Bambi Sequel to Release 64 Years After Disney Classic’s Debut

LOS ANGELES (Press Trust of India) – US entertainment giant Walt Disney Co is set to release a sequel to its animated classic Bambi more than six decades after the original movie hit screens in 1942, the firm has said. Bambi II will be released straight to DVD on February 7, picking up on the next chapter in the adventures of the young deer whose mother was killed by hunters in the wrenching original children's tale that opened 64 years ago. "Meticulously crafted over four years, Bambi II captures the beauty, emotion, warmth and humor of the original 1942 film," Disney said in a statement yesterday. The video brings back some of Disney's most beloved characters, including the rabbit Thumper, and also introduces Bambi's father, The Great Prince, for the first time. The long-awaited sequel picks up Bambi's tale following his mother's death when the young fawn reunites with his father, who will be voiced by actor Patrick Stewart. The adventures of the father-and-son deer team help them overcome their initially awkward relationship. The movie is animated in the same style as the original, which was made under the supervision of Walt Disney himself, and features songs by country star Martina McBride and multiple Grammy award-winner Alison Krauss.

Poll : Disney to Benefit from Pixar Deal

(Los Angeles Business) – This week, as expected, The Walt Disney Co. bought out Pixar Animation Studios in a $7.4 billion deal. In an informal Los Angeles Business survey, a majority of readers think that the merger will do just that, as 53 percent said that Disney will once again be tops in animated features. "Enough with all these short-term sighted nay-sayers, Pixar was brought into this world with Disney Magic in mind – consider Toy Story for proof," one respondent said, noting the success of the "Toy Story" series as the gold standard of the Disney-Pixar relationship. However, plenty of people think that the merger will not work, as 44 percent said that Pixar will be ruined under Disney's watch. "A few years ago, computer animation was demanding work that required unique technical skills. Now the labor market is flooded. Disney paid too much for what it could have done on its own," one reader noted. Several comments were directed at the fact that with the merger, Pixar CEO and head of Apple Computer Inc. Steve Jobs will be given a seat on the Disney board. "Putting Steve Jobs on the board will only prove to be disruptive. He needs to call attention to himself, which means one-upping whomever is going to end up as Disney's chairman," a response said. "Let Steve Jobs take over the board and he'll have Mickey humming again – of course, he'll be humming tunes downloaded from iTunes," another noted, taking a jab at Jobs' position with Apple.

Disney to Shutter Sequels Studio

GLENDALE, Calif. (ContactMusic.com) – Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook officially announced Wednesday that the company is shutting down Circle 7 Productions, the unit that was set up to create computer-animated sequels to Pixar's original hit films. The Glendale-based Circle 7 was already well along in the production of Toy Story 3, according to several reports. Pixar Chairman Steve Jobs, who has made his dislike for sequels well known, remarked on Tuesday, "We feel very strongly that if the sequels are going to be made, we want the people who were involved in the original films involved in the sequels."

Disney's Pixar Buyout A 'Near-Perfect Strategic Fit'

(Forbes) – Merrill Lynch research analyst Jessica Reif Cohen maintained a "buy" rating and $31 price target on The Walt Disney Co. after the media giant said it would acquire Pixar Animation Studios for $7.4 billion in an all-stock deal announced late Tuesday. "We view the Disney-Pixar combination as a near-perfect strategic fit," wrote the analyst in a research note Wednesday. "Pixar's content meshes well with Disney's brand and is an important cog in its theatrical/home video distribution, theme parks and consumer products divisions." Still, the analyst estimates that the acquisition will be 3% dilutive to Disney's fiscal 2008 earnings, a more conservative estimate than that of Disney, which estimates that the acquisition will be accretive by that time. Reif Cohen maintained a $31 price target on Disney shares. "The Pixar acquisition filled a major strategic gap for Disney and reinforces the company's commitment to focus its resources on content production," she said. "Given the strength of its assets, we have confidence Disney can continue to demonstrate significant growth over the longer-term."

Pixar's Lasseter to Get Creative Control of Imagineering

BURBANK (Amusement Business) – With the Walt Disney Company's announcement that it will buy Pixar Animation for $7.4 billion comes news that John Lasseter, Pixar's executive vp, will become principal creative director of the Walt Disney Imagineering Group. The news comes about two weeks after Barry Braverman, formerly senior vp and executive producer at WDI, had been let go. A WDI spokeswoman declined Tuesday to confirm or deny Braverman's departure, but noted that any such layoff would be a function of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, for which WDI produces attractions, being in a slow period in its development cycle. “Walt Disney Imagineering has always been a project-based business,” spokeswoman Marilyn Waters said. “Employment varies to match the workload.” Lasseter also becomes chief creative officer of the combined Pixar and Disney animation studios.

Pixar, Disney Draw New Animation Vision

BURBANK (Hollywood Reporter) – Pixar Animation Studios' Ed Catmull and John Lasseter visited Walt Disney Feature Animation on Wednesday to begin to familiarize themselves with the animation unit that they will oversee as president and chief creative officer, respectively, once the Walt Disney Co.'s purchase of Pixar is complete. A new era at WDFA, which has been buffeted by executive turnover and constantly changing creative mandates, began almost immediately as the unit's president, David Stainton, resigned his post. "David has stepped down as president of Walt Disney Feature Animation and is excited about exploring new opportunities within Walt Disney Studios," a Disney spokeswoman said. It is expected that Stainton will move to another division within the Disney organization. While Pixar, headquartered in Emeryville, Calif., and Disney, which houses its animators in Burbank, are planning to maintain separate animation units, Catmull and Lasseter are about to become frequent visitors to Burbank. One Pixar executive familiar with their initial trip insisted that their presence shouldn't "negatively affect either animation studio's culture." Exactly how the Disney-Pixar marriage will play out quickly became a subject of discussion by Hollywood animators and Wall Street analysts.

