Leave the real world behind on a Disney trip 

"Tea Toast" with Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse at Epcot to kick off of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival 

A recruitment flick for unsung U.S. heroes 

Jonathan Friedland New Disney Corp. Com. VP 

New Attraction Breaking Ground at DCA
Bring a Friend for Halloween

Leave the real world behind on a Disney trip

 

The rain was pouring, the skies were a murky gray and Mickey's magic wasn't working on the visitors cursing and scampering for cover at Hong Kong Disneyland.

But Keith Simpson and his six friends from Sydney -- all Disney fanatics sporting matching polo shirts that show Mickey ears over Australia's map -- couldn't have been happier.

The group was in Hong Kong on the second leg of their Disney-themed round-the-world tour, realizing months of planning for a 32-day trip that takes them to every Disney park in the world.

That includes Tokyo, Hong Kong to Paris, then on to the U.S. flagships, Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., and Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla.

It was a dream come true for the "Down Under Disneyana" fan club members, who have all been to one or more Disney parks before but have never done them all at one go. The idea of a world tour was especially appealing for Australian fans because they live so far away from all the Disney parks, Simpson said.

"We can't go to Disneyland every week. We can only go once every year, and that's if we're lucky," said Simpson, 36, a fraud investigator for a bank. The nearest park -- Hong Kong -- is more than eight hours' flight away.

They also organized the trip so that it coincided with several important dates for Disney. The group was in Hong Kong for the first anniversary celebrations at Disney's newest theme park on Sept. 12. They planned to finish on Sept. 30, the last day of 50th anniversary festivities at the original Disneyland in Anaheim.

Along the way, members expected to mark the occasion with group photos in front of all the iconic Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella castles, said Wayne Godfrey, the organizer of the trip.

They also planned to spend as little time as possible sightseeing outside the parks and ensuring they go on every single ride at every single park they're visiting. In fact, discounting time spent onboard flights and transfers from airports, virtually every minute of the month-long trip was to be spent in one Disney park or another.

"It's the first time for all of us. I don't know anyone who's done quite what we're doing," Godfrey, 48, said. None of the seven travelling members had been to Paris before, so that was the most eagerly anticipated park, he added.

Godfrey, who describes himself as a "pretty big" Disney fan, founded the Down Under Disneyana Club 13 years ago.

"I grew up watching the Wonderful World of Disney on TV, with Walt Disney narrating," he said. He now shares his passion for all things Disney with about 200 Aussies, whom he meets regularly for themed parties.

The finance manager has been collecting Disney memorabilia such as books, magazines and movies for more than 20 years. He "got hooked" on Disney parks when he visited Disney World in the early '90s, he said, and has since been back to the Orlando park seven times and to Disneyland in California nine times.

Simpson, meanwhile, didn't get his first taste of Disney parks until he visited Anaheim last year. He said the Beauty and the Beast movie and its soundtrack started his Disney obsession and he has now collected so many Disney movie posters he's "run out of wall" for them at home.

Simpson, Godfrey and their friends insist that doing Space Mountain and the spinning teacups over and over again at every Disney park is anything but repetitive.

"Every time you go to a park there's different things to do, and you get out of it what you put into it," explained Simpson, who said he's sure he will enjoy every moment of the world tour.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of going. What I like about Disney parks is that once you go through those front gates you sort of leave the real world behind you. That's why it's so appealing."

The world trip cost about $4,661 US each, including discounted rates for hotels, transfers and passes to the parks, Godfrey said. The Tokyo leg cost an extra $526 because it exceeded the prescribed mileage limit in the round-the-world airfare, he said.

Godfrey has a few words of advice for anyone trying to organize a similar trip.

"I would book a round-the-world airfare. I would try to stay at the moderate [Disney] hotels. I'd also make sure I'd go out of season, not on holidays when the parks are crowded," he said.

Members all groaned when asked how it would it feel when the trip's all over. "It'd be sad when you have to go back to reality," said Della Whitton, 41, Simpson's girlfriend and fellow Disney addict.

But she doesn't have to despair. Simpson said the couple decided to opt out of the Tokyo leg of this trip so that they could save it for later. A Disney cruise and repeat trips to the Florida park are also in their future.

"It feels like we're saving up all our holidays for Disney trips," he said.

"Tea Toast" with Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse at Epcot to kick off of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival

Brad Rex (l), Vice President of Epcot, and Stephen H.B. Twining (r), Director of Corporate Relations for Twinings Teas, take part in a "tea toast" with Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse at Epcot at Walt Disney World to kick off of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival and the 300th anniversary of Twinings Teas. The toast was part of today's grand opening ceremony for the 11th annual festival celebrating food, wine, beer and beverage from around the world. The festival runs through Nov. 12 at Epcot.

A recruitment flick for unsung U.S. heroes

The Guardian

"The Guardian" is an odd amalgam -- part Hollywood blockbuster, part Coast Guard recruitment film. As the former it barely stays afloat; as the latter, it's inherently seaworthy.

As a motion picture, this Disney film belongs to a long line of rousing, inspirational tales beholden to one cliche after another. And while it's certainly textbook, it hardly breaks any new ground for its genre.

We can't say we ever seriously considered joining the Coast Guard, and after watching this film we can state emphatically that we do not have what it takes and never did, at least not to become a part of the Guard's rescue swimmer program.

Early on in "The Guardian," a class of new recruits is welcomed with this cheery salutation:

"If by some miracle you actually have what it takes to become one of us, you get to look forward to a life of meager pay and the distinct possibility of dying slow, cold and alone somewhere in the vast sea."

Well, heck, who wouldn't want to join up for that?

All kidding aside, Coast Guard rescue swimmers do what they do because they've chosen to save lives for a living, the most noble of pursuits. And if their training program isn't the most difficult among the U.S. service academies, we don't want to know what is.

"The Guardian" takes us to Alaska, where the Guard isn't charged so much with coming to the aid of pleasure boats in distress as it is rescuing deep-sea fishermen in some of the worst weather on Earth.

What's more, the recruits' instructor is a hard case named Ben Randall, a veteran with so many demons swimming in his head from rescue missions gone bad that he's kind of a danger to be around.

As Randall, Kevin Costner, now 51, has largely lost that California beach boy aura that so often killed any attempt he made at gravitas in the past. He's effective here, especially in his tug of war with star recruit Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher).

Kutcher has been labeled a "promising" talent for a little too long now. He's clearly got the talent to break through, and makes the most of a handful of heavy dramatic moments here. Marrying a mega-diva like Demi Moore hasn't helped his cause, but this movie should.

"The Guardian" is long, probably too long. The training sequences seem to go on forever, although the point of such length -- to give us a sense of how grueling the recruits' experience really is -- may be valid.

The film is bookended with a couple of high-seas action sequences that are primarily, well, wet, loud and dark. But again, we have to respect a movie that forsakes "Mission: Impossible"-type special effects for what at least looks like the real thing.

"The Guardian's" most obvious sell-out to the Hollywood model is its insertion of half-hearted romances for Randall and Fischer.

Randall's many years of sacrificing his marriage to save somebody who may be dying has sent his wife out the door. You know the drill, although Sela Ward is actually quite moving during a couple of obligatory scenes.

As for Fischer, he picks up a local honey named Emily (Melissa Sagemiller) at a bar one night. Before long their casual sex turns serious. Emily would do well to have a sit-down with Ward's character before it's too late.

"The Guardian" had the full cooperation of the Coast Guard during production, which clearly shows, but the result is somewhat curious for that.

The Guard habitually operates under the radar. Its Sector New York is headquartered here on Staten Island at the former Stapleton home port (where homeland security is a major mission), and how often do we hear about them? When was the last time you saw a Coast Guard pinup calendar?

Having now seen "The Guardian" and what those men and women go through just to get accepted, well, we'd rather just join medical school if we were so determined to save lives. But we have a newfound respect now for those who prefer to get wet.

Rating note: This film is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action/peril, brief, strong language and some sensuality. 139 min.

Jonathan Friedland New Disney Corp. Com. VP

 

Jonathan Friedland joins The Walt Disney Co. as vp, corporate communications, where he will participate in developing and executing the communications strategies for various issues and initiatives, including financial reporting, legislative and regulatory issues, corporate reputation management and executive communications. He also will work closely with Disney's businesses, including Parks and Resorts, Media Networks, Consumer Products and Studio Ent.

“Jonathan’s impeccable journalism record and understanding of the media landscape make him an excellent addition to the Disney communications team,” said Zenia Mucha, evp, corporate communications. “His experience in covering large corporations and complex issues as well as his familiarity with a vast number of international markets will serve Disney well.”

In 2004, Friedland co-founded Meximerica Media, owner of the Rumbo chain of Spanish-language family newspapers. Prior to that, he was the Los Angeles bureau chief of the WALL STREET JOURNAL, where he oversaw the paper’s national coverage of entertainment, defense, electrical power, hotel, gaming and toy industries. Under his leadership, L.A. bureau reporters won numerous awards for their coverage. He was also a member of the team that won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

From 1998-2000, Friedland was Mexico City bureau chief for the WALL STREET JOURNAL, responsible for the paper’s coverage of Mexico, Central America and Cuba, while also writing about issues including the telecom, oil, tourism, banking and media industries. From 1995-98, he was a South America correspondent for the WALL STREET JOURNAL and established a new bureau for the paper in Argentina. Friedland was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in the international reporting category for coverage of the collapse of the Mexican peso and its impact on the region and world markets.

Friedland worked at the FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW from 1988-95 in Tokyo and Hong Kong and, prior to that, at INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR in New York. He began his career with INTER PRESS SERVICE in Washington D.C.

Walt Disney World Cutting 125 Jobs, Outsourcing to Contractors 

Epcot International Food and Wine Festival Starts Today 

Disney Hands It Off 

NFFC: Strictly Disneyana Show & Sale at WDW Swan Hotel, Saturday Sep 30

Disney Closes the Vault

New Chefs at Several WDW Locations

Walt Disney: The Triumph of The American Imagination to be released October 31st

Missouri man restores Walt Disney rocket prop 

'Ugly Betty' delivers beautifully for ABC 

Walt Disney Records Presents Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse In-Stores October 3, 2006

Magic marketing by Disney

ESPN'S 'Monday Night Football': 3 Weeks, 3 Records

Disney characters adorn robber's bag 

Wake Technical Community College Sponsors Disney Seminar 

Tom Staggs, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, to speak to Investors 

Disneyland parking toll booths robbed 

Disney's Vicky aur Vetaal on air from Oct 8 

Mickey Mouse and Pals to Dress Their Best for 'Disney's Halloween' September 30-October 31, 2006 

"The Bachelor" Invades Rome

Walt Disney World Cutting 125 Jobs, Outsourcing to Contractors

 

Walt Disney World plans to cut 125 cleaning jobs and outsource them to contractors, but union officials say they're not aware of the change.

A Disney spokeswoman says affected workers will be offered other jobs at comparable pay and hours. The jobs include kitchen cleaning, carpet cleaning, roadway cleaning and deep cleaning work.

Disney officials say they're looking for more ways to be effective, efficient and maintain high standards. The contractor that will handle the jobs hasn't been picked yet.

Officials with UNITE HERE! Local 362 say they haven't been approached about the change and call it outrageous.

Epcot International Food and Wine Festival Starts Today

Now through November 12th Walt Disney World guests can explore the nuances of wine made from the Cabernet varietal in several countries or compare flavors of cheddar originating in the pastures of Vermont or the mountains of France. Each day during the six-week-long festival, the park's Future World and World Showcase overflow with first-rate food, wine and beer that spotlight regional experiences from New Zealand to Mexico.

 

Click the Food and Wine Festival button above for more information.

Disney Hands It Off
 

If it seems to you as if Disney (NYSE: DIS) has been spreading the wealth lately, you're not alone. Yesterday, the company announced that it would be shuttering its ESPN Mobile business by the end of the year. On the surface, it appears to be a failure. The sports programming giant got too cocky. It priced its sports-centric mobile phone service too high. There just weren't enough subscribers.

That may all be true, but in pulling the plug on its service by the end of the year, Disney is once again in a position to cash in on the golden ESPN brand by farming it out to a wider selection of carriers.

Disney has been doing a lot of that lately. On Wednesday it teamed up with VeriSign's (Nasdaq: VRSN) Jamster to provide Disney ringtones, mobile games, and graphics. Back in May, it partnered with ShandaInteractive (Nasdaq: SNDA) to introduce online games in China with popular Disney characters. In the more old-school vein, you can point to Disney's financially prudent move to hand over its Disney Store empire to The Children's Place (Nasdaq: PLCE) two years ago.

It makes sense. Licensing has always been a big part of the Disney revenue mix. New media is simply creating new opportunities for third parties to cash in on Disney's brand with the family entertainment giant there to collect passive royalties.

Earlier this month, Disney became the first major studio to provide full-length feature film downloads for the Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iTunes store. In its first week, Disney was able to ring up 125,000 digitally delivered flicks that probably didn't cannibalize its physical distribution efforts.

This doesn't mean that Disney is always going to rest its fate on the marketing efforts of others. The company has made no bones about the fact that it is revamping its namesake site in order to serve as a hub for digital distribution. Disney was quick to give Apple copies of its hit ABC and Disney Channel shows to sell, but it also followed that up by streaming them for free in an ad-supported model on ABC.com.

These aren't mixed signals. This is a company covering all of its bases -- even if ESPN Mobile won't be covering those bases after next month's World Series. These days, it's the best way to play, and win, the game.

NFFC: Strictly Disneyana Show & Sale at WDW Swan Hotel, Saturday Sep 30

The Show and Sale will open to the public at 10:00 a.m. and concludes at 4:00 p.m. for more information click the link below.

http://www.nffc.org/

Disney Closes the Vault

On January 31, 2007, Walt Disney Home Entertainment will close the Disney Vault doors on four classic Disney films: Bambi (Special Edition), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Four-Disc Extended Edition Gift Set), The Lady and the Tramp (50th Anniversary Edition) and The Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (2006 Edition).

Missouri man restores Walt Disney rocket prop

Dan Viets isn't the attorney Columbia thinks he is at home. Oh no, no, no - he's a rocket man.

Recently, Viets, wife Sheila Dundon and friend Don Jourdan set off in a two-vehicle caravan as Jourdan's F-150 pickup towed a trailer carrying a 40-foot novelty shaped like a rocket known as the Moonliner II. They were headed for the Airline History Museum in Kansas City.

"I just think this is fascinating history," Viets said. "It was something I had always thought was really cool."

Viets is a 54-year-old Walt Disney fanatic. For years, he said, he had seen the rocket stationed along Interstate 70, just west of Concordia. He even stopped a few times for a better look. Yet it wasn't until 1997, when he read "Disneyland: The Nickel Tour," that he realized the significance of what he had been visiting.

In 1955, Disneyland opened its gates in California, and Trans World Airlines sponsored "Rocket to the Moon," a ride that featured a nearly 80-foot tall Moonliner at its entrance. When TWA built an administrative building in downtown Kansas City in 1956, Howard Hughes approved construction of the Moonliner II to top the structure.

Disney and TWA ended their business agreement in 1962, and the Moonliner II came down from its perch. It was sold to Spacecraft Co., a business that used the metal figure to promote its camper-shell and recreational-vehicle operation. Spacecraft later moved to Concordia.

The Moonliner II eventually became an I-70 landmark that Viets purchased in 1997. He declines to say how much it cost.

"I spent a lot more - many, many times more - restoring it," he said. "If I had known how much it was going to cost me, I wouldn't have done it."

Using a building in the northern Boone County community of Murry as a workshop, Viets and Jourdan removed bushels of bird nests from the fuselage, reattached legs and fixed gaping rust holes in an effort to get the Moonliner II display-worthy.

It was the unique quality of the four-year restoration project that kept Jourdan, a 59-year-old farmer near Centralia, interested.

"I fix stuff," he said while trying out walkie-talkies for the trip. "I fix all kinds of things. Except computers."

Many wives might not support their husband's purchase of a 50-year-old, hollow rocket, but Dundon said she was proud of Viets' accomplishment.

"My mother used to tell me I'd be lucky to find a man who liked cartoons as much as I did," she said. "When he found out it was a Disney trinket, he immediately tried to get it."

Viets is co-author of the 2002 book "Walt Disney's Missouri: Roots of a Creative Genius," and he has a collection of Disney memorabilia at home.

But he isn't trying to have it all.

"I'm not out to amass the biggest collection," he said. "There aren't any others in the same league as the Moonliner."

Foe Geldersma, president of the Airline History Museum, said Viets' rocket would figure prominently in the museum's future.

"I think its a great article," Geldersma said.

Viets is lending the museum the rocket indefinitely but said he's not upset to see the craft he has spent so much time and money on take off on such a timeless flight.

"I'm definitely happy about it," he said. "I don't want it to stay in the little enclosure we built over in Murry."

'Ugly Betty' delivers beautifully for ABC

"Ugly Betty" delivered pretty ratings for ABC Thursday night, with sampling of the comedy-drama boosting it past "Survivor" in its second half hour. "CSI" came back a bit higher at 9 p.m., winning by a nose over "Grey's Anatomy" in viewership although "Grey's remained dominant in the demo. But ABC's halo didn't last until 10 p.m., with "Six Degrees" faltering while "ER" remained strong and "Shark" won the hour in viewership. For the night, CBS won in total viewers but was edged out by ABC in the demo; NBC was a distant third. "Ugly Betty" started off a million viewers behind "Survivor: Cook Islands" at 8 p.m. but turned it up in the second half hour as it overtook the CBS reality show in viewership although not in the demo. "Ugly Betty" delivered 16.1 million viewers and a 4.9 rating/14 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to preliminary estimates released Friday by Nielsen Media Research. "Survivor" brought in 16.6 million viewers and a 5.8/16 to win the night in both measures, although "Ugly Betty" reached 17.7 million viewers at 8:30 p.m. to "Survivor"'s 17.5 million.

