company’s constant attempt to broaden its offerings. When new restaurants are introduced, it’s usually with an eye on filling any foodie holes. Until Cat Cora’s Kouzzina, Disney hadn’t had a Greek restaurant as part of its mix. And until Sanaa, it hadn’t offered Indian fare anywhere within its world.

Customer service is key

Finally, there’s Disney’s emphasis on customer service. Much as it’s rare to see a grumpy face within the theme parks (save perhaps at the Snow White ride), it’s also rare to see a restaurant server or host who isn’t willing to accommodate a special request. Disney is especially known for its ability to work with guests who have food allergies: Chefs take time to go through menu options and often prepare elaborate made-to-order meals.

“Our philosophy is to make every guest feel special,” said Ed Wronski, director of product development for Disney World’s food and beverage operations.

Going forward, the big question for Disney may be how far to push its culinary offerings. Some observers suggest the Central Florida mega attraction could soon rival Las Vegas as a foodie destination. And just as some gourmets go to Vegas these days for the restaurants and never think about placing a bet, could some go to Disney and never think about saying hi to Mickey?

It’s already happening, says Pam Brandon, a Disney culinary consultant and Disney cookbook editor who also co-authors a nationally syndicated food column, “Divas of Dish,” that appears in The Palm Beach Post.
She points to the 1 million visitors who attend the annual Epcot food and wine festival and spend their time going from wine tastings to celebrity chef-hosted dinners, with barely so much as a stop to cool off at the resort pool.

“Disney is a sophisticated dining destination,” said Brandon.

New in Disney dining

Sanaa

Location: Animal Kingdom Villas (Kidani Village)

Cuisine: African with Indian flavors

Our take: A very striking addition to the Disney portfolio. Bold and exotic menu items are par for the course here, whether you’re talking Indian breads (naan, roti, etc.) served with chutneys and pickled vegetables or an African-style presentation of fish wrapped in banana leaf. Plus, the view — of an Animal Kingdom giraffe and zebra-filled preserve — gives new meaning to the word ‘breathtaking.’

The Wave

Location: Contemporary Resort

Cuisine: Contemporary American

Our take: About as trendy as Disney gets. The menu ranges from five-spice chicken lettuce wraps to a cinnamon-rubbed pork tenderloin. But we really like the cocktail offerings at the bar, which are very much in a modern mixology vein.

Rix Lounge

Location: Coronado Springs Resort

Cuisine: Bar food with a south-of-the-border emphasis

Our take: This is Disney’s attempt at a South Beach-style club. The food is really beside the point, but there are decent cocktails and a nice ‘lounge’ vibe.

Paradiso 37

Location: Downtown Disney’s Pleasure Island

Cuisine: ‘Street food’ of the Americas

Our take: A fun concept — and a good way to jump-start efforts to rebrand Pleasure Island as a dining hub. The focus is on small bites — think the tapas trend — with offerings from 37 countries, ranging from El Salvador (pupusas — or pocket sandwiches) to Argentina (seasoned skirt steak) to good ol’ America (corn dogs). The Central American ‘Crazy Corn’ is a must-have item.

Anandapur Yak and Yeti

Location: Animal Kingdom

Cuisine: Pan-Asian

Our take: The theming here is quite something — you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped inside an Indian marketplace, replete with authentic Bollywood posters. The food is Asian of all kinds, but tempered for mainstream tastes — a bit like the P.F. Chang’s chain. Think Chinese-style ribs or Vietnamese beef soup (pho). The fried green beans with a Thai chili dipping sauce make an excellent starter.

Kouzzina by Cat Cora

Location: BoardWalk

Cuisine: Greek

Our take: We’ve yet to visit, but it’s clear that celeb chef Cora (known for her appearances on the Food Network’s Iron Chef series) is having fun playing up her Greek heritage. Such classic dishes as avgolemono (egg-lemon soup), saganaki (flaming cheese) and a slow-cooked lamb shank abound. But Cora offers some modern takes on favorites as well, such as grape leaves stuffed with goat cheese

Tutto Italia

Location: Epcot

Cuisine: Italian

Our take: The best new Disney restaurant we’ve visited. This is Italian cooking with less of the American influence and more of the full-flavored regional Italian approach. Try the Sardinian-style veal meatballs or the pressed chicken with lemon, herbs and hot red peppers. The restaurant even makes its own fried pastry shells for the excellent cannoli.

And the return of The Muppets? That could be up in the air, too.

All worth chewing over as the sea changes at Disney, after a couple of rough, under-performing years at the movie box office. Race to Witch Mountain should have been a bigger hit (a slightly funnier movie might have clicked with audiences better), Confessions of a Shopaholic should have gone Full Bridget Jones rip off (as the book did) or been sold to another studio. Up out-performed the recent Pixar fare and Bolt was a winner, all the way round, with less Pixar involvement. Why WAS Cook forced out? did he kick at the Marvel merger, kvetch at scaling back the studio's pictures to their core (family friendly/kid-oriented) fare? Probably the latter. Everybody who plays movie mogul wants to dabble in every market niche.

One "fact" I'd quibble with is Variety's characterization of G-Force as one of the problem pictures in their line-up. Cook's last couple of years have seen the studio wring money out of talking Chihuahuas and secret agent guinea pigs, movies which easily recouped cost. That G-Force is well over $100 million, US, not bad for a meek chipmunks knock-off.

Dick Cook, the now-former chairman of Disney Studios, left the position this weekend after 38 years at the company; in his seven years as chairman, he was one of the more vocal early supporters of the now-popular digital 3-D format, and in large part responsible for both the creation of Guillermo del Toro's Double Dare You and the acquiring of Marvel.