• "Will the Pixar people have the same magic if they work for Disney? Will the Disney animation people fit into the Pixar culture? Will (Disney CEO) Bob Iger and (Pixar CEO) Steve Jobs live in peace and harmony?" McAlpine Associates analyst Dennis McAlpine asked. "The remaining questions mostly relate to people and will not be answered for some time."
• Animation cognoscenti like historian Jerry Beck, who has strong ties with Pixar and Disney, argue that Disney might have purchased Pixar for $7.4 billion, but WFDA's creative leadership will now be driven by Pixar. "Wherever Pixar is, that's where the main animation hub will be," Beck said. "(Disney's) Burbank (studio) may become a satellite annex of feature animation. Pixar is Disney's legacy."

Lasseter and his story team are all byproducts of CalArts' character animation program. Founded by Roy E. Disney in 1973, the program was taught by such legendary Disney animators as Theodore Hee, Ken O'Connor and Jules Engel, who oversaw key sequences of the first generation of Disney films, like 1937's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." With Lasseter taking over the creative reigns at WDFA, he could give the unit the makeover it has been trying to achieve in order to recapture its glory days as it has struggled to adapt to the new age of computer animation. Within the animation community, there are some doubts that even Lasseter can return Disney animation to its former glory. As animators discussed the latest developments on sites like CartoonBrew.com, Darin Bendall wrote, "The problem is that this is a company who has become so bland that their very name has entered everyday English as a word meaning something along the lines of 'to sanitize something to the point that it sucks.' I just can't see how that won't happen here." Others were more optimistic. "The thought of John Lasseter coming back home to Disney at this time of loss and creative confusion is nothing short of a miracle," wrote another poster, identifying himself only as "an old-school Disney feature artist."

Disney Chairman Quashed Negative Iger Report

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co. Chairman George Mitchell quashed a negative evaluation last year of then-Chief Operating Officer Robert Iger, while Disney was searching for a replacement for the outgoing CEO Michael Eisner, according to a report in the New York Post. The newspaper, citing sources familiar with the matter, said the evaluation, conducted by executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles, was never brought to the board of directors. A Disney spokeswoman was not immediately reachable for comment, but The New York Post quoted a spokeswoman as saying the report was "categorically untrue." At the time, the board was under pressure from dissident shareholders led by Roy Disney who claimed the search for Eisner's replacement was not thorough. Iger was ultimately named CEO and Roy Disney buried the hatchet with the company his uncle founded.

Disney Litigants Fault Judge Over Ovitz Case

DOVER, Delaware A lawyer for Walt Disney shareholders has told the Delaware Supreme Court that a lower court judge erred when he absolved Disney directors in the firing of Michael Ovitz as president, a dismissal that cost the company $130 million in severance pay.

At a hearing Wednesday before all five justices, the lawyer, Steven Schulman, said that the trial court erred in its 174-page decision in August by failing to conclude that the board acted with gross negligence in the 1996 firing or that its abdication of duty was "conscious and in bad faith."

The pivotal legal issue in the appeal is the esoteric "business judgment rule." In its simplest form, the rule says directors are free to make unwise decisions without court interference, but not uninformed ones.

Schulman also criticized the trial judge, William Chandler III, for having accepted the "self-serving testimony" of the directors as evidence of their good faith.

"The trial court's decision shows that even a board that decides to take an 'ostrich-like' approach to making a business decision is immune from monetary damages if the director defendants testify that they acted in that manner in 'good faith,"' Schulman said in court papers.

The lawyer offered as an example of the board's gross negligence its decision to fire Ovitz after one year without cause, a move that made Ovitz eligible for his severance deal.

Schulman said there was adequate cause in the testimony of the former chief executive, Michael Eisner, who had hired Ovitz as president. Eisner testified that Ovitz "lacked veracity, he was a liar, there were morale problems," Schulman told the court.

But a lawyer for a group of directors, Greg Williams, defended the ruling, saying that the fact-finding process in Chandler's court was "meticulous and fair."

His comments prompted questions from the bench. Chief Justice Myron Steele asked, "Should we ignore the rule of law," no matter how "careful the fact-finding?"

Justice Henry duPont Ridgely asked whether the directors "could have been a little tougher in negotiations."

And Justice Jack Jacobs questioned the failure of the Disney compensation committee to fully inform the board about the consequences of a nonfault termination of Ovitz.

Eisner's lawyer, Gary Naftalis, rejected the plaintiffs' argument that the business judgment rule did not apply to nondirectors, citing legal scholars who believed it did.

Lawrence Hamermesh, a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said in an interview: "The courts have regularly invoked the business judgment rule in evaluating claims against officers.

And the courts have applied it and defendant officers have won because of it. But on the other hand, the analysis in those cases is not that deep, and the Delaware Supreme Court has never squarely ruled on it."