Walt Disney Records Presents Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse In-Stores October 3, 2006

On October 3, 2006, Walt Disney Records releases an all-new collection of songs from and inspired by the top-rated Playhouse Disney show featuring Mickey for the first time in 3D computer-animation. Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse soundtrack includes 18 fun-filled songs, with 16 tracks performed by Disney's Sensational Six: Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Donald and Daisy. The CD's opening and closing tracks – "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Theme" and "Hot Dog!" – are performed by the innovative, Grammy Award-winning artists They Might Be Giants.

The vibrant, learning-focused Mickey Mouse Clubhouse invites a whole new generation of preschoolers to join the world's most beloved character in calling out the "magic" phrase: "Meeska, Mooska, Mickey Mouse!" With that, a fanciful, mouse-shaped structure magically unfolds to serve as the gathering and learning place for young viewers and their pals. From the Clubhouse, Mickey leads the fun- and song-filled stories that present stimulating challenges built around a theme of the day. Through a dynamic, play-along experience that transports them through locations, young viewers develop early math skills and learn to identify shapes, patterns and numbers and decipher picture puzzles.

Mickey and his pals help advance and reinforce the episode's learning through handy gizmos and gear, including the Mousekedoer, Mouseketools and a transportable device called Toodles. Mickey also provides viewers encouragement and super cheers, including the exuberant "Hot Dog!" song that celebrates the gang's daily accomplishments. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse airs Mon-Fri at 8:30 a.m. ET/PT and Sat-Sun at 9:00 a.m. ET/PT and 9:30 a.m. ET/PT on Playhouse Disney.

Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse track listing:
1.		"Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Theme" - They Might Be Giants
2.		"Mousekedoer" - Mickey
3.		"Mickey's Countdown" - Mickey
4.		"Daisy Bo Peep Has Lost Her Sheep" - Mickey and Pals
5.		"Donald Went A-Courtin'"
6.		"Your Library" - Ludwig Von Drake
7.		"A Mouse Like Me" - Mickey, Goofy and Minnie
8.		"Oh Where, Oh Where, Has My Little Dog Gone" - Mickey, Goofy and Pluto
9.		"A Bicycle Built for Two" - Donald and Daisy
10.		"Party at Mickey's House"
11.		"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" - Goofy
12.		"Beautiful Dreamer" - Minnie and Daisy
13.		"Blow the Man Down" - Mickey and the Gooey Fish
14.		"Muffin Man" - Minnie and Daisy
15.		"Clubhouse Birthday Party" - Mickey and Goofy
16.		"Technology" - Ludwig Von Drake
17.		"Mousercise"
18.		"Hot Dog!" - They Might Be Giants

Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse soundtrack will be available October 3, 2006 for a suggested retail price of $9.98 wherever music is sold. All Walt Disney Records audio products also can be ordered by visiting DisneyRecords.com.

Magic marketing by Disney

It was one of those magic moments. We were waiting in line at a local juice spot when a young girl tugged on my sweatshirt to let me know how much she liked it. I’d almost forgotten what I was wearing. Then remembered, “Oh yeah, it’s that Tinkerbelle sweatshirt.”

I wear it as a constant reminder at how excellent Disney is at marketing. Where else but the Magic Kingdom can you get 40-year-old grownups to buy character shirts they should have given up purchasing after realizing Prince Charming may be Grumpy, Sleepy, Dopey and Goofy, and Snow White may become the Mad Hatter's wife or the Queen of Hearts?

ESPN'S 'Monday Night Football': 3 Weeks, 3 Records

Monday's emotional return of the New Orleans Saints to the Superdome for the first time since Hurricane Katrina a year ago attracted the largest audience in ESPN history and the biggest audience of the night among all television networks, broadcast or cable — 10,850,000 homes, based on a 11.8 rating (14,999,000 viewers, P2+). It was the third time in three weeks Monday Night Football on ESPN set this record and the second time the network won the night in primetime (ESPN was also No. 1 for the opening night, September 11). The Saints' 23-3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in a matchup of previously undefeated 2-0 teams was viewed by the second-largest audience in the history of cable television. It was also the first time ESPN has ever delivered an average of more than 10 million homes for a telecast.

Also for the third week, MNF boosted ratings throughout the day for ESPN, including the highest-rated and most-watched Monday Night Countdown ever, and provided a major boost to ESPN.com and its new "Monday Night Surround" content. ESPN's four MNF games so far are cable television's best ratings and largest audiences of the year.

"It was an honor to document a truly spectacular evening, and we're pleased to have been able to tell the full New Orleans story to so many," said George Bodenheimer, president, ESPN and ABC Sports.

ESPN.com NFL and "Monday Night Surround" content viewed on computers and wireless devices generated more than 27 million page views Monday, up 39 percent over page views last year according to Web measurement tool HitBox.

To date, MNF on ESPN is averaging a 10.3 rating and 9,491,000 homes (12,945,000 P2+). Through three weeks of last year's NFL season, ESPN had averaged an 8.5 rating (7.648 million homes, 10.438 million viewers).

Disney characters adorn robber's bag

Authorities in New York's Nassau County are searching for a female bank robber who stashed her loot in a black bag decorated with Disney cartoon characters.

Unfortunately the robber was forced to abandon her colorful bag this week in a failed robbery attempt at the East Meadow branch of Commerce Bank, the New York Post reports.

She left the bag behind after a dye pack mixed in with the cash exploded, turning her loot red in what police jokingly termed " a bad dye job."

Authorities believe the woman robbed another Commerce branch of $18,500 last August and may have hit a third branch in Suffolk County.

The robber is described as white, 30 to 40 years old, with long, dark hair.

She was wearing a dark hat, green shirt and jeans.

Wake Technical Community College Sponsors Disney Seminar

Wake Technical Community College will host Disney Institute’s professional development program, “The Disney Keys to Excellence,” from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on October 5. The full-day event will be open to area business professionals and will feature four 90-minute sessions including Leadership, Management, Service and Loyalty. Registration and tuition fee for the program is $275 and the deadline for early registration is September 15.

“We are pleased to host this valuable program at Wake Tech,” said Dr. Stephen Scott, president of Wake Technical Community College. “It is our hope that local business leaders will take advantage of this opportunity to learn from the experience of such a successful company.”

George Agues, senior vice president for Walt Disney Parks and Resort said, “What makes the Disney learning experience so different and meaningful is that we do not simply teach theory. We showcase philosophies and strategies that have made the Walt Disney World Resort a success – ideas that are easily adaptable to other organizations. We do this by taking people inside the Disney operation, showcasing on-stage and behind-the-scenes locations so attendees see firsthand how it all happens.”

About Wake Technical Community College:
Wake Technical Community College (Wake Tech) is a two-year, public institution providing an open door to education and training for the citizens of Wake County and surrounding communities. Known as “College for the Real World,” the college provides a comprehensive array of learning opportunities. Curriculum (for-credit) programs in more than 168 academic, vocational, and technical specialties offer two-year associate degrees in science, applied science, the arts, and general education; university transfer programs for entry into four-year institutions; and diploma and certificate programs that prepare workers to succeed at jobs in high demand in the community. Wake Tech also offers a broad scope of continuing education courses, including training for entrepreneurs and small business owners, public safety officer training (fire, rescue, and law enforcement), high school equivalency classes, and non-credit courses for personal and professional development. The second largest community college in the state also provides customized workforce training for new and expanding industries and a cooperative education program that interfaces with the corporate community.

About Disney Institute:
Thousands of business leaders from more than 35 countries and 40 industries have attended business programs at Disney Institute. At the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disney Institute offers customized programs, workshops, business presentations, and behind-the-scenes tours tailored to meet the needs of groups meeting at Walt Disney World. For more information about Disney Institute, please visit http://www.disneyinstitute.com.

Patty Briguglio
MMI Associates, Inc.
7406-H Chapel Hill Road
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 233-6600 • (919) 233-0300 (fax)
patty@mmimarketing.com

Tom Staggs, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, to speak to Investors

A general question and answer session with Tom Staggs, senior executive vice president and chief financial officer, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) will be hosted by Hamilton Faber of Atlantic Equities on Monday, October 2, 2006, at 12:00 p.m. EDT/9:00 a.m. PDT. To listen to a live Webcast of the session, please point your browser to www.disney.com/investors approximately fifteen minutes prior to the start time. A re-play will be provided through Monday, October 16, 2006, at 7:00 p.m. EDT / 4:00 p.m. PDT.

Disney's Mobile ESPN to close, move to licensing

Buena Vista Games to Acquire Award-Winning Climax Racing

Merrill ups Walt Disney share price target, earnings outlook

Global 500: Walt Disney ranks No. 180: FORTUNE

Disney passes aim to lure visitors 

Walt Disney downgraded to "long term buy" 

What about Disney's Toontown Online or VMK? 

Disney Vacation Discounts Announced 

Disney's not a small world, after all  

Korea's 'Lost' Star to Lure Kids to Disneyland 

New 'Lost' season reveals The Others 

Disneyland Gay Days, October 6–8 

Disney Inks Cavalier IPTV Pact 

Iran TV: 'Pirates of Caribbean' a Zionist plot

Thomas Doherty: The Wonderful World of Disney Studies 

Disney to roll out kids' comedy series

Disney's Mobile ESPN to close, move to licensing

 

Walt Disney Co.'s (DIS.N) ESPN cable sports channel said on Thursday it will shut down its Mobile ESPN wireless telephone business operations later this year and aims to license the brand to existing mobile providers.

Owners of Mobile ESPN phones will receive a full refund when they settle their final Mobile ESPN bill and customers who choose to stop Mobile ESPN service will be released from current contract obligations, the company said.

Mobile ESPN was one of the most ambitious mobile virtual networks, or MVNO, projects to be launched amid a broad move to provide branded wireless services to niche markets.

MVNOs rent space from wireless network operators such as Sprint Nextel Corp. (S.N) Other MVNOs include youth-oriented services Amp'd Mobile and Helio.

Salil Mehta, ESPN Enterprises executive vice president, said in a statement: "With a redefined approach we have a greater opportunity to reach millions of fans while achieving our strategic and financial goals."

Shares of Disney were down 10 cents at $30.94 in midday trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

Buena Vista Games to Acquire Award-Winning Climax Racing

Buena Vista Games, Inc. (BVG), the interactive entertainment affiliate of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), today announced the acquisition of the award-winning Climax Racing from Climax. The studio is of both strategic and geographic importance to BVG as it becomes the third internal studio, and the first in Europe, that BVG has added to its development capacity. BVG currently operates development studios in Vancouver, British Columbia (Propaganda Games), and Salt Lake City, Utah (Avalanche Software). The addition of Climax Racing allows BVG to create triple-A racing titles that meet the highest standards for creativity and quality. Terms of the deal are not being disclosed. The deal is expected to close in early October.

"The acquisition of Climax Racing aligns perfectly with our strategic and geographic goals by allowing us to both reach into new genres and new markets for creative talent," said Graham Hopper, senior vice president and general manager, Buena Vista Games. "Adding Climax Racing to our creative family will provide an additional catalyst for our continued growth in the video games market."

"As a premier, award-winning studio that has created some of the best racing titles of all time, Climax Racing is an ideal component of BVG's expanding portfolio of development talent," said Karl Jeffery, founder and chief executive officer of Climax.

Climax Racing is known as a leading developer of racing games, including its critically-acclaimed work on the best-selling franchises MotoGP and ATV Offroad Fury. The studio and its products have won or been nominated for dozens of awards, including winning four IGN "Best of Show" awards at E3 2006.

Tony Beckwith, co-founder of the studio, has been named vice president and general manager of Climax Racing as it continues its creative direction under BVG. Climax Racing is based in Brighton, England, and employs more than 100 talented video game artists, programmers and designers.

"The Walt Disney Company holds one of the largest and most exciting portfolio of intellectual property in the world, and through BVG, we look forward to having access to the company's deep resources in the video games space to continue creating remarkable interactive entertainment," said Beckwith. "This promises to be a mutually beneficial relationship and we believe that together we will make outstanding games for the next generation and beyond."

About Buena Vista Games

Buena Vista Games, Inc. (BVG) is the interactive entertainment affiliate of The Walt Disney Company. BVG develops, publishes, markets and distributes a broad portfolio of multi-platform video games and interactive entertainment worldwide. The company also licenses properties and works directly with third-party interactive game publishers to bring products for all ages to market. For more information, please log on to http://www.bvg.com/.

About Climax

Founded in 1988 by Karl Jeffery, Climax has grown to become the world's leading independent video game developer. At the cutting edge of the games industry, Climax develops technologically advanced and critically acclaimed interactive games software for all major console platforms. The company works with major worldwide publishers such as Microsoft, SCEA, Buena Vista Games and THQ to create such hit titles as ATV Offroad Fury 3, Sudeki and the MotoGP series on Xbox, Xbox 360 and PC.

Climax is headquartered in Portsmouth, England. Additional information on Climax is available at http://www.climaxgroup.com/.

Merrill ups Walt Disney share price target, earnings outlook

 

Merrill Lynch raised its price target for Walt Disney shares (DIS) to reflect the media and entertainment company's decision to scrap its Mobile ESPN wireless network. "We had been skeptical the mobile virtual network operator business model, and therefore view this as a positive step for the company," said Analyst Jessica Reif Cohen in a note to clients. She lifted her price target to $35 from $34, and raised her 2007 earnings estimate to $1.72 a share from $1.70. The stock, a component of the Dow industrials, was last down 5 cents at $30.99.

Global 500: Walt Disney ranks No. 180: FORTUNE

Walt Disney ranks no. 180 on FORTUNE's Global 500 this year, with $31.9 billion in revenues, up 3.9% from the previous year. The Burbank, California-based company was ranked no. 159 on the 2005 list. Its 2005 profits were $2.5 billion, up 8% from a year earlier.

 

2005 was a banner year for most Global 500 companies. It took $13.7 billion in revenue just to make this year's list - up from $12.4 billion last year. And profits for the 500 companies jumped 30%. Total revenues for the Global 500 in 2006 add up to $18.9 trillion, a third of the world's GDP.

In the Entertainment industry, profits were down 2.8% from the previous year. The world's biggest companies in the sector are: Time Warner, ranked no. 122 on the Global 500 with $43.7 billion in revenues; News Corp., ranked no. 256 on the Global 500 with $23.9 billion in revenues; Bertelsmann AG, ranked no. 287 on the Global 500 with $22.2 billion in revenues; and CBS Corporation, ranked no. 468 on the Global 500 with $14.5 billion in revenues.

The Global 500 list is an annual ranking of the world's largest corporations by revenues.

Disney passes aim to lure visitors

In an attempt to lure more visitors to Hong Kong Disneyland, its management will today push out annual passes for as low as HK$370 for senior citizens and HK$460 for children.

These passes, in three categories and with prices ranging between HK$370 and HK$1,800, will be valid for between 230 days and a full year, except for so-called block-out days.

The management is hoping the passes will attract more visitors after it failed to reach its target of 5.6 million visitors in its first year of operation.

The passes will be divided into three price categories with adults paying HK$650 for weekday visits; HK$1,300 for weekdays and weekends without 25 specific days; and HK$1,800 all year round.

For children's passes, the respective ticket prices are HK$460, HK$930 and HK$1,250, while for senior citizens they are HK$370, HK$740 and HK$1,000.

Disney sold more than 70,000 summer passes over the past three months.

"Our summer passes were very successful and we feel optimistic [about the annual pass.] This is the best time to introduce them" said Josh D'Amaro, Hong Kong Disneyland's head of sales and travel trade marketing.

In addition to Hong Kong residents, the annual passes will be available to tourists from southern China, Macau and Taiwan, according to Disneyland project strategy director Josephine Lam Po-tung.

She said that in a bid to prevent a repeat of the crowd chaos during last year's Lunar New Year holiday, the number of top-priced tickets for adults and children would be limited to just 5,000.

However, Inbound Tour Operators Association chairman Charles Ng Kwong-wai said the annual passes were too expensive.

"The premium tickets should be lowered from HK$1,800 to HK$1,000 while the value ones should be HK$500 instead of HK$650," Ng said.

Hong Kong Association of Travel Agents chairman Michael Wu Sui-ieng also said the value tickets should not cost three times the normal entry fee.

He said the attractiveness of the deal for mainland or nearby tourists, who need to take up to four hours to travel to Hong Kong, is relatively low.

"Instead, they should introduce a family pass to increase the attractiveness of Disneyland," he said.

Two visitors on their second visit to the park, Flora Chow Ming-wai, 23, and Sebastian Leung Tsz-fung, 18, said they might consider buying the deluxe ticket at HK$1,300.

"The premium [HK$1,800] ticket is too expensive and we don't have to come on the specific days like the Lunar New Year, as it is likely we'll be traveling to overseas countries. And the cheapest one [HK$500] doesn't allow us to visit during the weekends," Leung said.

He added that he is likely to visit the theme park again, especially on special occasions such as Halloween.

Anyone purchasing an annual pass over the next three months will be able to enjoy a 35 percent discount for hotel accommodation and a 20 percent discount for hotel dining.

However, Chow, who works in the hotel industry, said the hotel discounts did not seem attractive. "The locations of the two hotels are not convenient from which to visit other places," she said.

A Chongqing tourist, Zhang Min, who is in the finance industry, bought a summer pass in early August.

This was her second visit but she said that, when compared with Tokyo, the Hong Kong attractions and merchandise were not suitable for adults.

Zhang said she might consider buying the cheapest ticket.

Iain McFarlane, general manager of a construction company, who has lived in Malaysia for the past 10 years, said he would not consider buying an annual pass as he does not visit Hong Kong very often. "But the prices for the annual passes are not bad," he said.

Walt Disney downgraded to "long term buy"

Analysts at Hilliard Lyons downgrade Walt Disney (DIS.NYS) from "buy" to "long term buy." The target price is set to $38.

What about Disney's Toontown Online or VMK?

Toontown has been around for at least 3 years now and Disney's VMK (they have a huge amount of users when I jump on them). Nick just copied them with Nicktopia.