Deadline Hollywood's Nikki Finke is reporting that not only was Cook fired from the position due to the recent lackluster performance of Disney movies at the box office, but that a possible frontrunner for his replacement is Marvel's Feige:

There's been a lot of talk that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige spent a lot of time with Disney CEO Bob Iger during the dealmaking to buy the company, and Feige impressed the hell out of Iger.

The four children of Kirby, who co-created a number of Marvel's best-known super-heroes, including the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Thor and the Hulk, have served so-called notices of copyright termination for 45 characters to Marvel Entertainment, Disney (which recently agreed to buy Marvel for $4 billion), Sony Pictures (which owns movie rights to Spider-Man), 20th Century Fox (owner of movie rights to the Fantastic Four and X-Men), Paramount Pictures (which has a film distribution deal for four upcoming Marvel-produced films) and Universal Pictures (which has distribution rights to Hulk movies).

The filings came just a week after Disney unveiled its $4-billion agreement to purchase Marvel but were in the works before that deal was announced.

The children of Kirby, who died in 1994, are being represented by Los Angeles law firm Toberoff & Associates, which has represented Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel in a similar claim against Warner Bros.

Kirby, who is widely considered to be one of the most influential comic book artists of all time, served as penciler and a co-plotter with writer Stan Lee on most of the Marvel characters in question. If Marvel, Disney or any of the other companies challenge his claims, it may be a complex legal process to determine what exact role Kirby played as creator or co-creator of various characters who first appeared nearly 50 years ago.

While Lee, who has also been Marvel's editor in chief, has been a public face of the company for decades, Kirby is less well known publicly despite the fact that he worked closely with Lee on many of the publisher's best-known characters. That's in part because Kirby left to work for competitor DC Comics in 1970.

Under copyright law, creators and co-creators can seek to regain copyrights they previously assigned to a company 56 years after first publication and can give notice of their intentions to do so up to 10 years before that.

Kirby's children would be eligible to claim their father's share of the copyright of the Fantastic Four in 2017, while the Hulk would come up in 2018 and X-Men in 2019. The copyrights would then run for 39 more years before expiring, after which the characters would enter the public domain under current law.

At Disney World, renovating requires just the right touch of magic

Theme Park Rangers - Toying with a classic is a tricky operation. That's what Walt Disney Co. and its Imagineers had to keep in mind while refurbishing several attractions at Walt Disney World in recent years — not to mention overhauling sections of Fantasyland in an expansion announced Sept. 12.

The parks have used periodic prolonged closings for housekeeping and maintenance as opportunities to enhance long-standing rides and shows, said Eric Jacobson, senior vice president for Walt Disney Imagineering.

"Why just have it closed — and have it open as it was before?" he says.

Among the retoolings have been Hall of Presidents, Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean at Magic Kingdom plus Epcot's iconic Spaceship Earth. Currently closed and in transition is Space Mountain, Magic Kingdom's indoor roller coaster, which is expected to reopen late this year.

Disney's Fantasyland plans include additions to the Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride, plus a 3-D update of Star Tours at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Ricky Brigante, creative director of Orlando Attractions Magazine and host of the "Inside the Magic" podcast, appreciates the challenge of these updates.

"They do have that fine line they need to walk where they need to update it so that the casual theme-park audience can enjoy it and doesn't think, 'Oh, that looks like technology from 30 years ago,'" Brigante says.

Hall of Presidents

The animatronic-heavy presentation, which debuted with the Magic Kingdom in 1971, reopened in July after being closed for eight months. It remains presidential in tone, but it sports a reworked opening film, script changes that spotlight Abraham Lincoln and George Washington more, and the introduction of the Barack Obama figure.

"So you got all the stuff you love," Jacobson said, "but even more candy."

Thumbs up from Brigante: "When I went into the new version of Hall of Presidents, I actually enjoyed the show, whereas for the past eight years I just used it as an escape from the heat."

Spaceship Earth

The latest redo for the front attraction of Epcot was completed in late 2007 and features new scenes and animatronics in the first half and an onboard touch-screen activity in the second half.

"In this day and age of Wii and Nintendo, interaction has become much more expected from our population in general," Jacobson said. "So giving kids and adults something to do on the attraction where they get to create their own ending has been extremely popular."

Brigante referred to the first half as fantastic.

"I love all of the new animatronics that they've put in there, very lifelike, and I'm happy to see in general, between that and Hall of Presidents and Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney returning to putting in great new animatronics."

He's lukewarm on the second half but acknowledges its positive effect.

"I see a lot of smiling faces; I hear a lot of laughter, which is something that has never been present in Spaceship Earth," he said. "A lot of children found Spaceship Earth to be very boring."

Pirates of the Caribbean

Animatronics resembling Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow were added to the ride about the time that Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End arrived in theaters in 2007.

Kevin Yee, an Orlando-based author and blogger has mixed opinions.

"The changes probably do appeal to the big swath of audience that comes, the masses," Yee said. "But at the same time, the original message of the story is now gone. ... You've got Jack Sparrow literally kicking back in his chair, so piracy does pay. It's not a family-friendly message."

Space Mountain

Renovation is under way for the Magic Kingdom coaster built in 1975. So far, Disney has fessed up only to new track (but same design), ceiling and queue enclosure. It closed in April and is set to reopen in November, a much shorter turnaround than for the Space Mountain rehab in Disneyland.

"As far as I know, they're not going anywhere near the extent that they did in California, Brigante said. "I've even heard we're not even getting on-ride audio on the cars, but I'm not sure about that. I've heard a few rumblings that they've tested some cars on that track to see if they would hold up with the extra weight of the speakers and all that."

Yee said he has heard that the loading area might be totally enclosed but that "the big question mark in my mind is whether the [on-board] music is going in."

Haunted Mansion