Celebrating 20 Years of an American Catchphrase

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (PRNewswire) – Surprise: Disney is not just making big plans for an "I'm going to Disney World" commercial for Super Bowl XL ... but is also telling the world about it. "Historically we haven't talked about the commercial ahead of time," said Michael Mendenhall, executive vice president of Global Marketing for Disney Parks and Resorts. "We've had fun with the sense of anticipation and unpredictability – the guessing game as to whether we were doing a spot. But this time, I can tell you now – ahead of the Super Bowl – that we are doing one." Of course, what Disney is planning is so big that it's impossible to keep it a secret. Disney is adding twists that will treat Detroiters to both a larger-than-life look back at heroes of the National Football League title game and a jumbo-sized sneak peek at the player who will be showcased in the 36th episode of the long-running TV spot. Disney is working with the NFL to create a retrospective of the game's heroes and 20 years of the "I'm going to Disney World" campaign that will be projected onto a downtown Detroit skyscraper during evening hours of the extended Super Bowl Weekend, Feb. 1-5, 2006. The visuals – as much as 150 feet high – will add to the fun of Detroit's Motown Winter Blast in Campus Martius Park. Motown Winter Blast is a combination of hip and fun winter sports for the entire family to enjoy. Then, for the first time ever, Disney will do a post-game reveal of the player – or players – to be featured in the "I'm going to Disney World" spot that will air on TV on Monday, Feb. 6. Like the pre-Super Bowl presentation, the player(s) will be projected XL – extra large – onto the side of a tall building in Campus Martius Park Sunday night after the game. In addition to the special presentation in Detroit, Disney will include football stars of the future from NFL Youth Football in the player's celebratory parade down Main Street, U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort. It's all part of Disney's long-standing relationship with NFL Youth Football. As for the commercial itself, the first person to utter the now-familiar words "I'm going to Disney World" was New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms, following his team's triumph in Super Bowl XXI on Jan. 25, 1987. "I couldn't have imagined that I was starting something that people would still be repeating 20 years later," said Simms, currently a network analyst for NFL telecasts.

Pixar's Lasseter to Get Creative Control of Imagineering

BURBANK (Amusement Business) – With the Walt Disney Company's announcement that it will buy Pixar Animation for $7.4 billion comes news that John Lasseter, Pixar's executive vp, will become princi-pal creative director of the Walt Disney Imagineering Group. The news comes about two weeks after Barry Braverman, formerly senior vp and executive producer at WDI, had been let go. A WDI spokes-woman declined Tuesday to confirm or deny Braverman's departure, but noted that any such layoff would be a function of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, for which WDI produces attractions, being in a slow pe-riod in its development cycle. “Walt Disney Imagineering has always been a project-based business,” spokeswoman Marilyn Waters said. “Employment varies to match the workload.” Lasseter also becomes chief creative officer of the combined Pixar and Disney animation studios.

You can never have enough coverage of a story like this.

Hi-Ho! Work for Disney or Go?

(Business Week) – With the Pixar deal inked, Mouse House brass know their most important task will be to maintain morale and stop a talent exodus. It's a problem common to both Silicon Valley and Hollywood. The assets, folks like to say, walk out the door each night. And now that Walt Disney has clinched its $7.4 billion deal to buy Steve Job's Pixar Animation Studio, job No. 1 for Disney executives will be making sure Pixar's top creative folks don't head out the door. That won't be easy: For many in the movie industry, Disney is the big, bad, and faded ogre that once ruled the animation business. But since the mid-90s, it has been the upstarts – companies like Pixar and PDI, the Northern California computer-animation unit of reamworks Animation SKG – that have been the most daring, creative and, yes, successful of the cartoon companies. No wonder, then, that Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger, in a conference call with investors after the deal was announced, said his outfit will work overtime to make sure "Pixar is allowed to exist in the form that it has existed in the past." "Steve and I spent a lot of time talking about that," Iger says. "One of the really important things will be to continue to protect Pixar and allow its culture to continue. It is such an important part of their success...and as a magnet for talent." That may explain why, as part of the deal, Pixar's two top executives, President Ed Catmull and top creative executive John Lasseter, were given new and more important jobs with the company. Both executives are likely to stay in northern California, says Disney Studio Chairman Dick Cook, no doubt to buoy morale at Pixar. That's crucial, because Disney expects that Pixar will increase its current production to make one film every year, says Disney Chief Financial Officer Tom Staggs. Pixar currently makes movie about every 16 months.
Even before the deal, Pixar was in the process of ramping up production. In a world where Fox, Sony, and even former Miramax co-chairs Harvey and Bob Weinstein are rushing to make computer animated films, Disney and Pixar need to retain that brain power. That means keeping Pixar's Emeryville, Calif. studio the same haven of ping pong tables, Frisbee playing, and even the annual Halloween costume contests that have lured so many folks like Lasseter from Disney's far more rigid environment. No one is likely to know for months, maybe years, whether the two animation cultures can mesh. It will likely take fresh discipline from a Disney hierarchy that has cut costs and laid off employees in the past. Having Lasseter around should help. The 49-year old Pixar creative guru, raised in Southern California, swept streets at Disneyland as a teenager and started out in animation working on Mickey's Christmas Carol at the Disney animation studio. Lasseter decided to leave in 1984 to pursue computer-generated animation at a new animation startup by George Lucas. He's the natural bridge between the two cultures. "He is one of us," says Disney's Cook. And maybe his return will sprinkle some of Pixar's dust around the Magic Kingdom.

New Disney CEO Iger Gets High Marks for Pixar Deal

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co Chief Executive Robert Iger got high marks from investors on Tuesday for pursuing an acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios Inc in a deal that most said could not have happened under the watch of Iger's predecessor, Michael Eisner. Iger, who announced the $7.4 billion acquisition of Pixar on Tuesday, moved quickly since becoming CEO last October to shore up fractured relations with Pixar chief Steve Jobs, displaying a confidence in his new role after years of being seen as Eisner's junior partner. "It goes to show you he has a comfort factor with the power he has at Disney," said Mario Gabelli of Gabelli Asset Management Co. Although some analysts expressed concern that Iger and Jobs could clash after Jobs takes a Disney board seat, investors and analysts said the Disney chief had done well to bring the dynamic Pixar and Apple Computer Inc boss into the Disney fold. "There's no second guessing how valuable Jobs is. Putting him in a new context ups his ability to influence things," said Harris Nesbitt analyst Jeffrey Logsdon. Gabelli said "the personalities can work." Iger, who came to Disney with its acquisition of Capital Cities-ABC television, is more accustomed to a "collegial" business environment than Eisner was, Gabelli said. Jobs himself moved to dispel fears that he would push Iger aside, telling Reuters that there were "probably better people in the world" to become the next Disney board chairman and telling CNBC that the takeover showed that Pixar was "buying into" Iger's vision rather than the other way around. Harold Vogel, of Vogel Capital Management, also said Iger was "off to a very good start" with his efforts to buy Pixar. "I give Bob Iger tons and tons of credit for taking this on and working in the interest of shareholders," Vogel said as investors waited for confirmation of the deal. "It's a pretty impressive transaction. It's small (in financial terms) but it's large for Disney in terms of change in culture and what it can do for Disney around the world."