Imbee is interesting, but it likely won't be nearly as recognizable as Disney, Nick, or Cartoon Network. I predict Imbee won't last more than 1 or 2 years. Or one of the other major players will scoop them up and rebrand.

Disney Vacation Discounts Announced

Disney has released room-only discounts for guests traveling October 30 - December 23, 2006. Rates will vary with the season and range from $69+ per night for Value Resorts, $119+ per night for Moderate Resorts and $189+ per night for Deluxe Resorts. Some blackout dates do apply. Ask for code BRY. The number of rooms is limited and some resorts have already sold out prior to this code.

Disney's not a small world, after all

I am not a crowd person. But I do enjoy the Magic Kingdom even though the swarms of visitors there rival free beer night at a college fraternity.

How would you like to walk down Main Street and gaze at Cinderella's Castle without so much as a hat obstructing your vision? It can be done, and you won't even be arrested for trespassing in the process.

I am talking about Disney's Keys to the Kingdom backstage tour. It costs a few dollars extra, but they throw in a free meal. Why not?

The tour begins an hour before official opening. One of the first things they ask is your preference for lunch. You also can pick between two side items, French fries or carrots. Tough choice: fries or carrots. They must use only one carrot for every 10,000 guests.

Our tour began with a few preliminary facts. There are 55,000 cast members at Disney World and 11,000 animated characters. The portion the public sees is called Onstage and everything else is Backstage.

Disney does not allow Onstage employees to have visible tattoos. Don't get me started on young people's continuing decision to tattoo themselves. This art may be beautiful on youthful skin, but those faces and spider webs will disappear into the folds and cracks of middle-aged parchment.

Me: "Nice turtle."

Old Guy: "It was supposed to be my mother twenty years ago."

Me: "Sorry."

Along Main Street, our guide pointed out dozens of interesting trivia items.

For example, at one end of the street are bronze statues of Roy Disney sitting with Minnie Mouse and at the other end of Walt Disney standing with Mickey Mouse. Also, there is a second-floor sign indicating the location of Walt's old office above his favorite food source: The ice cream stand.

Some of the company names you see in the windows are the front corporations used to buy up ranch land at $80 an acre. The day after Disney announced the theme park location, land in the area began selling at $80,000 an acre.

This forced me to contemplate the sorrow of those poor farmers who sold to Disney without knowing it. I also thought about the joy of their former neighbors.

Did you know the flags around the park resemble American flags? These flags stay up during all kinds of weather and at night. Disney has changed the flags in subtle ways to keep from desecrating our nation's symbol. Heartwarming, in a public relations kind of way.

About this time, a few costumed animal characters walked by. They can't talk to visitors, but I devised a way to see whether they were cranky. I walked up and asked, "Where does your costume chafe the most right now?" I could almost always provoke a groan.

It was a fun day learning Disney secrets and seeing its famous underground. I still would like to work for Disney and learn more.

Does anyone know the name of a good tattoo remover? Lasers don't hurt, do they?

Korea's 'Lost' Star to Lure Kids to Disneyland

The Korean actress Kim Yun-jin, who is now appearing in the third season of the hit ABC drama "Lost", has been chosen as the face for a new ad campaign being shot by the broadcaster and Disney Parks. The campaign, which targets children and young adults, has an upbeat message about going forward and accomplishing one's dreams. Where the commercials stand out is in their documentary style, with several stars appearing to talk frankly to an interviewer about their dreams -- since Disney Parks, according to the slogan, is "Where Dreams Come True."

Joining Kim is James Denton, who is a worldwide hot property for his work on "Desperate Housewives," Isaiah Washington from "Gray's Anatomy," and Country music star Sara Evans. The producers say one of the reasons Kim was selected is that she has expressed a desire to give hope to many in the U.S. who seek to realize their dreams, since she herself has managed to fulfill her ambition of becoming a star in Hollywood.

Kim, who has been deeply engrossed in her work on "Lost", has been getting a lot of notice from the U.S. entertainment industry, and has graced the covers of TV Guide, Arena and Stuff. The ad campaign will be shown on ABC and the Disney Family Channels and ABC.com, besides nationwide print ads. The first spot will run at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

New 'Lost' season reveals The Others

Henry Gale wasn't supposed to survive this long.

The cunning, bug-eyed character on ABC's castaway drama "Lost," played by Michael Emerson, was hired for three episodes midway through Season 2. But once producers saw Emerson in action, he was made into a key character and is now leading The Others in the highly anticipated third season.

"The reason The Others seem so frightening is like everything in the real world - it's frightening when it's unknown," Emerson told The Associated Press. "Their agenda is unknown to us; therefore we fill it up with terrible imaginings."

The former Broadway actor is best known to TV audiences for his Emmy-winning performance as a serial killer in "The Practice." Damon Lindelof, co-creator and executive producer of "Lost" (season premiere Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET), said the original plan was to have Henry escape after the three episodes. But Season 2 ended with Henry and his armed cadre on a dock, holding plane crash survivors Jack, Kate and Sawyer captive.

"Who are you people?" asked Michael, who had betrayed his fellow castaways in exchange for his son.

"We're the good guys," Henry replies.

"I think he means it," Emerson said of his character (actors are typically kept in the dark about future plot developments). "We may not agree with him, but I think he believes it."

Season 3 opens with Jack (Matthew Fox), Kate (Evangeline Lily) and Sawyer (Josh Holloway) in captivity. This season will explore why they were targeted; whether Sun's baby is really Jin's; Charlie trying to gain Claire's trust, a new woman catching Jack's attention; Locke and Sayid leading a group to rescue the three captives; and Desmond's wealthy lover trying to locate the island.

"In Season 3, the show moves geographically and spiritually to another place," Emerson said. "We will be with The Others more. They will become more three-dimensional."

He said viewers may even come to sympathize with The Others, who were on island long before the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815.

"Who's really the intruder? Who's the bad guys? Who's upsetting who? Who has the right to be there?" Emerson said.

Despite most of his scenes occurring in a small cell, Henry Gale has become one of the most compelling figures on "Lost." With a piercing stare, he transitions from victim to villain, keeping viewers guessing whether they should be sympathetic or scared.

And while Locke was pushing buttons to save the world, Henry was busy pushing Locke's buttons. Could Henry be a psychologist, or just well read?

"He seems to have a strong background in psychology, I would say," Emerson said. "He's beyond well read. He's really well read. That psychology stuff? That sounds good to me. He's not playing around when it comes to behaviour."

Like his character, Emerson is articulate and intelligent. Unlike Henry, Emerson is personable and warm.

While honing his skills on stage, he held several odd jobs as a landscaper, teacher, carpenter and illustrator while honing his skills on stage.

"You know those Social Security statements that tell you what you made every year? I look back on that and think, 'This is insanely little money,"' Emerson said. "But I don't remember feeling very desperate about it. ... Despite my poverty, I was always sort of doing what I wanted to do."

Emerson, 52, grew up in the small farming town of Toledo, Iowa, where he spent a lot of his unstructured childhood reading, drawing and day dreaming. He majored in theatre at Drake University and quickly became known as the small guy with a big voice.

He then moved to New York City.

"I thought Des Moines (Iowa) was this crazy big town. New York just knocked the wind out of me," he said. "I was looking for a big challenge and I found it."

He moved to the South and eventually met his future wife, actress Carrie Preston, during a production of "Hamlet" at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. He followed her to New York and got his first major break as the lead in Moises Kaufman's "Gross Indecency."

The name "Henry Gale" is as puzzling as Emerson's character.

It's not even the character's real name. He at first presents himself as a rich businessman who crash landed on the island on a hot air balloon with his wife, who allegedly died.

Henry Gale was Dorothy Gale's uncle in the film "The Wizard of Oz." In the 1938 classic, a hot air balloon was the mode of transportation for the Wizard and supposed to return Dorothy home to Kansas.

"What does all that mean? Is it just fun or is it a clue?" Emerson asked. "Dorothy is sort of shipwrecked in a strange place far from home, but hers was a fantasy. It wasn't real.

"It was a place where the moral order was sort of turned upside down or seen from a different perspective. On some level, it was a test of her as a person."

The real Henry Gale on "Lost" is a dead black man who is buried near the damaged hot air balloon.

That leaves even Emerson perplexed about who his character is.

"I'm not sure how that's going to work out," he said. "It seems everybody kind of knows him as Henry now, but sooner or later, we're going to have to put a real name on him, aren't we?

Disneyland Gay Days, October 6–8

The annual "Gay Days" at the Disney theme parks in Anaheim, Calif., will kick off Friday, October 6, with a party at Downtown Disney. The event continues Saturday, October 7, with an unofficial "Gay Day" in the Disneyland theme park and a party that night at the House of Blues featuring Dreamgirls star Jennifer Hudson. Sunday, October 8, will be the unofficial "Gay Day" at Disney's California Adventure theme park.

"Gay Days at Disneyland is our chance to relive our childhood without all the shitty parts!" said actor and Advocate columnist Alec Mapa, who is cohosting the Saturday night party, called "Kingdom," with Wilson Cruz. Hudson will perform at Kingdom at 10 p.m., organizers said.

The Trevor Project—a nonprofit organization that runs a 24-hour suicide hot line for queer teens—will sponsor all of the youth activities planned for the weekend, which include on October 7 a scavenger hunt, lunch, and "dinner and movie"—all free for youth 21 and under who sign up at TheTrevorProject.org. The screening will be of the campy flick Psycho Beach Party, and director Bob King will be there to answer questions from the youth after the screening, which will be held in the Gay Days Entertainment Center inside the Disneyland Hotel.

Gay Days Anaheim typically attracts more than 10,000 LGBT park-hoppers to the Disney theme parks, most of them wearing red shirts to be visible among other park guests. Both the Saturday gathering in Disneyland and the Sunday gathering in Disney's California Adventure are privately organized and not endorsed by the Disney company. For more information or to buy tickets to the parties, go to gaydaysanaheim.com.

Disney Inks Cavalier IPTV Pact

Several Disney and ESPN Media Networks services will be available via Cavalier Telephone & TV’s Internet-protocol-television service in Richmond and Hampton Roads, Va., under terms of a distribution agreement announced Wednesday.

Cavalier’s Richmond subscribers have had access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU, ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, ABC News Now, ABC Family, SOAPnet, Toon Disney, Disney Channel, ESPN Pay-Per-View and ESPN and Disney Video On Demand content, as well as broadband services ESPN360, SOAPnetic, Disney Connection, Movies.com MAX and ABC News Now, since May, and Hampton Roads will get the services in late October.

Cavalier serves approximately 35,000 businesses and 215,000 residential customers in Richmond, Hampton Roads and northern Virginia; Maryland; Philadelphia; Delaware; southern New Jersey; and metro Washington, D.C.

“Telephone providers have been successful in delivering new products to market and, by rolling out services such as ESPN360 and Disney Connection, they bring unique value to their subscribers that strengthens their overall sales proposition,” Disney and ESPN Media Networks vice president of national accounts Lori Conkling said in a prepared statement.

Iran TV: 'Pirates of Caribbean' a Zionist plot

A new campaign on Middle East television tells viewers that Disney is linked to Zionism and its newest "ammunition" is "Pirates of the Caribbean," the popular movie starring Johnny Depp.

According to translations released by the Middle East Media Research Institute, the studio also used its "Aladdin" animated series to denigrate Arabs.

On a new video from Iran's IRINN channel, and released by MEMRI, an anchor introduces the critique with the comment that, "Zionist ideology uses all means to impose its cultural control," and then a reporter starts talking about the "Pirates" movie, and how it is an attempt to "gain control."

"Disney and its productions have been associated, more than anything, with the Zionist lobby in Hollywood," the report says. "In 1995, when the pro-Zionist Jews were 2.5 percent of America's population, they made up 7.7 percent of Disney's board of directors.

"This clearly influences the content of this large company's productions, as well as its policies and guidelines. The 'Aladdin' animated film series is one example of Disney creations that present Arabs in a negative light," the MEMRI translation quoted the reporter saying.

There were similar concerns expressed earlier about the influence of the famous "Tom and Jerry" cat-and-mouse cartoons.

WND reported then that Prof. Hasan Bolkhari, a cultural adviser to the Iranian Education Ministry, told Iran's Channel 4 the Tom and Jerry cartoon is a Jewish conspiracy.

An excerpt of that video also was made available by MEMRI then.

"The Jewish Walt Disney Company gained international fame with this cartoon," said Bolkhari. "It is still shown throughout the world. This cartoon maintains its status because of the cute antics of the cat and mouse – especially the mouse."

"Tom and Jerry," the creation of Joe Barbera and Bill Hanna, was created in 1939, the year World War II began and while the Holocaust was in full force, for the MGM cartoon studios, not Disney. During the next 18 years, Hanna and Barbera created over 200 cartoons featuring Tom and Jerry, earning the pair seven Academy Awards. Today, "Tom and Jerry" is owned by Turner Entertainment.

"Cinema is considered another, subtle, weapon in the hands of those who support this corrupt ideology," the reporter says on the newest video. "In Hollywood, Disney is the manufacturer of this weapon, and the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' is its newest ammunition."

The reporter also criticized Disney for supporting the "Bush administration's expansionist policies," and noted that the company "refrained from screening the film 'Fahrenheit 9/11'" which criticized that policy.

"This film, which won the Palme d'Or award at the Cannes film festival, became the bestselling documentary in the history of the film industry. Disney's move brought it nothing but disgrace."

While showing a video of guns being assembled, the reporter said, "In any event, Zionism is not restricted to the capitalistic weapons companies, such as Lockheed and the banks that support it."

The earlier report said the creation of the "Tom and Jerry" cartoon was "to erase a certain derogatory term that was prevalent in Europe."

"If you study European history, you will see who was the main power to hoard money and wealth in the 19th century. In most cases, it is the Jews. … Watch 'Schindler's List.' Every Jew was forced to wear a yellow star on his clothing. The Jews were degraded and termed 'dirty mice.' Tom and Jerry was made in order to change the Europeans' perception of mice."

The Middle East Media Research Institute is an independent, non-profit group that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East.

Thomas Doherty: The Wonderful World of Disney Studies

When Disney died on December 15, 1966, according to his obituary in Variety, he had earned 31 Oscars, six Emmys, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and was under serious consideration for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The first soot in the pixie dust was thrown by the film critic Richard Schickel in The Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art, and Commerce of Walt Disney (Simon and Schuster, 1968). In Schickel's revisionist retelling, Disney was not the fairest of them all. The avuncular front concealed a miserly control freak whose capitalist pursuit usurped "the two most valuable things about childhood — its secrets and its silences."

Since Schickel, Disney criticism and scholarship has been more likely to ink a picture of Scrooge McDuck than Jiminy Cricket: Disney the plutocrat, who, during an acrimonious strike in 1941, busted a union of cartoonists unwilling to whistle while they worked; Disney the friendly witness at the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings in 1947, who not only named names but helpfully spelled them; and, of late, Disney the Ur-purveyor of American cultural imperialism, founder of an empire built on the backs of third-world laborers toiling in sweatshops where the rodents do not wear white gloves and shorts.

In the protean days of Disney studies in the 1970s, activist-intellectuals in the academy favored the guerrilla tactics of How to Read Donald Duck: Imperialist Ideology in the Disney Comic, originally published in Spanish, by the writers Ariel Dorfman and Armand Mattelart. A pioneering study, it earned serious street cred when the 1975 English translation was seized by U.S. Customs for copyright violation. Predictably, feminist scholars shuddered at the saucer-eyed vacuity of the studio's fairy-tale females and lectured Cinderella for inhibiting step-sisterly solidarity and encouraging comatose passivity until Mr. Right came along. Perhaps only the postmodernists were really happy with Disney. "Disneyland is presented as imaginary in order to make us believe that the rest [of America] is real," quipped Jean Baudrillard in the 1983 essay "Simulacra and Simulations."

The current wave of Disney studies — post-9/11, early 21st century — tends to be cast in the cultural-studies mode: global in outlook; socioeconomic in focus; and deeply hostile to the art, politics, and architecture of Disney, man and brand. When the Mouseketeers sing, "Why?," this chorus chants back, "Because we dislike you!"

A good barometer of the center of critical gravity is Rethinking Disney: Private Control, Public Dimensions (Wesleyan University Press, 2005), edited by two Florida Atlantic University professors, Mike Budd and Max H. Kirsch. The collection brings together 11 essays mainly bent on queering the Disney brand, dissing Eisner, and trashing the theme parks. "Behind all those cute characters, that family fun, and that nearly impenetrable aura is another avaricious multinational corporation," warn the editors. The volume has more index references for "commodity fetishism" than for Mickey Mouse....

The title of another recent volume of Disney studies — Multiculturalism and the Mouse: Race and Sex in Disney Entertainment (University of Texas Press, 2005), by the media scholar Douglas Brode — seems to promise more vilification, but the author risks ostracism from his peers by being a bona fide fan. Disney "was the single member of Old Hollywood who set what would come to be called multiculturalism into motion," writes Brode. Far from embedding the white man's brand, "his works challenge all those societal norms and once-unquestioned values in a way that no other filmmaker of the studio era dared." Nothing if not consistent, Brode takes a stab at rehabilitating Disney's notorious Song of the South (1946), seeing in the unreconstructed confederacy of the Uncle Remus fables the demolition of class and race barriers when Uncle Remus (channeling Uncle Walt) brings together a diverse audience of children....

Perhaps even more than cracking open the studio vaults [to gain permission to reprint Disney characters and clips], the greatest challenge facing Disney scholars is to ponder the gulf between elite contempt and popular devotion.

Disney to roll out kids' comedy series

Almost after two years from its launch in the country, Disney Channel is ready to launch its first major production Vicky aur VetaalThis will be a comedy series based on old Vikram aur Vetaal tale set in today's times.