Roy E. Disney Statement Regarding The Walt Disney Company

BURBANK, Calif. (PRNewswire) – Roy E. Disney issued the following statement regarding the Walt Disney Company:

"Animation has always been the heart and soul of the Walt Disney Company and it is wonderful to see Bob Iger and the company embrace that heritage by bringing the outstanding animation talent of the Pixar team back into the fold. This clearly solidifies the Walt Disney Company's position as the dominant leader in motion picture animation and we applaud and support Bob Iger's vision."

Yeah. John Lasseter would be a great addition, except for the fact that Disney could have had the whole thing for $10 million in 1986:

A Disney BeginningIn 1982, the young artist was hired at the Disney studio as an animator. A dream job? Yes, but for Lasseter, something was missing. "I was always feeling that animation had reached a plateau with 101 Dalmatians," he says. "Somehow, I felt that the films after that, while they had wonderful moments and characters, overall, they were just the same old thing."

Lasseter knew that animation needed something to help it rise to another level. Then, he heard about a film that the Disney studio was producing using the nascent technology of computer animation. It was called Tron. Lasseter was able to get an early glimpse of the film's "light cycle" sequence and says, "It absolutely blew me away! A little door in my mind opened up. I looked at it and said, `This is it! This is the future!'"

Lasseter talked the Disney studio into letting him do a thirty-second test that combined hand drawn animation with computer backgrounds. "It was exciting," says Lasseter, "but at the time, Disney was only interested in computers if it could make what they were doing cheaper and faster. I said, `Look at the advancement in the art form. Look at the beauty of it.' But, they just weren't interested."

The Birth of Pixar

The studio may not have been interested, but Lasseter still had an incredible thirst for this burgeoning medium, which led him to Lucasfilm Ltd., where Edwin Catmull, now Pixar's vice president and chief technology officer, was starting up a computer division. In 1986, Steve Jobs, co-founder and chairman of Apple Computer, Inc., purchased the computer division of Lucasfilm and incorporated it as an independent company, under the name Pixar, where he now serves as chairman and chief executive officer.

I guess they're interested now.

Disney to Acquire Pixar for $7.4B in Stock

It's official.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – The Walt Disney Co.'s purchase of Pixar Animation Studios Inc. allows Disney to inject new creative life into its animation efforts, while Pixar can end its public run at the top of its game. However, it remains to be seen whether the $7.4 billion price tag is justified – not to mention the fate of Pixar's unique corporate culture once ensconced in a massive media conglomerate. Executives from both companies said preserving Pixar as a separate entity was a top priority, even as Disney hopes some of Pixar's creative power rubs off on its own animation efforts. "I think this is great for Disney, not only to have Pixar be part of the company, but to have Pixar influence the company," Disney Chief Executive Robert A. Iger told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday after the deal was announced. "It's also possible we'll look at Pixar and see not only how well it's run but how well it lives and seek to overlay that influence on some of our other businesses." Disney is buying longtime partner Pixar for $7.4 billion in stock. The deal will put Pixar CEO Steve Jobs in a powerful new role at Disney and makes the billionaire its largest individual shareholder, with a stake of about 7 percent. Jobs, who owns more than half of Pixar's shares and heads Apple Computer Inc., will become a Disney director. Key to spreading Pixar's influence will be Pixar President Ed Catmull, who will serve as president of the new combined Pixar and Disney animation studios, and Pixar Executive Vice President John Lasseter, who becomes chief creative officer of the animation studios and principal creative adviser at Walt Disney Imagineering. Lasseter has been compared to Walt Disney by many, including Eisner. Lasseter began his career as a Disney anima-tor and is the creative force behind Pixar's films. One immediate sign of Lasseter's influence is that plans for Disney to make the long rumored sequel "Toy Story 3" on its own have been scrapped. If the film is made, it will be done by Lasseter and the other creators of the original film, the companies said.

The deal may make creative sense, but the company could face a hurdle convincing investors it makes financial sense. Under the deal, Disney said it will issue 2.3 shares for each share of Pixar stock. At Tuesday's closing price of $25.99 for Disney, Pixar shareholders would get stock worth $59.78, a 4 per-cent premium over Pixar's closing price of $57.57. Disney said the deal would lower earnings over the next two years, but that Pixar will help increase earnings by 2008.The companies still need to reveal what Pixar's next films will be and provide more detail on how the combined entity will function, said Richard Greenfield, an analyst at Pali Research. "The question remains whether the price/value relationship is going to bear fruit for Disney," Greenfield said Tuesday. With Jobs, Disney also tightens its link with Apple Computer, the innovative technology company behind music and video iPods. And Jobs is likely to press Iger to further his plans to marry films, TV shows, video games and other content to computers, iPods, handheld game consoles and even cell phones.

HK Theme Parks Get Ready for Chinese New Year

HONG KONG (People’s Daily) – Splendid decorations, exciting games, wonderful performances, all will be included in the two theme parks in Hong Kong to celebrate the forthcoming Chinese New Year with visitors.