"This initiative is a strong step forward in establishing Disney Channel further as a committed local player in the country and also a reflection of the Walt Disney's commitment in seeking creative inputs from the global marketplace." said Nicky Parkinson, senior vice president & managing director, Walt Disney Television International (Asia Pacific). He added the channel would strengthen its relation with kids by developing content reflecting the lives of local audience.

Nachiket Pantvaidya, executive director- programming and production, Walt Disney Television International (India) said, "Disney channel's commitment to localization is a well planned endeavor.

We believe in the strength of Indian stories. We want keep Vicky aur Vetaal relevant to the today's generation. In narration we tried to involve kids by addressing their day to day issues in a funny way."

To promote the new show, Disney Channel has launched a marketing campaign involving TV, Radio, Internet, and outdoors apart from an off-air promotion which includes touch-points at McDonald's and other outlets which are visited by kids frequently.

Jamster Inks Disney Deal 

Disney Jeans launched, plans 30 stores 

Take Your Favorite Disney Channel Characters on the Go with Three New Video Games 

Little Mermaid 2-Disc Special Edition Soundtrack 

ABC Television Network Stars Share their Dreams with America

Disney almost ended it for Estevez

Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge 

ESPN The Weekend dates for 2007 

Fall in love with 'The Little Mermaid' all over again 

PM Douglas says visit of Disney Wonder important to tourism development 

Disney isn't haunting Knott's this Halloween 

Looking Back at Disney's Night of Joy 

Disney Sounds to release Welcome to Ralph's World 

Florida challenges Guinness record for reading aloud 

Timothy Rooney, son of Mickey Rooney, dies at 59 in California 

ABC's 'Housewives' sack Football

Jamster Inks Disney Deal

 

VeriSign's (VRSN) Jamster unit signed a mobile content distribution deal with Walt Disney (DIS)'s Internet group.

Jamster will offer Disney ringtones, graphics and games to mobile customers in the United States and Canada starting this fall.

Disney already has a relationship with Jamster customers overseas.

"Jamster is known worldwide for offering the very best in exclusive and high-quality content to its members," Boris Hageney, vice president of North America, Jamster, said in a statement. "We are delighted to extend our global relationship with the Walt Disney Internet Group."

VeriSign shares dipped 1.2%, or 26 cents, to $21.01 in recent trading. Meanwhile, Disney stock added 1.1%, or 34 cents, to $31.41.

Disney Jeans launched, plans 30 stores

After garnering a sizeable chunk of the kids television space, Walt Disney Company (India) is eyeing the Rs 3,000 crore branded kids wear market. The company today announced the launch of its fashion wear brand, Disney Jeans, which is its first foray into non-character merchandise.

Rajat Jain, managing director of Walt Disney Company (India), said: "Indus Clothing is the brand licensee who will market and distribute the brands as well as set up our exclusive brand stores through which the brand will be retailed."

Apart from jeans, the range will comprise other apparel like shirts and jackets as well as accessories like bags, caps and socks. While there are no overt references to any of the Disney characters, there are elements like a Mickey Mouse comic strip on the pocket lining or inner cuff of the jeans.

Lester W Lee, regional director-softlines of Disney Consumer Products, said the company would soon introduce footwear under the brand. "Globally, Disney ranks among the top 20 apparel brands and we hope to become a significant player in the kids apparel market in India," Lee said.

Indus Clothing will invest Rs 21 crore for the retail expansion of the brand. H P Singh, managing director of Indus Clothing, said the investment would cover the initial 30 Disney Jeans Stores till the end of 2007. "By 2008, we are looking at having 50 stores across all the key cities in India starting with the metros. In the first phase, there will be three stores in Mumbai and Delhi each apart from stores in Pune, Chandigarh and Dehra Dun," Singh said.

The products are targeted at the 4-14 years age group, and are priced upwards of Rs 99.

Take Your Favorite Disney Channel Characters on the Go with Three New Video Games

Buena Vista Games, Inc. (BVG), the interactive entertainment affiliate of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), today announced that The Cheetah Girls, Phil of the Future, and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Tipton Trouble are now available. The Cheetah Girls and Phil of the Future are available for the Game Boy Advance. The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Tipton Trouble is available for the Nintendo DS(TM). All three games are rated E for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

"Kids can take their favorite Disney Channel characters anywhere this fall with new adventures from 'The Cheetah Girls,' 'Phil of the Future' and 'The Suite Life of Zack & Cody,'" said Craig Relyea, vice president of marketing, Buena Vista Games. "With the recent success of 'The Cheetah Girls 2' Disney Channel Original Movie, we're particularly excited to offer fans more ways to interact with the performers' story."

In Phil of the Future, developed by Handheld Games Corp. for the Game Boy Advance, players help their favorite characters from the popular Disney Channel series save a town overrun with the mischievous pets from the future -- "The Blahs." As Phil, Keeley or Curtis, players collect and assemble more than 20 futuristic gadgets to solve puzzles, overcome obstacles and capture the blahs to save the day. With several mini-games and unlockable features, Phil of the Future offers players hours of fun.

Join The Cheetah Girls as they dance and sing their way to a talent competition in Spain, where the top prize is a record contract. Players take on the role of each of the four Cheetah Girls -- Galleria, Chanel, Aquanetta and Dorinda, plus Galleria's pedigree pooch, Toto. To prepare for the big gig in Barcelona, players create their own tunes in the music studio, choreograph dance moves and coordinate Cheeta-licious outfits. The game also features mini jobs for each girl -- flip ribs on the grill with Aqua; teach dance with Dorinda; make music with Galleria and Toto at home or coordinate outfits at a high-end fashion store with Chanel. Developed by Gorilla, The Cheetah Girls is an adventure that fans won't want to miss.

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Tipton Trouble is an action platform game from developer A2M, based on the Disney Channel's popular TV show, "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody." The game enables players to enter the world of Zack and Cody, 12-year-old twins who live with their mother in one of Boston's swankiest hotels. As in the TV show, the twins attempt to save themselves from 14 outrageous situations by jumping, crawling, climbing, running and racing to Conquer enemy forces. Players can race through corridors on Zack's skateboard, shoot various objects like water balloons, bubble gum and cream pies from Cody's amazing vacuum, and unlock mini-games that feature two-player wireless action.

About the "Phil of the Future" TV Show

Disney Channel's popular TV show, "Phil of the Future," features 15-year-old Phil Diffy as part of a time traveling family from the future that gets stuck in the present year. Armed with an array of futuristic gadgets, Phil and his family must find ways to navigate and adapt to their new surroundings. Phil of the Future stars Ricky Ullman and features co-star and music sensation Alyson Michalka, of Hollywood Records' musical team Aly & A.J.

About "The Cheetah Girls" Franchise

The Cheetah Girls movie first aired on Disney Channel in 2003 and remains one of the most widely popular original movies on the channel. In August, the sequel premiered and became the highest rated Disney Channel Original Movie of all time. The first soundtrack is Platinum and the sequel's soundtrack is fast-selling. Three cast members -- Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams and Sabrina Bryan -- are now on a nationwide concert tour as The Cheetah Girls.

About the "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" TV Show

Disney Channel's popular TV show, "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody," centers around 12-year-old twins whose lives change when their single mom gets a job as the headlining singer at Boston's swankiest hotel, and as part of her contract, an upper floor suite in which they all now live. While mom works to keep them in line, the twins are elated with the amenities of their new home especially room service, a swimming pool, a game room and a candy counter. To the chagrin of the hotel manager, they try to turn the hotel into their playground. Along the way, they make friends and foe with the staff, guests and residents including the owner's spoiled daughter and the teenage gift shop clerk.

About Buena Vista Games

Buena Vista Games, Inc. (BVG) is the interactive entertainment affiliate of The Walt Disney Company. BVG publishes, markets and distributes a broad portfolio of multi-platform video games and interactive entertainment worldwide. The company also licenses properties and works directly with third-party interactive game publishers to bring products for all ages to market. For more information, please log on to www.bvg.com.

Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo.

Little Mermaid 2-Disc Special Edition Soundtrack

On October 3, 2006, the unforgettable music of The Little Mermaid becomes part of your world all over again with Walt Disney Records' release of The Little Mermaid 2-Disc Special Edition Soundtrack and Disney's Karaoke Series: The Little Mermaid CD+G.

The Little Mermaid Two-Disc Special Edition Soundtrack's first CD showcases the Academy Award-winning original song "Under the Sea," timeless favorites including "Kiss the Girl" and "Poor Unfortunate Souls" and the Academy Award®-winning original score by legendary composer Alan Menken.

The second disc features updated versions of the four most beloved Little Mermaid songs performed by four of today's hottest pop artists – Jessica Simpson, Ashley Tisdale, Raven-Symoné and Jonas Brothers. Disc 2 also includes the Jonas Brothers' brand-new music video for "Poor Unfortunate Souls" and a "making of" the music video featurette for Ashley Tisdale's "Kiss the Girl."

The Little Mermaid 2-Disc Special Edition Soundtrack track list as follows:

DISC 1: ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

1. "Fathoms Below"

2. "Main Titles" – Score

3. "Fanfare" – Score

4. "Daughters of Triton"

5. "Part of Your World"

6. "Under the Sea"

7. "Part of Your World (Reprise)"

8. "Poor Unfortunate Souls"

9. "Les Poissons"

10. "Kiss the Girl"

11. "Fireworks" – Score

12. "Jig" – Score

13. "The Storm" – Score

14. "Destruction of the Grotto" – Score

15. "Flotsam and Jetsam" – Score

16. "Tour of the Kingdom" – Score

17. "Bedtime" – Score

18. "Wedding Announcement" – Score

19. "Eric to the Rescue" – Score

20. "Happy Ending"

DISC 2: BONUS AUDIO & VIDEO CONTENT

1. "Kiss the Girl" performed by Ashley Tisdale

2. "Poor Unfortunate Souls" performed by Jonas Brothers

3. "Part of Your World" performed by Jessica Simpson

4. "Under the Sea" performed by Raven-Symoné

MUSIC VIDEO – "Poor Unfortunate Souls" performed by Jonas Brothers

"MAKING OF" THE MUSIC VIDEO – "Kiss the Girl" performed by Ashley Tisdale

The Little Mermaid Two-Disc Special Edition Soundtrack complements Buena Vista Home Entertainment's October 3rd release of The Little Mermaid 2-Disc Platinum Edition DVD. The DVD features the digitally restored Disney classic and all-new bonus features including deleted scenes, exclusive moviemaking secrets, an all-new music video and games families can dive into again and again!

Families can continue the fun with Disney's Karaoke Series: The Little Mermaid, also set for release on October 3, 2006. The CD + Graphics (CD + G) disc includes eight tracks with and without vocals including "Part of Your World," "Under the Sea," "Les Poissons," "Poor Unfortunate Souls" and "Kiss the Girl," plus tracks from Ariel's friends Belle ("Home"), Pocahontas ("Colors of the Wind") and Esmerelda ("God Help the Outcasts").

The CD + G technology allows the song lyrics to appear on a television screen when played in a CD + G machine. In addition to playing in karaoke machines, Disney's Karaoke Series: The Little Mermaid also can be used in traditional CD players.

The Little Mermaid Two-Disc Special Edition Soundtrack carries a suggested retail price of $18.98 and Disney's Karaoke Series: The Little Mermaid carries a suggested retail price of $9.98. Both can be found wherever music is sold beginning October 3, 2006. All Walt Disney Records audio products also can be ordered by visiting DisneyRecords.com.

ABC Television Network Stars Share their Dreams with America

Stars from ABC Television Network hit shows are sharing their dreams with America.

Isaiah Washington, better known as Dr. Burke on "Grey's Anatomy," along with James Denton, "Desperate Housewives" Mike Delfino, Yunjin Kim, also known as Sun Kwon, on "Lost" and country music star Sara Evans, from "Dancing with the Stars" are all featured in a two-minute tribute to dreams.

The dreams tribute will air on Tuesday, September 26 during the competition portion of ABC's smash hit, "Dancing with the Stars" and again during the results portion on Wednesday, September 27 (8 p.m. EST, 7 p.m. CDT) as a prelude to the premier of Disney Parks' "Where Dreams Come True" anthem. Additionally, print ads will run in USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel and Orange County Register to promote viewership of the spot.

The "Where Dreams Come True" anthem is an inspirational video that conveys, in magical ways, the emotional moments that happen every day at Disney Parks worldwide.

With a team of world-class advertising talent, Disney Parks has tapped top photographer Gus Butera and famed directors Tarsem and Leslie Dektor to work in collaboration with agencies Leo Burnett, McGarry-Bowen and Yellow Shoes (Disney Parks' in-house creative team) to implement Disney Parks' worldwide brand positioning campaign.

Disney Parks has also enlisted famed photographer Annie Leibovitz to create a celebrity-based campaign that will convey how these experiences transport people from the ordinary to the extraordinary.

"Where Dreams Come True" is Disney's first-ever initiative that fully integrates and encompasses its entire global portfolio of parks and resorts in Anaheim, California; Orlando, Florida; Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo. It is rooted in consumer insight – gained through two years of extensive research around the world – that reveals a singular view of Disney Parks as places where dreams come true.

"We have a great history of listening to our guests and through their feedback they have told us consistently, whether surveyed in London, New York City, Hong Kong, Los Angeles or Paris, that Disney Parks are synonymous with the idea of 'Where Dreams Come True,' " said Michael Mendenhall, executive vice president of global marketing, Disney Destinations. "The very notion is core to our business – our parks are indeed the places 'Where Dreams Come True.' "

The premier of the "Where Dreams Come True" anthem will air as Disney Parks prepare to launch their year-long celebration, "The Year of a Million Dreams." Beginning Oct. 1, 2006, Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida will feature the debut of an incredible lineup of new attractions and entertainment, plus new technologies that allow guests to customize their Disney park experience. New attractions include Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and Rockin' Space Mountain at Disneyland Resort in California and The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Finding Nemo—The Musical and Monsters Inc. The Laugh Floor Comedy Club at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

"Throughout this incredible celebration, special dreams and unique experiences once thought impossible will be awarded by our cast every day," said Mendenhall. "Disney parks are always the place where dreams come true – but even more so during 'The Year of a Million Dreams.' "

More information about "Where Dreams Come True" and "The Year of a Million Dreams" is available at www.disneyparks.com.

Disney almost ended it for Estevez

American actor/director EMILIO ESTEVEZ was heartbroken after his movie THE WAR AT HOME bombed, and he blames Disney for its poor performance. The star came close to quitting Hollywood in 1996 after Disney released the film in just four cinemas, despite a warm reception from critics. Estevez says, "It (The War at Home) was well received and well reviewed and then dismissed. "And then they (Disney) released the film in four theatres. The heartbreak of that almost forced me out of the business."

Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge

My husband and three daughters spent four days and nights at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Exposing ourselves and our children to other cultures is always a good thing. We enjoyed our interactions with people from Africa, like Julius from Botswana, who works at Boma.
 

Speaking of Boma, their breakfast buffet is amazing. How nice to be able to have good old pancakes, eggs and bacon, but also to have the opportunity to try dishes that are different, exotic and delicious. We also enjoyed a delicious dinner at Jiko, feasting on quail, lamb and roasted chicken.

We all enjoyed the abundance of African art throughout the hotel. It's everywhere you look - in display cases, on the walls, the floors, the lighting, the furniture, even the ceiling! Even though we 'toured' the hotel several times, there was still a lot of art we didn't get to see.

The lobby is so inviting. It truly transports you to another time and place. My favorite sitting area felt like a lobby of a small African hotel. The walls are covered with black and white photographs taken by Martin and Osa Johnson. (Which prompted a welcome discussion with my two teenage daughters about how cool and before her time Osa Johnson was.) I could imagine weary bush pilots sitting in those comfortable leather and rattan chairs, enjoying their gin and sharing tales.

The rooms are Disney-clean and very comfortable, if a bit small. The doors to all the guest rooms in the lodge are decorated with a large hand-carved Masai shield. The armoires' are hand carved by artisans in Africa. We were told the builders of the lodge investigated having these pieces mass produced in a factory to look authentic, but it was decided to have them made by hand and shipped from Africa. We liked the idea of the lodge contributing to the African economy in this way. My daughters loved the bunk beds and, of course, animal watching from the balcony.

The children's activities are well designed and presented. The pool is large and unique. The water is not turquoise blue, but rather a muddy gray - this, we were told, to imitate the color of an African lake.

It's quite a statement to be in Walt Disney World and choose to stay at your hotel. We spent two days at the parks and the other two we thoroughly enjoyed staying at the Lodge. On our last night, my husband and I took a stroll of the grounds under an almost-full moon, enjoying the night-time movements of the Wildebeest and Ankole Cattle. Where else can one soak in an outdoor hot tub, while listening to East African Crowned Cranes calling? The Animal Kingdom lodge is like taking a trip to Africa, with all the comforts of home.

ESPN The Weekend dates for 2007

ESPN and Walt Disney World Resort will team up to offer fans the opportunity to see and hear ESPN personalities and legendary athletes during the fourth annual ESPN The Weekend, March 2-4, at Disney-MGM Studios. The weekend will feature on-site ESPN telecasts, star motorcades and Q&A sessions featuring athletes and ESPN personalities plus sports shows in the ESPN Theater with ESPN commentators and athletes and interactive sports activities. The fun is included with regular admission to the theme park.

Fall in love with 'The Little Mermaid' all over again

Disney Insider - A flash of red hair, a flick of translucent fin - children and dreamers everywhere immediately recognize her as Ariel, the little mermaid. Since 1989, "The Little Mermaid" has enchanted audiences with its lovely songs and lively retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale.

On October 3, "The Little Mermaid" will be available in a two-disc Platinum DVD edition, and we thought it would be a fun time to take a look at how it was created. Did you know that toymakers assumed before the movie was finished that Ariel would be blonde, and had do redo their prototype dolls and toys when they learned the truth? Do you know what Disney film inspired Ursula's distinctive way of moving? Read on to get an inside look from "The Little Mermaid" directors Ron Clements and John Musker, who had joined Jodi Benson (the voice of Ariel), composer Alan Menken, and other luminaries at El Capitan Theatre to celebrate the DVD release.