• The Hong Kong Ocean Park announced here Monday that a Lunar Lucky Fiesta with 38 new lucky attractions will be launched on Jan. 29 to welcome the Chinese New Year. According to Chairman of the park Allan Zeman, the 15-day Fiesta will combine local and international elements including the highlight event – the spectacular Ice Mystique MegaShow and a string of other activities which help boost the traditional Chinese New Year spirit. The world-class cast of ice skaters and acrobats will bring the house down with breathtaking stunts and height-defying acts, on the dazzling stage or up in the air, right above the audience. Embodying the spirit of Chinese New Year will be the traditional fa-vorites of lion and dragon dances and kung-fu demonstrations at Fanfare Bazzar. A professional drum troupe from the Mainland will ensure visitors to feel high spirits and emotions of the drum beats. For good fortune, visitors can stop in at Checkpoints of Great New Year to be greeted by the Gods of Health and Lucky Stars of Wealth, Prosperity and Health. They can also try the luck by participating in the Fortune Bonaza lucky draw at the checkpoints for a chance to win prizes worth a total of three million HK dollars (about 400,000 US dollars). Visitors can enjoy making memories in the real-snow wonderland, featuring the red-hot backdrop of Chinese New Year decorations, and also be thrilled by the rides on the Snow Tube and play with family and friends in the Snow Playground. Zeman said that the Park's Lunar Lucky Fiesta last year attracted a total of 260,000 visitors and with more attrac-tions this year, he would be happy to have the number to reach 300,000.
• This will be the first time Hong Kong Disneyland will celebrate Chinese New Year. From Jan. 29 to Feb. 12, a series of special activities will take place throughout Hong Kong Disneyland to welcome the start of the New Year. Every day, the park will come alive to the sound of drum rolls, cymbals and gongs and a wave of bright color as dragons, lions, dancers and musicians dance their way around a specially designed stage in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Special guests will be chosen to bring the three lions to life in an eye dotting ceremony. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and other Disney friends will look elegant in their new Chinese outfits offering their Chinese New Year greetings to an excited crowd before welcoming one lucky family to receive a special gift. Adding to the Chinese New Year atmosphere, blossoming plants will welcome guests as they enter the park and stroll along Main Street USA. In Town Square, a delicate plum blossom tree will flower throughout the first 15 days of Chinese New Year. Inside the many stores at Disneyland there will be plenty of special Chinese New Year-inspired gifts available. Outdoor vendors will be dotted the Park selling an assortment of Chi-nese New Year snacks including savory turnip cake, corn in sweet honey butter sauce and deep fried fish skin chips. Traditional Chinese meals can be enjoyed at restaurants throughout the park.

Disney Headquarters Renamed Eisner

BURBANK (Orlando Sentinel) – Former Disney head Michael Eisner is leaving one more mark on the company. The Walt Disney Co. headquarters building in Burbank, Calif., was renamed Monday as "Team Disney – The Michael D. Eisner Building." Eisner was chief executive officer of the company for 21 years until he retired last fall, with a year left in his contract, after surviving a shareholder revolt that attempted to oust him in 2004. Disney Chairman George Mitchell said the board of directors voted unanimously to name the building for Eisner. "For 21 years, Michael was the leader of the team that reinvigorated this company and put the magic back in Disney, so it is appropriate that this building will now carry his name," Mitchell said.

Disney Board Okays Takeover Offer to Pixar

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The board of Walt Disney Co. has authorized Chief Executive Robert Iger to make an offer to buy Pixar Animation Studios Inc., and that is expected by Tuesday, a source familiar with the matter said late on Monday. Pixar's board is expected to consider the offer on Tuesday as well, said the source, who did not disclose financial terms. Pixar shares closed at $58.27 on Monday on Nasdaq, putting its market value at just under $7 billion. The shares have risen about 12 percent in the last month, partly on speculation that Disney would buy the computer animation company. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Disney is considering an all-stock offer, which would make Pixar Chief Executive Steve Jobs its largest individual shareholder. The Journal reported late on Monday that the of-fer under consideration would give Jobs, who has a controlling stake in Pixar, a seat on the Disney board. A deal that gives Jobs a Disney board seat could also put him in a position to lead Hollywood's move onto the Web.

What's New or Under Construction at Top Theme Parks

(Theme Park Insider) – Here is what is new for 2006 and beyond at popular theme and amusement parks – roller coasters and other rides both rumored and under construction.