First of all, anyone who meets the directors will not be surprised that Ariel ended up with flaming red tresses. "We're both redheaded - or were! - and red hair just seemed to fit Ariel's personality," laughs Ron. It's easy to see why the two men made such a great creative team -- they have an easy rapport that leads them to speak almost in unison as they answer questions about the film, trading words effortlessly, and laughing over shared reminiscences.

The movie that they've created together looks better than ever, with a crisp new look and brilliant colors courtesy of an excellent restoration. But it's the same "The Little Mermaid" they remember. "We probably hadn't seen it in nine years, since it was re-released theatrically in '97. It's fun to see again," says John. Especially fun was reteaming to do the commentary track on the DVD, they both tell us - remembering how it was in the late '80s, when they were working on the film with their close partners, composers Howard Ashman and Alan Menken.

John explains that Howard and Alan "Actually wrote the score in the animation building. There was a room set up with a synthesizer and all that. Howard and Alan came out from New York and relocated for the whole process. And in a room next door, storybook artists were starting to work on ideas for 'Under the Sea' and some of the songs. I think that was what it was like in the early days of Disney animation -- how it was done for 'Snow White' and 'Cinderella.' The composers were right there."

Ron adds "In the old days, the room the director was in was always called the music room, because it had a piano and so much of the early work, like the "Silly Symphonies" and 'Snow White' was so music-driven. Over the years they got away from that, so 'Little Mermaid' was a throwback."

Another piece of Disney history that went into the creation of the "The Little Mermaid" was a True-Life Adventures film called "Mysteries of the Deep." Made in 1959, the film took viewers into a beautiful underwater world - and it became a key resource for Ron and John, both landlocked Midwestern boys. "It had some great footage of an octopus walking along the ocean floor," recalls John. "We were working on Ursula at the time, and Ruben Aquino, the lead animator on Ursula, took that footage and used it for a basis for her walk, with her tentacles kind of slapping and slithering along. They took some of the film and had Photostats made of it, and drew on top of them."

Another underwater resource was motion model Sheri Stoner. They filmed her underwater so they could capture the motion of her hair. "People don't think about this, but underwater is much more complicated to animate because hair always has to move, and any kind of fabric has to float, and the ripples and bubbles under the water ... gravity is different," says John. On the other hand, the directors claim that animals are always easier to create in animation than people - so the Little Mermaid was in many ways more challenging to animate as a "real girl" than she was when half-fish.

The unveiling of the restored "The Little Mermaid" at the El Capitan reunited many of the key players from the making of the film - composer Alan Menken and "Ariel" voice Jodi Benson (who performed a showstopping rendition of "Part of Your World" together), along with Ron and John, Sheri Stoner, and the moderation, animation legend Don Hahn. They talked as if the film were made just yesterday - and the sparkling color and lively songs make us realize that "The Little Mermaid" will truly never grow old.

PM Douglas says visit of Disney Wonder important to tourism development

 

The visit of the Disney Wonder to St. Kitts is an important development in the local cruise industry, and it is an indicative of efforts to enhance the quality of visitor experiences in the twin-island Federation.

So says St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas, who warned that despite the opportunities, the land and marine resources must be protected.

Speaking at a brief ceremony on board the ship, which docked at Port Zante, Prime Minister Douglas said he was pleased that the Disney Wonder had added St. Kitts to its itinerary on its second Caribbean cruise.

“St. Kitts and Nevis are two islands with significant tangible and intangible value. These are found specifically in our own very hospitable people and in our natural, historical and cultural heritage. This particular foundation provides the support for a very strong and enjoyable visitor adventure,” said Dr. Douglas to Captain Henry Anderson, officers and representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, the St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of if Industry and Commerce and the ships’ agent, Delisle Walwyn & Co. Ltd.

Prime Minister Douglas said St. Kitts and Nevis in interested in creating mutual partnerships in the tourism industry. “We are a country relatively new to tourism. For many years our national economy was sustained on sugar agriculture and we have now taken the very bold step to move very solidly into services with tourism and hospitality being the leading sector and so we welcome this opportunity to create a partnership with the cruise industry,” said Dr. Douglas, who said it was his St. Kitts-Nevis Labor Government’s policy to continue enhancing the productive relationship with the cruise industry.

“We want to ensure that our products and our services provide exceptional and positive experiences to all visitors,” stressed Prime Minister Douglas, who pointed to the multi-million dollar building development taking place at Port Zante.

“This is significant to our continued enhancement of tourism product, as we strive to improve the visitor shopping experience in particular,” he added.

The Prime Minister said St. Kitts and Nevis offers more than the often-sought sun, sea and sand. “What we offer is a grand opportunity for our visitors to “taste” in particular and perhaps immerse themselves in the flavours of the Caribbean. We have among us in St. Kitts and Nevis, some of most talented artist region that is reflected in our music, dance, craft, painting and fashion designs. There are tours that help visitors understand the socio-economic and cultural environment of St. Kitts and Nevis, and it in this context that a traveler truly enjoys and shares life rewarding experiences,” he said.

Dr. Douglas said that the for the cruise passengers, the characteristic short stop gives an enjoyable yet a passing insight into the island countries visited in the Caribbean. “Nevertheless, I perceive real opportunities here for the cruise lines, as well as for other stakeholders in cruise tourism,” he told invited guests.

The Prime Minister noted that the development of the cruise industry in St. Kitts and Nevis has to be tempered by other considerations, including capacity and environmental concerns.

“Development can be negated very quickly if these critical issues are ignored. These matters have implications for our land and marine natural resources. Inadequate consideration and attention would quickly result in the degradation of our own tourism product, and everyone suffers the consequences,” said Prime Minister Douglas, who added that it was important that the local authorities partner with the cruise ships “to further upgrade our own port facilities with the input of the cruise lines.

Photo # 1 - St. Kitts and Nevis' Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas (l) is greeted by the Disney character Mickey Mouse on board the Disney Wonder which was docked at Port Zante on St. Kitts.

Disney isn't haunting Knott's this Halloween

 

Disneyland's splashy move into the burgeoning Halloween market isn't really about trying to take a piece of Knott's Berry Farm's biggest month of the year.

Instead, the Happiest Place on Earth finally got serious about Halloween as part of an effort to keep attendance growing after its successful 50th anniversary celebration.

"Obviously, we've got a tough act to follow, so we've been working very hard on excellent plans to follow the 50th, including the launch of Disney's HalloweenTime," said Lisa Cotter, vice president of marketing strategy for the Disneyland Resort. "We are expecting to have incremental attendance. We are expecting to grow as a result of this investment."

Disneyland, which doesn't disclose attendance figures, says it exceeded all of its goals for the 17-month anniversary event that is now ending. It's eyeing Halloween – a consumer market that grew 5 percent to $3.3 billion last year, according to the National Retail Federation – to help sustain its momentum.

HalloweenTime, which starts Friday and runs through Oct. 31, involves redecorating the resort's two parks with jack-o-lanterns and orange-and-black bunting, putting costumes on the Disney characters and offering festive food items in restaurants and special merchandise in stores.

As it has for five years, Disneyland's Haunted Mansion is being made over as "Haunted Mansion Holiday," inspired by the animated film "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas."

The start of HalloweenTime comes less than three weeks after Disneyland's first-ever half marathon attracted nearly 10,000 runners from all over the country. That event was intended to boost park attendance and hotel business in the post-summer lull.

One Anaheim hotelier said that she saw a bump in business from the half marathon, but that it still only matched last year's occupancy.

"We had a strong weekend for the half marathon," said Beckley Van Cleave, general manager of the Portofino Inn & Suites. "We had a strong year in 2005, so it helped get us back to where we were in 2005."

HalloweenTime, which aims primarily at the local market, isn't likely to boost tourist business much.

Even so, Orange County's tourism industry is on pace to set a record this year with 45 million visitors, according to CIC Research, which provides data to the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau. That's up from 44.7 million in 2005.

The county's leisure and hospitality industry employed 172,600 people in August, up 2.6 percent from a year earlier. That beats the county's overall job growth of 1.1 percent during the same 12-month period, according to the state Employment Development Department.

HalloweenTime, which involves adding 75 people to the Disneyland Resort's staff of roughly 20,000, is less of a boost to the local job market than Knott's 34th annual Halloween Haunt. Knott's, in Buena Park, hires 1,300 people, mostly to act as monsters, when it transforms into Knott's Scary Farm, said spokeswoman Jennifer Blazey.

Highlights at Knott's this year include 12 mazes, six shows and four "scare zones." Halloween Treasure Hunt at Camp Spooky, a weekend daytime event for children ages 3 to 11, is also back at Knott's.

Still, Disney's and Knott's Halloween events aren't really in competition with each other. Knott's bread and butter is the teen and adult crowd. Disney is sticking with its mainstay: families with young children.

Disneyland is "not going to be taking any customers away from Knott's … just because it's so child-centric," said David Koenig, author of two books on Disneyland.

And Disneyland, whose biggest times are December and summer, isn't likely to get 15 percent of its annual business from Halloween, as Knott's does.

Disney has dabbled with smaller Halloween events in the past but never established the October season as an event tradition, even as Disney parks in Florida, Paris and Tokyo have.

"We talked about various ideas for Halloween, but never did come up with an idea everybody could sign off on," said Jack Lindquist, who retired as president of Disneyland in 1993.

Some local fans are glad that Disneyland has finally gotten its Halloween act together.

"I'm ready to go," said Laura Jandrew, a Disney annual pass holder who lives in Garden Grove. "I'm really excited about it – just the food alone."

Looking Back at Disney's Night of Joy

Disney recently celebrated their 24th annual Christian music festival, Night of Joy, in Orlando, Florida, at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. The festival has drawn more than 900,000 attendees during its history.

This year, the two-night event, held 8-9 Sept., sold out both evenings. Performing artists included MercyMe, BarlowGirl, Rebecca St. James, Matthew West, Jeremy Camp, David Crowder Band, Building 429, Vicky Beeching, the Afters, Casting Crowns, Hawk Nelson, Smokie Norful, Todd Agnew, Kirk Franklin and tobyMac were among this year’s performers.

MercyMe frontman Bart Millard has a history with the event that predates his days with the band. "I was a youth minister in Lakeland [Florida] in the early `90s and I used to bring our youth group to Night of Joy," he says. "We saw DCTalk, Carman and Petra. So for us to be playing in front of the Castle is a dream come true."

"It’s great for the park to have something like this for churches to be a part of, and it’s great for thousands of Christians to show up," Millard adds. "Everybody is starting to realise there are a lot of people in the country who believe there is a God and are Christians, and they buy stuff." Indeed, according to the RIAA, Christian music shipments have increased from 381 million in 1995 to more than 700 million last year. In 2006, while overall music sales are down 5.5 percent year to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan, Christian sales are up 8 percent.

"Disney is a massive corporation, and for them to acknowledge our little industry is not just great promotion," tobyMac says. "It`s sort of like we have their signature, [saying], 'This is a force to be reckoned with. This is legitimate.'"

The Christian music community formally showed its appreciation to Disney in April when the Gospel Music Association honoured Night of Joy with the Lifetime Achievement Award during Gospel Music Week, presented for major contributions to the gospel community for more than 20 years. "It meant a lot to everybody who works on the event," Rob Jordan, associate brand manager for the Magic Kingdom, says of the GMA accolade.

Disney special event manager Carolyn Whitethorn adds, "Anyone can do an event for one year, but what made this event happen for 24 years is the response we have gotten from the community . . . Our management values the relationship we have with the Christian community."

St. James says other companies have followed Disney’s lead in embracing Christian music. "I don’t know that Rock the Universe would have happened at Universal Studios had Disney not been doing this," she says of Universal’s Christian festival, which took place the same weekend as Night of Joy. "I love the example it’s setting . . . Who would have thought 25 years ago that something like this would be possible?"

Disney Sounds to release Welcome to Ralph's World

For Ralph's World fans, this fall marks the rebirth of the cool. On October 3, Disney Sound will release the ultimate Ralph primer – Welcome To Ralph's World - a cd + dvd collection featuring fifteen songs and six animated videos. Welcome offers the definitive introduction to an artist The Wall Street Journal hailed for "coming to the rescue of parents tired of corny kids music" culling tunes from each of Ralph Covert's six previous cult classic kid platters, including 2005's Grammy-nominated "Green Gorilla Monster and Me."

With one previously unreleased song - "With A Friend (The Pooh Song)," which Ralph wrote and recorded to commemorate Winnie The Pooh's 80th birthday - and six new videos by acclaimed illustrator/author Jim Paillot, this collection is a must-have for seasoned Ralph's World veterans, too. The videos mix live action and animation, taking parents and kids on a virtual world tour, with Ralph providing the in-flight music. Currently all six videos - which include fan favorite titles like "Dance Around," "Things That I Like" and "Surfin' In My Imagination" - can be seen on the Playhouse Disney channel. Additional videos are in the works.

In touring news, Ralph's World will join other acclaimed kids artists such Buck Howdy and the cast of the popular kids show LazyTown for select dates on the Jamarama Live Tour, kicking off October 7 at the State Theater in New Brunswick, NJ. Ralph's stint with Jamarama Live will conclude with a hometown blowout at the Chicago Theatre on December 3. Jamarama Live is a dynamic interactive traveling live music show for the entire family, featuring singing, dancing, art, and other activities.

RALPH'S WORLD ON THE JAMARAMA LIVE TOUR:
Sat Oct 7		New Brunswick, NJ		State Theatre
Sun Oct 8		Westbury, NY		North Fork Theatre at Westbury
Sat Oct 14		Jersey City, NJ		Loews Theatre
Sun Oct 15		Toms River, NJ		Poland Springs Arena
Sat Oct 21		Boston, MA		Orpheum Theatre
Sun Oct 22		Philadelphia, PA		Electric Factory Ballroom
Sun Dec 3		Chicago, IL		Chicago Theatre

Walt Disney Records' Disney Sound label signed Ralph's World to an exclusive recording agreement earlier this year. The unique partnership between Disney Sound and Ralph Covert also encompasses Ralph's music publishing, concert tours and merchandise. David Agnew, executive vice president & general manager of Walt Disney Records' parent company Buena Vista Music Group, said: "Ralph is a musical genius. His infectious melodies and clever lyrics make his music original and playful, appealing to both kids and their parents, which is what Disney Sound is all about."

Florida challenges Guinness record for reading aloud

Thursday, more than 250,000 middle-school students across the state will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the “most people reading aloud simultaneously at multiple locations,” as part of a record breaking year in Florida's schools. This attempt is being sponsored by Just Read, Florida! as part of its fifth anniversary celebration.

Florida students and I will gather at Disney's MGM Studios to read aloud an excerpt from "Peter and the Starcatchers" by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. This fun, New York Times bestseller details how Peter Pan and the Lost Boys came to Neverland, and first met Captain Hook. To help us break the record, students in schools and public libraries across Florida will watch the live 30-minute broadcast and Webcast, and join in the read-aloud when they are given the appropriate signal.

The Guinness World Record we are trying to beat was set March 19, 2004, when 155,528 students from 737 schools throughout the United Kingdom read William Wordsworth's poem “Daffodils” out loud.

Floridians are confident we can beat that record. We already have more than 250,000 middle-school students from 470 schools in 60 counties registered to be a part of this record-breaking day, demonstrating the great success Florida's reading initiative - Just Read, Florida! - has had in not only helping students make incredible reading gains, but also in helping students understand literacy is the key to unlocking the doors to learning and future success.

To further support our reading efforts, we implemented education reforms, made reading a core component of our curriculum, and continue to provide additional assistance to struggling readers. Since its creation in 2001, Just Read, Florida! has provided training to more than 45,000 Florida teachers, 4,000 principals and 2,500 reading coaches on how to promote and improve the reading skills and literacy level among Florida students. Our Just Read, Florida! initiative has been so successful, other states are starting to replicate it.

To further help our students, we've also recruited 200,000 mentors statewide, and created active mentoring programs in cities and counties throughout Florida. We even established an hour off each week for state employees to mentor local school children.

Thanks to our initiatives, reforms, and the dedicated efforts of Florida's teachers, parents and mentors, today, 223,000 more Florida students in grades 3 through 10 are reading at or above grade level compared to 2001. And last year, the middle-school reading gains made by students in the Sunshine State tripled any previous single year increase. This record level of improvement is bringing us one step closer to reaching our goal of every Florida student reading successfully by 2012.

Walt Disney once said, “There is more treasure in books, than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island.”

On Thursday, we are reminding Florida's students to find that treasure, while offering them the opportunity to showcase their reading skills to the world, and go down in the record books.

My gratitude is extended to authors Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson for their interest in this project, Walt Disney World for being such great supporters of Florida's reading initiatives, and Just Read, Florida! for spearheading this event.

I invite everyone to learn more about “Breaking a World Record: Reading Aloud!”, and cheer us on by watching the Webcast of our Guinness World Record breaking attempt at www.justreadflorida.com and http://www.doe.firn.
edu/edtech/ITVN/.

We are proud of Florida's reading achievements and we challenge other states to enhance their own reading initiatives, make reading a priority, and break their own records.

Timothy Rooney, son of Mickey Rooney, dies at 59 in California

Timothy Hayes Rooney, a son of Mickey Rooney who had a minor career as an actor, has died. He was 59.

Rooney died Saturday at his Hemet ranch after a five-year battle with a disease called dermatomyositis, his stepbrother, Dan Kessel, said Tuesday.

"He was upbeat and plucky. He was a fighter. He fought a valiant fight just to survive," Kessel said. "He died with dignity."

"He was a happy guy and jokester," said his father, Mickey Rooney, in a telephone call. "He was my son and I loved him very much. They should remember him as a guy who was smiling all the time and was very happy."

"It's a great loss," said his stepmother, Jan Chamberlain-Rooney. "He was just a sweetheart."