• Cedar Point – Cedar Point has gone two years without a new roller coaster and won't get a new one in 2006, either. However, relief may be coming in 2007 in the form of a dueling B&M flyer. That’s the most logical rumor right now for the Sandusky, Ohio park, but between now and then, rumors evolve, and it’s really not wise to get your hopes up for a ride that won’t start construction until near the end of 2006. The park will be making some other changes for 2006, however. Whitewater Landing is sched-uled to close at the end of this season for “future expansion”, and Skyhawk, a $6 million S&S Screamin’ Swing is coming to Frontiertown.
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be adding what is hoped to be the mar-quis attraction for the “Nahtazoo.” Expedition Everest: The Legend of the Forbidden Mountain (or, Matterhorn East as many are already calling it), is Disney’s largest mountain, and possible the largest undertaking for a single attraction in the company’s history. The Vekoma coaster is advertised to have forward and backward sections and a 50 MPH top speed (lightning fast for a Disney ride), and an encounter with the legendary Yeti.
• Disneyland – The newly renovated Space Mountain will get a makeover in the evenings, starting dur-ing Grad Nights in May. Rockit Mountain, as it is being called, will be similar to a spin on Rock ‘n Roller Coaster, with a new soundtrack and special lighting effects. Space Mountain purists cannot be thrilled with Disney tinkering with a ride that just finished its first major overhaul this summer. How-ever, it does seem that Disney is trying to revitalize its classic attractions for the average guest by adding new features, and Rockit Mountain could be a big hit. Pirates of the Caribbean is another classic Disney attraction that is rumored to be receiving some “freshening” up in 2006, including a Jack Sparrow animatronic figure and “ghost” pirates. All of the fan sites have been buzzing about the updates to Pirates, but Disney has not released any official information. Finding Nemo: Submarine Voyage is an exciting new attraction that unfortunately will not open until probably 2007 - so guests will be taunted by this giant hole in the ground throughout 2006.
• Legoland California – Pirate Shores is a new themed land at the Carlsbad, Calif. park, anchored by Splash Battle, an interactive aquatic shoot-'em-up, where riders cruise through pirate-infested waters, in boats armed with their own water cannons. The area will also feature Treasure Falls, a 12-foot-drop mini-flume ride that shows "what pirates do on their vacation," according to Legoland President and General Manager John Jakobsen. Two water play areas will round out the new land. Squabbies Deck is aimed at younger visitors, while Soak-N-Sail will provide 60 water elements for older kids.
• Paramount’s Kings Dominion – Paramount’s Kings Dominion has made the most noise of all of the Paramount Parks as they finally announced the addition of Italian Job Stunt Coaster for 2006. This new coaster, the park’s 13th, will be a clone of the Italian Job coasters at Paramount’s Kings Island and Canada’s Wonderland.
• Paramount’s Kings Island – Paramount’s Kings Island has continued to increase attendance de-spite effort from Cedar Fair to steal Ohio park goers through the acquisition of Geauga Lake and con-tinual improvement of Cedar Point. The Cincinnati park will continue to go after families with its 2006 addition of Nickelodeon Universe. Kings Island has already been recognized as having the best kids area, but they will be improving it in 2006 with 6 new attractions, including a new family roller coaster, Avatar.
• SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Diego – The SeaWorld parks in Orlando and San Diego have both announced a new killer whale show for 2006. “Believe” will completely revamp the Shamu arenas with props and huge video monitors, and will bring what was becoming a tired and worn-out show into the 21st century. The Orlando park will also be adding three new attractions designed for kids near the Shamu Stadium. Busch is also in the process of increasing its presence in Orlando with its third park, a rumored “luxury” waterpark, which is scheduled to open in 2007. Sea World San An-tonio, which always seems to be a year or two behind the others will probably get an updated killer whale show near the end of the year, or maybe in 2007.
• Six Flags Great Adventure – The New Jersey park, which is already home to the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, will be adding El Toro. With a massive wooden structure and a record-breaking 76-degree first drop, El Toro will be amongst the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the U.S. El Toro has been designed by Intamin, and has already begun construction on the site where Viper once stood. In fact, Viper’s old mission-style station will also serve as El Toro’s station. While accelerating to a top speed of 70 MPH may sound tantalizing, it may turn out to be too fast for a wooden roller coaster. As Beast, Hercules, and Son of Beast have shown, bigger is not always better, but hopefully El Toro will not follow the trends of the massive wooden coasters that have come be-fore. In addition to El Toro, Great Adventure will also be adding a new children’s area, and a re-vamped Mexican themed area. Six Flags is also likely to begin construction on a resort hotel near Kingda Ka, once the location is no longer needed as a staging area for pieces of El Toro.
• Six Flags Magic Mountain – Tatsu, B&M Flying Coaster, will hug the terrain around Samurai Sum-mit at speeds up to 62 mph. The ride, to debut in Spring 2006, will feature four inversions, a 124-foot pretzel loop, a 103-foot flat spin, 96-foot-tall zero-G roll and a 360-degree inline roll over. With the ter-rain, the park promises 263 feet in elevation change over the course of the ride. It’s good to see Six Flags trying to create a coaster with a unique layout and a theme that fits well with its surroundings. Tatsu is liable to be the biggest theme park addition west of the Mississippi in 2006.
• Six Flags Over Georgia – The first big announcement for 2006 was Six Flags Over Georgia’s Goli-ath. As its name would suggest, Goliath is BIG, and the B&M hypercoaster will tower over just about everything in the park, including a couple of drops right over the Georgia Scorcher. With a 170-foot first drop, 175-foot second drop, and multitude of airtime turns and helixes, Goliath is bound to be a big hit. One feature that is absent in this coaster is a mid-course break run (MCBR), which means trains will hurdle non-stop through the 4,480 feet of track.
• Universal's Islands of Adventure – The summer of 2006 will see the long-awaited opening of the Seuss Landing monorail, the "Sneetches"-themed Sylvester McMonkey McBean's Very Unusual Driv-ing Machines. This Mack Powered Coaster will become the park's longest track ride.
• Holiday World – This small independent park made the biggest splash at the end of the summer by announcing the addition of The Voyage and a new holiday themed land, Thanksgiving. The Voyage will be one of the largest wooden coasters in the world with a 6,442-foot track length and a number of pulse-pounding drops and underground tunnels. The coaster will also feature not one, but three 90-degree banked turns, a wooden roller coaster feature first introduced on Hades. The Voyage, Holiday World’s third wooden roller coaster, will almost certainly vault into top ten wooden coaster lists and continue the parks long tradition of building the best wooden roller coasters in the world. Thanksgiv-ing will also feature an interactive dark ride and a number of other attractions and gift shops.
• Hersheypark – Hersheypark has announced Reese's Xtreme Cup Challenge, a dark ride shoot-'em-up arms riders with infrared guns with which they can take aim at the 158 targets throughout the ride.