Born Jan. 4, 1947, in Birmingham, Ala., he was the second son of his famous father. His mother was a former Miss Alabama and singer, Betty Jane Rase, who performed as B.J. Baker.

Rooney suffered from childhood polio that left him paralyzed for two years but he recovered. He was chosen to be one of the original 1955 Mouseketeers for "The Mickey Mouse Club" but never appeared on the show because he was fired for getting into mischief in the Disney paint shop.

His later career included parts in movies such as "Riot on Sunset Strip." He also appeared on TV shows ranging from "Dragnet" to "Bewitched," commercials and did voice-over work for cartoons.

Rooney also tried his hand at folk-rock singing and standup comedy, Kessel said.

His father's fame proved a mixed blessing.

"It opened doors but it was also kind of a stumbling block as well," Kessel said. "He resembled his father so much ... it kind of typecast him. As an actor, it kind of limited him."

Kessel said Rooney had a range of other interests, including owning and racing thoroughbred horses.

In addition to his father, stepmother and stepbrother, Rooney is survived by his sisters Kelly, Kerry, Kimmy Sue and Jonelle Rooney; brothers Mickey Jr., Teddy, Michael and Jimmy Rooney and stepbrothers David Kessel, Chris Aber-Rooney, and Mark Aber-Rooney. He also is survived by his caregiver, Pamela McClenathan.

ABC's 'Housewives' sack Football

The women of Wisteria Lane threw the NFL for a huge loss Sunday night - as "Desperate Housewives" handily defeated the Broncos-Pats game on NBC.

The NFL game, in fact, finished third for the night behind the ABC and CBS lineups, composed of season and series premieres.

"Housewives" averaged 24 million viewers in its third-season premiere (9-10 p.m.), in which Bree (Marcia Cross) got engaged to creepy Orson Hodge (Kyle MacLachlan), who may have killed his wife.

The Broncos-Pats matchup, meanwhile, averaged 14.6 million viewers, finishing third from 9 to 10 p.m. behind "Housewives" and CBS' "Cold Case" (16 million viewers).

"Housewives" also beat the Bronco-Pats game in the "money" demo of adults 18-49.

It was important for "Housewives" to get off to a good start. The show received a critical thrashing last season, with many complaining it had lost its mojo from its breakout inaugural season.

Still, the solid numbers for "Housewives" didn't exactly translate into a slam-dunk for its lead-out, the new drama "Brothers & Sisters," which replaces "Grey's Anatomy" at 10 p.m.

"B&S" averaged 16.1 million viewers - and, more tellingly, lost almost 3 million viewers in its last half-hour.

The 10 p.m. season premiere of CBS' "Without a Trace" won the timeslot (17.4 million viewers), beating both "B&S" and the Broncos-Pats game (13.1 million viewers from 10 to 11 p.m.).

Disney squeezes rivals 

Local video company developing Toy Story game 

Disney's 3-in-1 Puzzle Pack 

That's So Raven 'Eye on Fashion' Benefit Raises $75,000 for Children's Miracle Network 

Power Rangers: Mystic Force: Dark Wish 

Disney Enters PMP Market, Expands Player Selection

Disney squeezes rivals

 

Walt Disney World's Magical Express airport shuttle is on track to handle nearly 2 million passengers this year, but its success has come at a price for small rental-car, limousine and bus companies.

The first-of-its-kind free service shuttled 186,238 passengers in April -- its peak month -- from Orlando International Airport to the Disney resort, with eight of the past 15 months tallying more than 155,000 passengers.
 

The figures underscore Disney's significance as a driver of airport traffic. Vacationers heading to Disney accounted for more than 10 percent of all passengers who flew into the airport during the first six months of this year.

For the airport, there is no significant change in revenue as a result of the service, which launched in May 2005.

Money the airport takes in from ground-transportation companies, including Disney, is up 2.3 percent for the first seven months of the year over the same period last year. That growth is consistent with the 2.4 percent increase in the number of passengers flying into Orlando during that time.

"So it's pretty much even-steven," Deputy Executive Director Chris Schmidt said. "It looks to me like everybody's doing well."

Claims of monopoly

A closer look at the numbers, though, shows some small companies are struggling.

Rental-car companies that cater to budget-conscious leisure travelers report downsizing their fleets and staffs to stay out of the red. They say the service gives Disney and its bus operator, Mears Transportation Group, a monopoly on lucrative trips to the resort.

"Disney Express has taken enough of the business in the Orlando market that it has driven the rates way down, even below in most cases what they were last year for the same month," said Eric McCandless, operations manager for E-Z Rent-A-Car and USA Car Rental LLC, both off airport property.

Feeling even more pressure are rental-car companies at the airport. Only one -- Vanguard Car Rental USA Inc., which operates as Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental -- showed a revenue increase for the summer months of May, June and July compared with the same period last year.

The other four experienced flat or decreased revenues despite a 3.6 percent increase in incoming passengers for the three-month period.

L&M Car Rental, for example, experienced a 12 percent drop in revenues for those three months this year compared with 2005. It has decreased its staff and car fleet by nearly 40 percent, Vice President Hesam Sahraian said.

"We have had successful operations until this event," Sahraian said. "I never thought it would affect us in such a way."

In addition, Beeline Ground Transportation, the bus and shuttle-van company that competes with Mears, is also suffering.

Beeline has laid off 50 employees since Magical Express started 16 months ago and is now operating with a skeleton crew, owner Dr. Owen Fraser said.

"We're not getting any walk-up business at the airport," Fraser said. "Magical Express is taking away all of that business. We're doing maybe 100 passengers or 200 passengers a day. Very, very little."

Fraser, who was awarded the airport's transportation contract for a minority-owned company, said he plans to try to turn the business around.

The numbers show Magical Express is growing in popularity, with passengers increasing 11.5 percent for the three-month period of May, June and July -- the height of the summer travel season -- over those same months last year.

Disney Senior Vice President Jerry Montgomery said the shuttle is a boon to the region and that there are no plans to begin charging passengers directly for the service.

"After only a year of operation, Disney's Magical Express has set new travel-industry service standards, created more than 600 new jobs in Central Florida, reduced crowding and wait times throughout Orlando International Airport, and cut down on area roadway congestion," he said in a statement. "Overall, we've received very positive feedback about Disney's Magical Express."

Captive audience

The financial data also for the first time shed light on just how many people who fly into Orlando visit Disney.

Because Disney does not publicly release attendance figures, the passenger numbers for Magical Express offer a rare glimpse into the ebb and flow of crowds at the resort.

According to the data, it's not uncommon for Disney to transport more than 7,000 people in a single day from the airport to its resort. The number reached a high at 10,439 people Oct. 1, 2005.

Because the airport charges Disney a fee for each passenger it picks up at the airport, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority stands to make more than $1.5 million from the service next year if it continues at the same pace. The passenger fee will increase from 50 cents to 75 cents in January as part of the airport's contract with Disney to extend the service through 2011.

On a recent morning, two families from St. Louis waited at the airport for the shuttle to take them to Disney's All-Star Music Resort. The families, with a combined seven children, bypassed baggage claim and headed straight for the shuttle. A few hours later, their bags were delivered to their rooms -- a key component of the shuttle service.

Once the families arrived at Disney, they stayed put, part of the company's plan to keep its customers' money from leaving its property.

"We did not leave the resort," Rachelle Cartwright said of her family's two-week trip. "When we're doing a Disney vacation, we use all their transportation that they have."

Local video company developing Toy Story game

 

Skreem Entertainment Corp.'s subsidiary, Weaver Interactive Inc., says it is developing an online game for international use based on the Disney/Pixar animated film Toy Story.

Skreem says it is currently licensing music, print and film rights for the project, to be marketed through corporate partnerships it has developed, such as a joint venture with Tom Online of China.

The Orlando-based company says developing games for multi-platform marketing is its key to growth.

Weaver, which targets gamers in Korea for much of its product, did about $750,000 in business last year and projects $3 million in sales for 2007.

Disney's 3-in-1 Puzzle Pack

Say what you want about the education system that's supposedly failing the nation's youth and exams that allegedly continue to get easier year after year.

Because even if the government is incapable of setting stern standards for the kids, Disney's only too happy to give the little 'un's grey matter a good working over.

We're not talking Cars or Finding Nemo, though, oh no. What Disney's about to set on the kids is this, Disney's 3-in-1 Puzzle Pack, a compilation of three popular puzzle games that pocket gamers of all ages will get a kick out of.

Made up of the three hot brain-teasers of the moment – solitaire, sudoku and mah jong – Disney's 3-in-1 Puzzle Pack has got the potential to provide excellent value for money and enough entertainment for the longest of train trips.

Although each game is sponsored by a particular character (Donald oversees matters in solitaire, while Mickey and Minnie are in charge of sudoku and mah jong respectively), the cuteness is kept to a minimum.

In fact, once you get stuck in there are very few hints that you're not playing a more grown-up version of one of the games.

They certainly don't pander to younger players, with each game offering a stiff test that'll put all but the best puzzle brains through the wringer. Three difficulty levels see to that and, within each one, there's a wide selection of challenges on offer.

This means that you're not confronted with the same sudoku grid or pack of cards when you start a new game. And while the level of difficulty isn't as steep as specialized games, such as Platinum Sudoku, it's hard enough to make for a rewarding game.

So, all in all, it's a pretty good bundle of puzzle games, then.

Well, almost. The visuals, whilst bright and colorful, do occasionally suffer from being too detailed, particularly when playing mah jong. The icons on the tiles are tiny and, due to their complexity, it can be a real strain trying to tell which ones are which.

It's a problem that's repeated with the in-game text. You might think this isn't such a problem. But if you're playing one or all of the games for the first time, following the tutorials is a struggle.

We'd also like to see some sort of reward system, because once you complete a game there's no carrot at the end of it. Again, this isn't a huge flaw but it does leave a gap in an otherwise comprehensive presentation. How hard would it have been to toss in a couple of Mickey Mouse wallpapers as a reward to completing a game, for instance?

But it's hard to stay frustrated with a game that has as much cheery charm as Disney's 3-in-1 Puzzle Pack. If you want a nice little puzzler, it's got much to offer. Particularly when it plays its trump card: for the price of one game, you're actually getting three.

That ought to make sense to even the slowest 7th grader.

That's So Raven 'Eye on Fashion' Benefit Raises $75,000 for Children's Miracle Network

International teen superstar, Raven Symone (a.k.a. Raven), presented Children's Miracle Network with a $75,000 donation at a fashion extravaganza in Toronto this evening. Presented by The Walt Disney Company Canada and Wal-Mart Canada with the support of over 60 sponsors and volunteers, the That's So Raven "Eye on Fashion" benefit showcased fashions from the newly-launched That's So Raven fall and winter collections available at Wal-Mart. More than 300 guests and media attended the formal gala and fashion show including children from local hospitals represented by Children's Miracle Network.

"Philanthropy has always been a critical part of my life," said Raven Symone star of the hit Disney series That's So Raven which airs weekly on The Family Channel network. "It's an honour to come to Canada and be part of such an amazing event that benefits one of the largest non-profit organizations in North America and ultimately helps children," she concluded.

Year of A Million Dreams: Official Details & Preview 

Walt Disney Travel Company introduces 2007 Dream Vacation Packages during the Year of a Million Dreams 

Apple, Disney in a Bind on Movie Downloads? 

Family members share Disney passion 

Disney's Cheetah Girls keep girl power alive

New Magic Kingdom shows 

ABC News to Offer Affils Web Video Player 

Disney, Darden earn kudos for backing family shows

See the world, one Disney park at a time

 

The rain was pouring, the skies were a murky gray and Mickey's magic wasn't working on the visitors cursing and scampering for cover at Hong Kong Disneyland.
 

But Keith Simpson and his six friends from Sydney — all Disney fanatics sporting matching polo shirts that show Mickey ears over Australia's map — couldn't have been happier.

The group was in Hong Kong on the second leg of their Disney-themed round-the-world tour, realizing months of planning for a 32-day trip that takes them to every Disney park in the world — from Tokyo to Hong Kong to Paris, to the U.S. flagships, Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., and Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla.

It was a dream come true for the "Down Under Disneyana" fan club members, who have all been to one or more Disney parks before but have never done them all at one go. The idea of a world tour was especially appealing for Australian fans because they live so far away from all the Disney parks, Simpson said.

"We can't go to Disneyland every week. We can only go once every year, and that's if we're lucky," said Simpson, 36, a fraud investigator for a bank. The nearest park — Hong Kong — is more than eight hours' flight away.

The fans also organized the trip so that it coincided with several important dates for Disney. The group was in Hong Kong for the first anniversary celebrations at Disney's newest theme park on Sept. 12. They planned to finish on Sept. 30, the last day of 50th anniversary festivities at the original Disneyland in Anaheim.

Along the way, members expected to mark the occasion with group photos in front of all the iconic Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella castles, said Wayne Godfrey, the organizer of the trip.

They also planned to spend minimum time sightseeing outside the parks, while trying to go on every single ride at every single park they're visiting. In fact, discounting time spent onboard flights and transfers from airports, virtually every minute of the month-long trip was to be spent in one Disney park or another.

"It's the first time for all of us. I don't know anyone who's done quite what we're doing," Godfrey, 48, said. None of the seven traveling members had been to Paris before, so that was the most eagerly anticipated park, he added.

Godfrey, who describes himself as a "pretty big" Disney fan, founded the Down Under Disneyana Club 13 years ago.

"I grew up watching the 'Wonderful World of Disney' on TV, with Walt Disney narrating," he said. He now shares his passion for all things Disney with about 200 Aussies, whom he meets regularly for themed parties and to share trip reports.

The finance manager has been collecting Disney memorabilia like books, magazines and DVDs for more than 20 years. He "got hooked" onto Disney parks ever since he visited Disney World in the early 90s, he said, and has since been back to the Orlando park seven times, and to Disneyland in California nine times.

Simpson, meanwhile, didn't get his first taste of Disney parks until he visited Anaheim last year. The fan said the "Beauty and the Beast" movie and its soundtrack initiated his Disney obsession, and he has now collected so many Disney movie posters he's "run out of wall" for them at home.

Simpson, Godfrey and their friends agree that doing Space Mountain and spinning teacups over and over again at every Disney park is anything but repetitive.

"Every time you go to a park there's different things to do, and you get out of it what you put into it," explained Simpson, who said he's sure he will enjoy every moment of the world tour.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of going. What I like about Disney parks is that once you go through those front gates you sort of leave the real world behind you. That's why it's so appealing."

The world trip cost about $4,661, inclusive of discounted rates for hotels, transfers and passes to the parks, Godfrey said. The Tokyo leg cost an extra $526, because the air miles went over the prescribed mileage limit in the round-the-world airfare, he said.

"Coordinating the airfare was the trickiest part," he said. "But once we decided to go with a regular round-the-world airfare, it all came together really quickly."

Godfrey has a word of advice for anyone trying to organize a similar trip. "I would book a round-the-world airfare. I would try to stay at the moderate (Disney) hotels. I'd also make sure I go out of season, not on holidays when the parks are crowded," he said.

Members all groaned when asked how it would it feel when the trip's all over. "It'd be sad when you have to go back to reality," said Della Whitton, 41, Simpson's girlfriend and fellow Disney addict.

She didn't have to despair — Simpson said the couple has opted out of the Tokyo leg of this trip so that they could "save" it for later. A Disney cruise and repeat trips to the Florida park are also in their future.

"It feels like we're saving up all our holidays for Disney trips," he said.

'Brothers,' 'Housewives' lead ABC to Sun. win

The ladies of Wisteria Lane in their third-season premiere helped "Brothers & Sisters" defeat "Without a Trace" in the demo in the CBS show's new time period, although "Desperate Housewives" was down from its monster second-season premiere. The premiere of ABC's "Desperate Housewives" was Sunday night's top show in viewer ship and adults 18-49 with 23.8 million viewers and a 9.5 rating/21 share, according to preliminary estimates released Monday by Nielsen Media Research. "Housewives" was down from its premiere last year (28.4 million, 12.3/6) but it was up 1.6 million viewers and 8% in the demo compared to what it did during the May sweeps. ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" (16.1 million viewers, 6.2/15) prevailed over "Without a Trace" (17.3 million, 4.8/12) in the latter's new time period. But like many series premieres this fall, that strength was all in the first half hour.

Housewives opener a hoot

Desperate Housewives is cranking up the funny and dialing down the depressing.

As Season 3 of the Melrose Place knock-off premieres tonight, gone is the Applewhite family and its dark storyline involving the basement dungeon and its occupant -- the slow-witted son who's been framed for murdered by his own brother.

Also missing, at least in the opener, is killer Paul Young (Mark Moses) and his stolen, whacked-out son Zach (Cody Kasch), whose bizarre past was the focus of much of Seasons 1 and 2.

In their place is a number of much more amusing plot twists.

One involves the evil Orson Hodge (Kyle MacLachlan) who wins Bree (Marcia Cross) over with his extraordinarily efficient bedroom talents, despite her suspicions he killed his wife.

In one of the highlights of the season opener, Bree is so turned on by her new man (and his obsession with cleanliness), she pulls him into bedroom where she has what she thinks is a stroke. It is only when she visits a doctor, she realizes the embarrassing truth. 

Another humor-filled chestnut centers on Gaby (Eva Longoria), who's forced to wait on her maid-turned-diva, Xiao-Mei, -- the surrogate mother of her child who had an affair with her husband, ending their rocky marriage.

In one scene, you can see the venom ooze out of Abby's perfectly exfoliated pours when Xiao-Mei asks her for a foot rub.

Then there's poor ol' Lynette (Felicity Huffman) who's forced to welcome the mother of her husband's love child into her home and life.

While not nearly as entertaining as the above mentioned storylines, Huffman's character does draw a few giggles during the premiere as she attempts to hide the fact she's throwing a part from her new enemy.

In response to criticism that several of the characters became isolated last year, creator Marc Cherry has said there will be more interaction between housewives this season. That, however, remains to be seen.

In tonight's episode, the only time we see the leading ladies together is when they meet for a quick lunch and later at a party.

Even then, the conversation between the women is rather boring considering what's going on in their personal lives.

But, as they say, the best may be yet to come. There's promise of blockbuster events ahead, such as a hostage crisis in a supermarket, a War of the Roses style plot involving Gaby and Carlos (Ricardo Antonio) and the return of Jesse Metcalfe.

Disney and corporate America realizing the potential Christian music has with consumers

In looking at Suzuki`s sponsorship of Kutless` fall tour, Third Day`s long-term agreement with Chevrolet and McDonald`s new sponsorship deal with Smokie Norful, it`s obvious corporate America is realizing the potential that Christian music has to connect with consumers. But one corporate icon realized this potential long ago.

It was 24 years ago that Disney launched Night of Joy. Since then, the annual Christian music festival, held in Orlando, Fla., at Walt Disney World`s Magic Kingdom, has drawn more than 900,000 attendees during its history. This year, the two-night event, held Sept. 8-9, sold out both evenings. MercyMe, BarlowGirl, Rebecca St. James, Matthew West, Jeremy Camp, David Crowder Band, Building 429, Vicky Beeching, the Afters, Casting Crowns, Hawk Nelson, Norful, Todd Agnew, Kirk Franklin and tobyMac were among this year`s performers.

MercyMe frontman Bart Millard has a history with the event that predates his days with the band. "I was a youth minister in Lakeland [Fla.] in the early `90s and I used to bring our youth group to Night of Joy," he says. "We saw DCTalk, Carman and Petra. So for us to be playing in front of the Castle is a dream come true."

"It`s great for the park to have something like this for churches to be a part of, and it`s great for thousands of Christians to show up," Millard adds. "Everybody is starting to realize there are a lot of people in the country who believe there is a God and are Christians, and they buy stuff." Indeed, according to the RIAA, Christian music shipments have increased from 381 million in 1995 to more than 700 million last year. In 2006, while overall music sales are down 5.5 percent year to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan, Christian sales are up 8 percent.

The Christian industry still very much appreciates Disney`s stamp of approval. "Disney is a massive corporation, and for them to acknowledge our little industry is not just great promotion," tobyMac says. "It`s sort of like we have their signature, [saying], 'This is a force to be reckoned with. This is legitimate.'"

The Christian music community formally showed its appreciation to Disney in April when the Gospel Music Assn. honored Night of Joy with the Lifetime Achievement Award during Gospel Music Week, presented for major contributions to the gospel community for more than 20 years. "It meant a lot to everybody who works on the event," Rob Jordan, associate brand manager for the Magic Kingdom, says of the GMA accolade.

Disney special event manager Carolyn Whitethorn adds, "Anyone can do an event for one year, but what made this event happen for 24 years is the response we have gotten from the community . . . Our management values the relationship we have with the Christian community."

If you didn`t make it to the festival, look out for 'Night of Joy 2006,' a compilation CD that EMI Christian Music Group creates for Disney. The CD is distributed to Night of Joy attendees and used in other promotional efforts. This year`s collection features Hawk Nelson, Sanctus Real, Kierra Sheard, Starfield, Adie, Shawn McDonald, ZOEgirl, St. James, Beeching, Norful and Chris Tomlin. The CD also includes special coupons for Family Christian Stores.

St. James says other companies have followed Disney`s lead in embracing Christian music. "I don`t know that Rock the Universe would have happened at Universal Studios had Disney not been doing this," she says of Universal`s Christian festival, which took place the same weekend as Night of Joy. "I love the example it`s setting . . . Who would have thought 25 years ago that something like this would be possible?"

Disney became involved in Christian music before it became popular. "It`s one of the most well-attended events, if not the most attended event," Norful says. "If more people would be empowered with that information, they would boldly step out. We can walk into corporations and say, 'Hey, look at what Night of Joy is bringing in revenuewise. We need you guys to accept what we bring to the table.'"

Of course, the event is just plain old fun, too. "I got 347,000 points on the Buzz Lightyear ride," Millard proudly tells Billboard. "Somebody told me to hit the battery on Zurg to rack up points. Also my ride got stuck, but the gun stayed on so I got 100,000 just sitting still."

A Foundation for the Mouse's House

I must admit that in my younger and more idealistic days, Walt Disney (DIS) was not one of my favorite companies. But ideas of corporate sellouts quickly fade when you have your first child, especially since DIS is so good at entertaining said child. Now, I look around and find DIS videos, stuffed Nemo toys, a preponderance of Pooh paraphernalia, and all my former self can say is "Oh! Bother." But while my daughter has acquired a fondness for DIS toys and merchandise, I'm not sure I can say the same about the company's stock.

We begin our closer look at DIS by focusing on the reason that the stock made our most-active options list to begin with. So far today, more than 20,000 calls have changed hands at DIS's October 30 strike. Open interest at this front-month call numbers approximately 27,000 contracts, making today's activity in the options pits even more interesting.

Technically speaking, DIS is holding firm above the 30 level, which is a good thing for the equity. Just below this region is the stock's supportive 10-week and 20-week moving averages, which have helped DIS gain more than 31 percent since October 2005. Furthermore, the 30 region is also the site of the security's February 2005 high. All of these factors indicate that this region is home to some solid technical support, however, technical support is not always enough. Let's turn to the sentiment outlook to see if there is any sideline money that could help DIS hold this key level over the coming weeks and months.

On the sentiment front, there are few reasons to be bullish on the mouse's house. The analyst configuration looks promising, with nine of the 16 covering brokerage firms doling out "hold" or worse ratings. However, with eight of those being "holds," I am reluctant to truly back this as a bullish indicator from our contrarian perspective. Meanwhile, the short interest configuration also has some promise, with the stock's short-interest ratio indicating that it would take nearly seven days to buy back all of the DIS shares sold short. But the short-to-float ratio of 2.5 percent leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and kind of ruins this as a solid indicator to bank on for a bullish contrarian indicator. However, short interest on DIS has risen in tandem with the shares, so maybe there is hope over the intermediate term.

Meanwhile, the security's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.45 in the 16th percentile of its annual range is far and away the biggest red flag for a bullish position on DIS. However, I would like to temper this reading with the fact that the shares have broken away from moving in the direction of this indicator, and are now advancing inversely to their SOIR's decline. Furthermore, as long as DIS holds above technical and options-related resistance at the 30 level, there is still the potential of a rebound for the stock. A breach of this key level, however, would place DIS below peak call open interest in the October series of options, and potentially put DIS down for the count over the short- to intermediate-term.

Joseph Hayes, 88

Joseph Hayes, 88, a novelist, playwright and producer who turned his thriller "The Desperate Hours" into a Tony Award-winning play and movie, died Sept. 11 of complications from Alzheimer's disease at a nursing home in St. Augustine, Fla.

Published in 1954, "The Desperate Hours" thrust Hayes into the national limelight. The suspense novel tells the story of a suburban Indianapolis family taken hostage by three escaped convicts.

Collaborating with producer Howard Erskine, Hayes took the theatrical version to Broadway with a cast that included Paul Newman and Karl Malden. It won the 1955 Tony Award for best play. It was made into a 1955 movie by William Wyler with Humphrey Bogart and Fredric March and remade in 1990 by Michael Cimino with Anthony Hopkins and Mickey Rourke.

Hayes also wrote with his wife, Marrijane, most notably the screenplay for "Bon Voyage" a 1962 release from Disney starring Fred MacMurray.

Hayes was born in Indianapolis. After briefly considering the priesthood, he graduated from Indiana University. He wrote for television and radio in New York before his play "Leaf and Bough" made it to Broadway in 1949.

Walt Disney Travel Company introduces 2007 Dream Vacation Packages during the Year of a Million Dreams

 

During the Year of a Million Dreams at the Disneyland Resort, the Walt Disney Travel Company offers complete vacation packages to fulfill the dreams of guests of all ages.

 

The Year of a Million Dreams is a 15-month celebration centered on Disney’s heritage of making guests’ dreams come true. Throughout the Year of a Million Dreams, Disney Cast Members will grant more than one million dreams - both large and small, and including some "money-can't-buy" experiences - to guests selected at random through a unique "Disney Dreams Giveaway" promotion. Two extraordinary features of the Year of a Million Dreams will be special entertainment and programs to customize vacation experiences. Also, the celebration will feature the debut of the new Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, inspired by Disney Pixar's "Finding Nemo." This all-new "E-Ticket" adventure will take guests on a real (and unbelievable) underwater excursion. 

 
Beginning January 3, 2007, a Disneyland Resort dream vacation booked through the Walt Disney Travel Company offers a variety of special benefits including the opportunity to join the Disney Characters in Mickey's Toontown Morning Madness.  This interactive experience allows guests to spend time with their favorite Disney characters one hour before Mickey's Toontown opens to the general public, and also provides an excellent opportunity to enjoy rides and attractions.  Early entry is also available for Fantasyland, where guests can enjoy such favorites as Peter Pan’s Flight, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, King Arthur Carrousel and “it’s a small world.”

 

Each Walt Disney Travel Company package includes an exclusive Dream Coin, a keepsake sprinkled with pixie dust. Guests also receive a collectible pin and lanyard and a Downtown Disney District Fun Card that provides discounts to favorite Downtown Disney stores including House of Blues, Build-a-Bear Workshop, Club Libby Lu and more. All three-day/two-night Walt Disney Travel Company vacation packages include a Disneyland Resort Park Hopper souvenir ticket which is for admission to both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure theme parks and preferred seating at four entertainment attractions in Disney’s California Adventure.

 

Following are the most popular vacation packages and available add-ons:

 

Disney’s Resort Dream Vacation Package

 

This package offers accommodations at one of more than 40 conveniently located Anaheim-area Disneyland Resort Good Neighbor hotels.  Prices vary depending on hotel and begin at $259 per person, based upon double occupancy for a two-night package at the Jolly Roger Hotel during Value Season.*

 

Disney’s Passport Plus

 

Guests who do not need hotel accommodations but want the benefits of park hopping may purchase Disney’s Passport Plus.  Disney’s Passport Plus includes a Disneyland Resort Park Hopper souvenir ticket, early entry into Fantasyland in Disneyland park and the Downtown Disney District Fun Card. Rates for a three-day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Bonus souvenir ticket start at $160 for adults and $130 for guests ages 3 to 9.

 

San Diego GetAways

Visit “America’s Finest City” and enjoy beautiful beaches and the fun, relaxed California atmosphere. This package includes accommodations at a San Diego area hotel and admission to SeaWorld. Two-night packages start at $149 per person, double occupancy at the Days Inn Hotel Circle during Value Season.

 

Magical Meal Plans

 

Guests may choose to add a Disney Character dining experience for more one-on-one time with Disney friends in several themed restaurants throughout the Resort.  Another option is the Dine-in-the-Magic Meal Plan, which offers vouchers that are accepted at restaurants and snack spots throughout the Disneyland Resort.
 

Air & Car Rental and Other Options

 

Package add-ons include: competitive airfare from selected markets, ground transportation, Alamo Car Rental, travel insurance and optional day tours throughout Southern California from Hollywood to Legoland.

 

The Walt Disney Travel Company operates an on-site Guest Services office in the Downtown Disney District should guests need travel assistance while on vacation at the Disneyland Resort.

 

To book a Disneyland Resort dream vacation package, guests may contact their travel agent, call the Walt Disney Travel Company at (877) 700-DISNEY or book online at www.disneyland.com.  For general Disneyland Resort information, park hours and entertainment schedules, call (714) 781-4565 or visit www.disneyland.com.

 

*Value Season is a window of dates with special package pricing for 2007. The 2007 dates are January 3 – March 15; April 29 – June 28; September 2 – November 19; November 25  – December 20. Value season dates for packages that include San Diego are January 3- February 28, 2007 and November 1, 2007 – January 2, 2008.

Apple, Disney in a Bind on Movie Downloads?

 

Bob Iger is the only mogul backing Steve Jobs' iTunes project. Given the Pixar tie, that could work against both.

 

Considering that the news leaked out days in advance, Steve Jobs' announcement this month that Apple Computer Inc. was expanding into movie downloads came as no shock.

What did catch many off guard was that his supporting cast during the media show at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts included only one top Hollywood executive — Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert Iger.
 

Jobs would have liked a crowd of moguls to show up as a vote of confidence in technology he hopes will do for movies what iTunes did for music. But with only Iger on board, Jobs has just 75 films — all from Disney's library — to offer consumers.

Jobs' problem is that the rest of Hollywood still fears alienating retailers, especially Wal-Mart Stores Inc., that sell and rent DVDs, producing half of Hollywood's revenue. Studios are reluctant for now to publicly endorse something that could speed the killing of the goose that lays the golden eggs.

"The other studios want to wait and see how it goes," said Harold Vogel, an independent media industry analyst.

That Iger showed up was hardly a surprise. Jobs became Disney's largest shareholder and a director when the Burbank entertainment giant bought his Pixar Animation Studios Inc. this year for $7.4 billion. Iger was in no position to turn down an invitation from someone who owns $4 billion in Disney stock, Vogel and others said.

For Apple, however, a one-on-one deal with Disney could cause other studios to see the company as more of an arm of Disney and therefore a competitor instead of a distribution partner.

"That could be a real problem for Apple," said analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group. "They need at least one more studio."

Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple is charging as much as $14.99 for downloads of the newest movie releases on iTunes, and people familiar with the arrangement said Disney would get a maximum of $14 from each sale. The studios charge big bricks-and-mortar retailers about $16 for new DVDs, but the $1 to $2 spent to manufacture and ship those DVDs means that studio profit is about the same as with Apple's movie downloads, said Tom Adams, president of Adams Media Research Inc.

The problem is that consumers will pay less when they shop Apple, undercutting retailers such as Best Buy Co. and Wal-Mart, which alone is responsible for 40% of DVD sales.

To retaliate against Disney, "Wal-Mart could decide to give them less shelf space," said digital entertainment consultant Ted Cohen of TAG Strategic, whose clients include studio Lions Gate. "That's the danger in stepping out first; there's going to be a lot of phones ringing from major accounts."

So the other studios had little incentive to take the plunge with Disney — especially because they all signed up for a rival service revealed days earlier by Amazon.com Inc. that is considered less threatening to DVD retailers.

Amazon's Unbox will probably be slower to catch on, because it works only with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Media software. Microsoft-powered portable devices have nowhere near the wide use of Apple's iconic iPods, and consumers have been reluctant to download movies just to watch them on computers. (Apple said it would ship a television next year that uses a wireless connection to play iTunes movies.)

But Unbox gives the studios more control over pricing and other tactics, leaving them the freedom to decide how far they want to go in provoking old-school DVD sellers.

What they charge is up to them, and they don't have to release a movie online the same day it comes out on DVD, as Apple promises. A delayed online version is less threatening to retailers because sales of hit DVDs typically fall sharply after the first week or two.

Unbox, however, did force Jobs to plow ahead with his movie offering or risk appearing to be behind the curve. That's why he called in Iger rather than waiting until he could reach a deal with more studios, movie executives said.

"You've got to start somewhere," Enderle said, and hope early success will give you a better negotiating position.

At first glance, Iger should have been thrilled to take the spotlight at Apple's San Francisco announcement. Last fall he was lauded for putting such hit ABC TV shows as "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" on iTunes. It was one of his first big splashes as CEO, positioning him as one of Hollywood's leaders in entertainment technology. A movie deal would seem a safe sequel to a proven winner.

But the TV deal was largely about showing that an Iger-led Disney wasn't afraid of new technology, as it had been perceived to be under his predecessor, Michael Eisner. It also showed that Iger had patched things up with Jobs, who had had a bitter falling-out with Eisner.

At the time, it also was crucial news for Disney investors because Pixar, then still independent, was threatening to jump to another studio. The computer-animation studio produced such hits with Disney as "Toy Story," "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles."

In addition, selling TV shows was less likely to anger DVD retailers. Since the movie deal, however, Disney has fielded concerned calls from several retailers, said Bob Chapek, president of Disney's Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment unit.

"To some extent, they feel a little bit caught off guard," Chapek said, adding that he didn't expect any retaliation.

Still, Disney's decision to fly solo on the Apple deal raises questions about Iger's ability to say no to Jobs. Corporate governance experts say that Jobs has a conflict and that Disney needs to be careful.

"It's appropriate that both companies be concerned about the potential conflicts of interest when you have a shareholder and board member who also has an executive position at a customer, supplier or business partner," said Kirk Hanson, executive director of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.

It's unlikely that the Apple deal was big enough to come before the Disney board, according to two people familiar with its workings. Even so, executives might be reluctant to go against Jobs, Hanson said.

"It makes a big difference what kind of direction Iger gives to the organization when they go about negotiating," he said.

"If he says, 'We need to get everything we can; we are not going to act differently,' that's one thing. It's critically important for Iger to give his own organization the freedom to walk away."

Chapek said that although Iger was involved in establishing the criteria under which all digital deals could be struck, "he was not involved in any one deal to any great extent."

"I can tell you from being involved firsthand, we treat Apple like every other technology provider," Chapek said. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

Any concern about whether Disney was unduly influenced by Jobs will evaporate, industry analysts said, if Apple's online movie business booms.

The results look promising, consultant Adams said: 125,000 downloads in a week, bringing Disney $1 million in revenue. Iger projects $50 million in sales the first year.

Those numbers would probably bring the other studios into the fold, rival executives said, erasing a great deal of awkwardness for Disney.

If Amazon's Unbox "turns out to be a bomb, they're going to look brilliant," said analyst Dennis McAlpine of McAlpine Associates, "and vice versa."

Family members share Disney passion 
 

Former Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeer Bonnie Lynn Fields has returned to Richmond to be near her mother, but she also has many family members in the community.

Fields, who uses the name Lynn Fields now, is teaching dance and spending time with family these days.

Recently, she and several other family members gathered at Golden Rule nursing center to celebrate the 90th birthday of her mother, Beverly Fields.