ABC Defends Cancellation of Graham Comedy

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) – One minute, Heather Graham was the face of ABC. The next minute, she was gone. Her comedy series "Emily's Reasons Why Not" was promoted relentlessly by the network as the linchpin of its post-football Monday night schedule, but was only given one airing before being yanked earlier this month. ABC committed to the big promotional campaign before even seeing a script for the show, said ABC entertainment president Stephen McPherson on Saturday. The series turned out to be a dog creatively, he indicated. "Once we saw it was not launching, we felt like unfortunately it was not going to get better and we had to make a change," McPherson said. A total of six episodes were filmed, and McPherson said no determination has been made about whether they would be burned off. The quick hook doesn't mean producers of other ABC series with middling ratings — "Invasion," for example — should be shaking in fear. "That's a great example for us of when to be patient and when to fold them," he said. "We believe in that show."

Monster-Size Premiere Heralds the Opening of Monsters, Inc. Attraction

ANAHEIM, Calif. (PRNewswire) – The Disneyland 50th anniversary celebration continues in full swing as the Disneyland Resort rolled-out the spotted, blue carpet in a gala Hollywood-style premiere for the grand opening of its all-new attraction "Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!" The new attraction, inspired by Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios film, Monsters, Inc., is located in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot section of Disney's California Adventure park at the Disneyland Resort. In the hit 2001 computer-animated film, the factory of Monsters, Inc. is the No. 1 scream-processing firm in the bustling metropolis of Monstropolis, generating the city's power supply by scaring children and transforming their screams into an energy source. The monster inhabitants of Monstropolis, however, are terribly afraid of being contaminated by kids. So, when an errant little girl nicknamed "Boo" accidentally enters the child-adverse world of Monstropolis, fun and mayhem ensues. The popular film has now been transformed into a fun-filled attraction where guests climb aboard waiting taxis and hit the streets of Monstropolis to follow the film's stars Mike and Sulley on their mission of safely returning "Boo" to her bedroom. As guests witness the chaos of a child-on-the loose in Monstropolis they encounter the super-sneaky Randall Boggs, the yellow-suited agents of the CDA (Child Detection Agency) and other characters from the film. Guests will even get to see the seemingly endless Monsters, Inc. door vault and receive a unique, personalized farewell from the slug-like, ever watchful factory dispatcher Roz! "Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!" has been created in the tradition of the classic Fantasyland-style "dark rides" by Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative force behind Walt Disney Parks and Resorts that imagines, designs and builds all Disney theme parks, resorts and attractions worldwide. The attraction features over 40 characters in 16 distinct scenes, plus incorporates the unique use of both black-light and white-light illuminated sets. Technical highlights of the attraction include seemingly personalized farewell remarks to passing guests from Roz and a multi-hued Randall Boggs who changes colors as little Boo "bonks" him on his head in the attraction's finale. Staying true to the film, the attraction features newly recorded performances by many of the film's original voice talents including Billy Crystal and John Goodman. Additionally, the musical soundtrack for the attraction is derived from the Academy Award nominated "Monsters, Inc." film score by noted Oscar winner Randy Newman.

Disney's $100 Million Gamble

LAKE BUENA VISTA (Orlando Sentinel) – Walt Disney World called it nahtazu in its TV ads – striving to define its Animal Kingdom as anything but a plain old zoo. But now, Disney is about to try a shot of steel-railed adrenaline to drive home that message in an attempt to attract more – and younger – visitors who want a little more of a rush along with the lions, tigers, shows and themed rides. It's called Expedition Everest, Disney's first large outdoor roller coaster that opens to annual- and seasonal-pass holders late this week and other guests intermittently for the next month. With a reported price tag of up to $100 million, Everest needs to be more than just a must-ride new attraction. It must be enough to entice visitors to tack an extra day onto their Disney stays. And by staying longer at Disney – a key strategy for the company – those visitors may opt to skip a trip or shorten a visit to crosstown rivals SeaWorld Orlando or Universal Orlando, each of which has added new attractions or rides in recent years. "It's the whole function of how you get your money back. You don't just get it from the gate," said Orlando-based consultant Steve Baker, president of Baker Leisure Group. "You get it through extended stays in hotel rooms. People who plan to come when something is new, they'll get them. Now it'll take an extra half-day to see everything, and they'll get that extra night in the hotel." And right now Animal Kingdom – Disney World's most passive and least popular park since it opened in 1998 – may be the one that vacationers most likely try to squeeze into a few hours, or simply skip on a tight schedule. While agreeing that Everest should extend visitors' stays at Animal Kingdom, Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak dismissed the idea that the park now is often a quick visit that people fit in around the other parks. "Animal Kingdom, in and of itself, is a full-day experience. It doesn't have the nighttime appeal the other parks have. It typically closes around 5 o'clock," she said. "But it certainly . . . offers an experience that the other theme parks don't have here at Walt Disney World." Animal Kingdom's attendance of 8.2 million last year still was far ahead of all non-Disney theme parks in North America, according to data published by Amusement Business magazine. But that gate was bolstered by the major celebration tied to Disneyland's 50th anniversary – and the trick is staying popular, Baker said. "It's critical," Baker said of Everest. "You can't maintain your market share . . . without new inclusions every so often, maybe every 18 months or every two years." Yet big new attractions don't guarantee more customers.

• Last year, Universal Studios Orlando opened its Fear Factor Live show but saw a 6 percent drop in attendance compared with a big 2004, when its Revenge of the Mummy ride opened.
• Likewise, attendance fell at Kings Island in Ohio and Knott's Berry Farm in California despite new coasters.
• On the other hand, Mission: Space, which also reportedly cost $100 million, helped turn around Epcot's falling attendance in 2003.
• The last time a major new roller coaster was added to an existing Central Florida park was 2000 with Kraken. SeaWorld saw an 11 percent increase in attendance that year.
  