It's clear that once infected with the Disney spirit, it always is there. Beverly Fields wore a blouse with Mickey Mouse on it to her party and one of her birthday balloons featured Mickey.

Conversation at the get-together inevitably turned to Fields' Disney years, which her aunt, June Bartlemay, and her cousin, RobbinMyers, remember well despite their being in Richmond and the Fields family in California.

"I got to meet Walt Disney when I was with her," Myers said.

The pair, who were close as children and remain close as adults, were visiting Disneyland.

"We were walking along and all of the sudden someone called 'Bonnie.' We turned around and it was Walt Disney," Myers remembers. "He was the most charming person."

Even before she turned to see who was calling her name, Fields said she knew it had to be someone from her Mouseketeer years because that is the only time she has gone by Bonnie. It was, in fact, Disney who asked Fields if they could call her Bonnie for the show, although the day he asked, she didn't realize who he was.

She got to know him.

"He was on set with us every single day," Fields said. "We were his children and he took care of us that way, too. He was a doll."

Fields said the Mouseketeers not only appeared on the famous TV show, but did multiple shows each day in the Disneyland theme park and appeared in the park's daily parade.

Even after she "grew up," she was asked to make Disney appearances.

"It was quite an adventure," Fields said. "It never really ended."

Disney's Cheetah Girls keep girl power alive

 

Girl power is proving to have an incredibly long shelf life. That was made clear at Thursday's Cheetah Girls show at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.

The pop music concept of empowering young females was popularized in the early '80s, when Cyndi Lauper had a monster hit with the feel-good anthem "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." The song might be older than the Cheetahs' members, but that didn't stop them from wheeling out an updated cover toward the close of their set, in a triumphant moment in which the trio was joined onstage by opening act Everlife.

In the '90s, the Spice Girls famously rode the "girl power" concept to international success. While Lauper and the Spice Girls were omnipresent in their respective eras, the Cheetahs were an underground sensation of sorts -- known mostly by children and their parents -- until August, when its "The Cheetah Girls 2" soundtrack debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. That's because the Cheetahs are of an era in which niche marketing is king, and the Walt Disney Co. is the king of the niche marketers. The touring group was spawned from Disney Channel's made-for-TV-movies, which were inspired by Deborah Gregory's hit book series. The group's subsequent soundtrack releases have garnered airplay on Radio Disney but are paid little mind outside of the Disney world.

While on the small screen the Cheetahs are led by former Cosby kid Raven-Symone, she's not part of the touring group that consists of Sabrina Bryan, Kiely Williams and Adrienne Bailon. The trio offers wholesome, upbeat pop in which the girl-power concept is updated to "growl power." Their sound is a throwback to the '90s girl-group pop of the Spice Girls and En Vogue but stripped of anything too risque as to not offend the parents of its young fans. While the tunes were catchy, cleverly choreographed dance numbers, the Cheetahs relied so heavily on backing tracks that it was hard to determine if the headset microphones they wore were anything more than fashion accessories.

Openers Everlife, a trio of singing and guitar-playing sisters backed by a male drummer, came of like the Donnas' polite little sisters. In their short set, they served up versions of the Romantics' "What I Like About You" and "Real Wild Child," the '50s rockabilly hit covered by Iggy Pop.

Miley Cyrus, daughter of "Achy Breaky Heart" star Billy Ray, appears to be well on her way to following Hillary Duff's path from Disney TV sensation to pop star, with a set that showed off her charm and lightweight dance-pop fare to the delight of the young screaming fans. While the energy level subsided as the evening wore on, it wasn't too surprising. After all, it was a school night, and the Cheetahs' set lasted past many of the audience members' bedtimes.

New Magic Kingdom shows

The Magic Kingdom recently held some late night cast only previews of the new entertainment offerings set to launch in October. Public guest previews are set to begin in the next few days, but before then, here are some comments from the previews so far.

"High School Musical Pep Rally" - The show is performed by a 8-10 person cast. A lead male singer, a lead female singer, a cheerleader who teaches us our dance moves, a few backup dancers and a few more cheerleaders who run through the crowd. The show opens with the male singer introducing himself (they are not playing characters from the actual movie, just students at the high school).

He sings a bit, and then the cheerleader character teaches us a dance routine, and more singing and dancing and it's over. I was most impressed with the fact that it is done live. All the singing and speaking parts are the performers voices. The current Tommorowland stage is temporary though. A new stage will be built close to the old Skyway building, and is set to open in January 2007.

"Fun Day Parade" - is a patriotic salute to America. Daisy, Horace, Clarabelle, Chip and Dale, and a few other characters make their way down Main Street (toward Town Square). The fire engine leads the way, with selected guests riding in it, with Chip and Dale behind, with another group of guests all doing a tambourine routine. Pluto follows behind with Hula Hoops. The band is the caboose. The whole gang meets in Town Square and waves flags to Yankee Doodle Dandy. The music for the parade is all patriotic, with melodies from the Music Man and other familiar tunes.

"Let's Have a Ball" - This very small show is located behind the castle, close to the Cinderella Fountain. They have a small stage (2 people at a time) set up, connected to the castle. The show opens with Simon, a Kingdom "Merry Maker". He is telling the crowd how they must have a ball for every major event the happens in the Fantasy World (Cinderella getting crowned, Beast turning into a prince), and at every ball, games must be played. Simon is a little upset because his games never get chosen to be played. The Ball organizer (Belinda) arrives, and she starts off the party games. First up is The Under The Sea Conga Line. The cast of Merry Makers (about 2 per show) hold up tarps that look like water, and guests are invited to join in the conga fun...the rendition of Under The Sea by Raven is played. Next Up is Royal Freeze Tag. Music is played and you must freeze when it stops. While all this is going on, Simon is begging Belinda to play his game...Eventually, she gives in, and we all listen to what "Simon Says"...the next game we play.

All the fun is over, and we're invited to join hands in the royal waltz. After that, Aurora and Prince Phillip come out of the door near Tinkerbelle's Treasures and greet the dancing guest.

Man arrested for threat to bomb Disneyland in Hong Kong

 

A 21-year-old man was arrested in Hong Kong for threatening to bomb Disneyland, a news report said Saturday. The man posted a message on the internet asking how to make an explosive device and saying that he intended to bomb the theme park, according to a report in the South China Morning Post.

Police confirmed that a man was arrested Thursday for allegedly attempting to make an explosive with the intent to cause injury and damage to a theme park, but refused to confirm whether it was Disneyland.

A spokesman said that the arrest followed an investigation by police after a message appeared on an online chat room. Two computers were also seized at the time of the arrest.

The man was later released on police bail. Disneyland officials have not commented on the alleged threat.

Following the arrest, police issued a warning to the public to use the internet wisely and legally.

"Pirates" flag still flies over global box office

 

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" led the foreign box office for the 11th time in 12 weekends Sunday with estimated sales of $7.6 million from 36 territories.

The total for the Disney swashbuckler stands at $625.6 million, making it the fourth-biggest overseas movie ever, surpassing 2002's "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" ($614 million). "Dead Man's Chest" now has its sights set on the No. 3 title, 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" ($658 million).

With its phenomenally successful overseas rollout winding down, it is considered unlikely that "Dead Man's Chest" will overtake the No. 2 all-time international grosser, 2003's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" ($756 million), or the reigning overseas champ, 1997's "Titanic" ($1.244 billion).

The biggest territory for "Dead Man's Chest" during the weekend was Italy, where the film absconded with an estimated $4.5 million, pushing its 12-day market total to $20 million. Its worldwide box office total stands at $1.0545 billion.

No. 2 for the weekend was "World Trade Center," which broadened its international exposure from one to 11 markets for an estimated $6.1 million. The early overseas box office total for Oliver Stone's September 11 drama stands at $8.1 million thanks largely to a No. 1 finish for the weekend in France, where it grossed an estimated $2.6 million.

"Little Man" held at No. 3. The Wayans brothers comedy grossed an estimated $5 million from 31 markets, lifting its overseas total to $29.6 million.

At No. 4 for the weekend was "Cars," which registered an estimated $4.7 million from 27 territories in its 15th weekend internationally. The Pixar cartoon has earned $200.1 million, making it one of seven films to pass the double-century mark this year.

"You, Me and Dupree" was fifth with $4.4 million from 24 markets, lifting its overseas total to $36.3 million.

In Britain, the top movie was "Children of Men" director Alfonso Cuaron's futuristic fantasy-drama starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine. "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," starring Will Ferrell, opened at No. 1 in Australia and New Zealand.

ABC News to Offer Affils Web Video Player

ABC News announced Monday it would make its video player available to local affiliate Web sites. Beginning the fall, affiliate Web sites will be able to feature clips of World News with Charles Gibson and Good Morning America, along with video highlights from across ABC News broadcasts. ABC affiliates will also have the option to add local news content to the player.

In exchange, ABC affiliates will promote the co-branded syndicated video player on-air and online.

“We think this initiative holds promise and potential opportunity for the ABC affiliates in their respective markets,” said Ray Cole, chairman of the ABC Affiliate Relations Board of Governors which has endorsed the plan and is recommending it to the affiliate membership. “We look forward to continued discussions with the network regarding additional new media initiatives,” Cole added.

The ABC News agreement with affiliates is part of the Disney-ABC Television Group’s overall Digital Media multiplatform business initiative. In September, the ABC TV Network came to an agreement with affiliates to feature ABC’s broadband player on their Web sites which streams new episodes of several ABC prime-time series.

“The Network, ABC affiliates and owned stations have a strong on-air relationship, and we’ve created a mutually beneficial arrangement that extends it online,” said John Rouse, senior vp of affiliate relations for ABC Television Network. “We are actively discussing additional news ventures as well.”

Disney, Darden earn kudos for backing family shows

What could a lobster and a mouse possibly have in common?

An appreciation for decent television programs, according to the Parents Television Council and its latest ranking of best and worst advertisers.

The Walt Disney Co. and Orlando-based Darden Restaurants were both named to the list of top 10 best advertisers, based on their sponsorship of "wholesome, family oriented television shows."

The ranking is based on how companies spent their prime-time network advertising budgets between October 2005 and May 2006.

"With their advertising dollars, they can choose to underwrite family-friendly television programming or they can elect to sponsor programs filled with raunch," said L. Brent Bozell, the council's president.

Topping the list was Coca-Cola Enterprises and The Campbell Soup Co., followed by Disney. Darden was ninth.

The bad list was headed by General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and Volkswagen. Of the top 10 worst advertisers, five were automakers, according to the council.

Disney rides the wave
Monsters Inc Laugh Floor Concept Art 

Year of a Million Dreams Official Website now up 

Disney's Cheetah Girls beloved by kids and parents 

A Disney skater's dream

Disney Bribe for Tenants

Disney's Cheetah Girls beloved by kids and parents

 

Emily Mahler turns 8 today, and she can think of no better way to celebrate than by going to tonight's sold-out Cheetah Girls concert at the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk.

"For my first concert, I wanted to see the Cheetah Girls, and so my mom got me the tickets," she says.

They didn't come cheap.

Her mom plunked down nearly $300 for a pair of brokered tickets. On eBay, tickets were fetching upwards of $500.

And why not?

The Cheetah Girls are the most popular group on the planet — if you're a young girl who watches the Disney Channel like Emily does.

"My daughters are not into the princess stuff anymore, they're into Cheetah Girls and Hilary Duff," says Aileen Kendall of Sherman Oaks about her daughters Iris, 7, and Ruby, 5. "I was that age, too, and those are the things that intrigued me."

And just what is it about the Cheetahs that intrigues Iris?

"I like how they dress," she says. "And my friends like them because they're famous."

Spot on.

Since their first Disney Channel premiere three years ago, this sassy, ethnically diverse foursome as big on cheetah print as it is on good old-fashioned girl power has energized the 12-and-under set with its top-rated movie sequel, multiplatinum-selling soundtracks and, more recently, an offering for Game Boy Advance.

But all the merchandising hasn't stopped the group — inspired by the best-selling book series of the same name — from being a source of healthier-than-the-usual-fare inspiration.

Just ask parents.

"They actually are good role models," says Barbara Jergensen of Chatsworth, whose 3 1/2-year-old daughter Jillian is a huge Cheetah Girls fan. "They're not like, skinny. They're average-sized girls.

They don't dress trashy or talk bad or any of that."

"It's very hard to know what shows you can let kids watch without being there the whole time," adds Linda Mahler, who says The Cheetah Girls movies have proven to be age appropriate. "They say a lot about family values because all the parents stick with them ... and also that your friends are very important."

That last bit came in handy last Halloween when Mahler sewed Cheetah Girls' costumes for her daughter and her three girlfriends.

"We went and bought the fabric together and made the designs together, and even though I did it myself because they were all a little too young, they were very much a part of it," she says. "And the best thing about it is I made all of them come over, do their homework, and then we worked on their costumes."

Sabrina Bryan, the 22-year-old blonde actress who plays Dorinda Thomas in the Disney Channel movies, says the Cheetah Girls do care about how they're perceived by young girls.

They often tell their fans, "Be proud of who you are. Reach for your dreams. Do your very, very best, and you can accomplish anything."

It's seems to be working for Bryan and her bandmates — Adrienne Bailon and Kiely Williams, a Latina and African-American, respectively. Bailon and Williams also moonlight as members of the r&b trio 3LW.

The Cheetahs (minus Raven-Symone, who is touring solo, and Williams, who was out getting her hair done) were on speakerphone from Seattle.

"It's been so crazy," Bryan says. "Our schedule is so hectic that I had to get up at 3 o'clock in the morning just to get my roots done."

And this was just day one of their 61-city concert tour in support of the soundtrack for The Cheetah Girls 2 movie, which followed the girls to Barcelona for some singing, dancing and boy-meets-girl drama brought by Bryan's character.

"Dorinda goes through having a boy really like her for the first time and all the insecurities that go with that," says Bryan, adding she's been there. "I definitely have gone through that as I've grown up.

"I'm a normal girl. I lived a normal life into high school, and I know going through that at the time just seemed so dramatic. You think your life is over. You don't know what you're going to do.

"But she has best friends that she feels will stick by her no matter what — and I definitely have that with Adrienne and Kiely," she says.

"We have become a little unit that's unstoppable."

All the Cheetahs are missing now is an official fan club for girls like Emily.

She's had her concert outfit — a leopard-skin-embellished denim jacket and skirt with black tights and boots to match — laid out for a week.

"She's going to be so Cheetah," says her mom.

But the Cheetah Girls says they're working on ways to connect more with their audience.

"We're actually getting ready to start a fan site," says 23-year-old Bailon. "We created the official Cheetah Girls MySpace page, and from there we'll begin to sell merchandise and post daily diaries from our tour and photos and stuff," not unlike the Disney Channel movie site. "But the MySpace one is going to be a lot more personal."

A Disney skater's dream

Meet the man behind Peter Pan.

He is 32, calls Canada home, and revels in overseas travel. His legal name is Michael Cho but his skating co-workers call him Coco.

Cho is among 45 skaters with Disney on Ice -- the empire's way of broadening its reach to chilly arenas -- running this weekend at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise.

On Thursday, he was supposed to help coach skaters who longed to perform with the entertainment company. Or at least dispense tips on making the cut.

But nobody came. Disney is popular in Florida, but ice skating?

And so, the public relations ladies lingered in the wings, cellphones in hand. A few roadie-types tinkered with the perimeter of the stage, anchored at one end with a pile of mock rocks.

The crew was setting up for Mickey & Minnie's Magical Journey.

The show gives kids the chance to see their favorite Disney characters: Donald Duck, Goofy, Captain Hook, many Dalmatians, and the Little Mermaid.

Parents get to shell out $47 for a rink-side seat; $18 for the nosebleed section.

Because the Disney on Ice hopefuls didn't show, Cho had time to burn.

He did a few practice runs, gliding across the ice with his arms stretched. He jumped. Upon landing, Cho spun, and spun faster with each rotation until he stopped.

''It's all physics,'' Cho said, punctuating his stunt with a smile. The Ontario native has been skating since he was 4.

Disney on Ice is the life. It means travel, ice skating and a life free from the hassles of adulthood -- car payments, a mortgage, a commute.

Plus, Disney on Ice picks up the rent.

''This is the total dream job for me,'' Cho said, resting in a rink-side seat, with pink caps covering his skate blades. ``Living on the road is a totally different experience.''

Different in that he is, of course, something of a globe-trotter.

So far, work has taken Cho to places like Australia, Argentina, Venezuela, China and Europe. Cho boasts of visiting every continent save Antarctica -- does Dubai count for Africa?

''It's like living as James Bond,'' said Cho, a 9-year veteran of the show. ``You travel with beautiful people. You have great friends.''

Presumably, Cho doesn't see much secret-gadget weaponry or many shadowy villains, but there are some hardships. Actually, Cho calls them ''challenges.'' They are, say, finding the coin laundry or gym in a foreign city.

''That's all part of the challenge,'' he said, wearing a black sweat shirt that bore the name of his employer. ``The little things you take for granted.''

Cho and the crew arrived in Broward on Sunday night. He rehearsed, and drove to Palmetto to visit some former skating friends.

Next week, Mickey & Minnie's Magical Journey will take him south to AmericanAirlines Arena for five days.

Disney Bribe for Tenants

A Council is offering tenants a free family holiday to Disneyland Paris to encourage them to behave themselves.

Poole Borough Council is to enter those of its 15,000 tenants who keep to their tenancy agreements into a draw for the £800 prize.

It is also offering other incentives of discount cards to a local DIY store and a priority ladder for maintenance and improvement work on their homes.

Joe Logan, chief executive of the Poole Housing Partnership, explained the prizes had been donated by local companies.

He said: "We hope this will act as an incentive for the minority who cause trouble to look after their homes, pay their rent and not cause anti-social behaviour." But the scheme has come in for criticism. Robert Whelan, of think tank Civitas, said: "The prize for being a good tenant should be the tenancy itself."