At Animal Kingdom, Everest also may be key to capturing the attention of teens and young adults who can grow tired of animal safaris, shows and slower rides, industry observers said. "I think they're trying to open the demographic that would be interested in that park," said Jerry Aldrich, president of Amusement Industry Consulting in Orlando. Spokeswoman Polak and other Disney officials insisted the ride's main appeal would be familywide, driven not by the physical thrills but by the story line and an adventure conveyed through details and special effects. In fact, Disney officials normally don't even refer to Expedition Everest as a "roller coaster," and the words don't appear in promotional materials, other than with a promise of "coaster-like thrills." It's a "runaway train adventure." The story has riders traveling into the Himalayas, where the mythological yeti – as the Abominable Snowman is called there – protects the region. Disney says the Everest train tops out at about 50 mph with a maximum drop of 80 feet and that at one point it rushes backward. A database on roller coasters, rcdb.com, reports that the ride will be 4,400 feet long, with a maximum height of 112 feet, figures Disney did not confirm. Disney is setting the minimum-height limit for riders at 44 inches. None of those features would place Everest among the top 10 coasters in the United States for speed, drop, length or height. But American Coaster Enthusiasts' Steve Gzesh, who watched test runs in November, declared Everest "a very respectable ride." "And it goes forward and backwards," Gzesh said. "That ought to be pretty cool."

FBI Sent Suspect to Disney World

(IndyStar.com) – When Shaaban Hafiz Ahmad Ali Shaaban's conspiracy trial ends, the cash-strapped defendant probably won't be going to Disney World. He's already been there once, courtesy of the US government. During Thursday's testimony in Shaaban's federal trial, an FBI agent and one of Shaaban's former trucking company bosses testified about how federal agents helped send his family to Florida in October 2004 so the FBI could surreptitiously search his Greenfield home. Shaaban could call himself today as the final witness in a trial that began Jan. 9 in US District Court. He's accused of trying to sell names of US covert operatives in Iraq to Saddam Hussein's government before the spring 2003 military invasion that toppled his regime.

Pixar, Disney Deal Could Change Digital Landscape

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A possible merger of the Walt Disney Co. and Pixar Animation Studios Inc., if successful, could give Pixar chief Steve Jobs the power to break down barriers that have long existed between online content, computer hardware and digital distribution. The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Disney was in talks to buy Pixar for $6.7 billion in stock, making Jobs – who is chief of both Apple Computer Inc. and Pixar – Disney's largest individual shareholder and possibly winning him a place on its board of directors. Jobs could conceivably exert his new-found influence at one of America's biggest content companies, which is home to ESPN, ABC-TV and Walt Disney Studios, to feed Apple's digital music and video download service iTunes. Media companies have been wary about Internet-based delivery of content because of problems with piracy, while personal computer makers have been eager to obtain more content to spur their own sales. Analysts were divided over whether a close association with Apple and its cutting-edge digital delivery system would juice up the value of Disney's extensive film and television library. Jupiter Research analyst David Card liked the idea of a Disney-Pixar tie-up, but said Disney does not need to buy Pixar to continue to expand its online relationship with Apple. "It's not as if Iger and Jobs don't return each other's calls now," Card said. "Jobs would bring a great addition to the Disney board that is not very tech savvy ... but the Disney guys are thinking about this (digital distribution) already."

More Everest theming

everest_1-20-06_036, originally uploaded by Prof Pema Dorje PhD.

From flickr.com

Grrrr...scary Yeti

everest_1-20-06_099, originally uploaded by Prof Pema Dorje PhD.

Expedition Everest opens soon at WDW. Here is a great photo stream from Flickr of the entire attraction, from beginning to end.

Disney, Pixar Permanently Pals?

Are Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Pixar (Nasdaq: PIXR) ready to make amends? If so, will the renewed friendship last? Rumors have been circulating for some time -- intensifying this week after reports in major publications including The Wall Street Journal and Business Week -- that Disney is bidding to purchase Pixar outright. Earlier versions of the speculative whispers had Disney simply buying a portion of the shares held by Pixar majority shareholder Steve Jobs, with the Apple Computer (Nasdaq: AAPL) chieftain being tapped as chairman at Disney; now the rumors have Jobs snaring a seat on Disney's board.
If this seems familiar to Pixar fans, it's probably because the plotline is starting to resemble that of the original Toy Story movie. Old-fashioned cowboy doll Woody once ruled Andy's room. Then spaceman Buzz Lightyear steps in with his fancy lights and lasers, and it wasn't long before Andy had a new favorite toy. Woody and Buzz prove to be fierce rivals, until Woody sets aside his jealousy to realize that he and Buzz can work things out and save the day together.
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It's not a stretch to cast Michael Eisner and Disney as Woody, Jobs and Pixar as Buzz, and the animation industry as Andy. Just as Andy's bedsheets and wallpaper went from a Western theme to a spacey motif, the landscape has changed for Disney. The public wanted Pixar's computer-rendered fare, not Disney's formulaic theatrical animation.
If it was as simple as firing up a fleet of workstations, that would be fine, but it was never just about the technology. When Disney tried its hand at computer animation, it produced the forgettable Dinosaur. When it tried to team up with other third-party computer-animation studios to try to bottle the next Pixar, it got the lamentable Valiant. Disney's own Chicken Little fared respectably well recently, but it fell far short of what Pixar's hit machine had been generating at the box office.
The real-life version of Toy Story might have had a rocky ending if new Disney CEO Bob Iger hadn't taken over for Eisner in the role of Woody last year. At that point, Woody became reconciliatory. When Jobs was looking to establish Apple's video-enabled iPod as an attractive vehicle for content producers, Iger rushed to his aid in offering the best shows on the ABC slate. It was undeniable: Woody and Buzz were becoming the best of friends.
Given the warming trend between the two companies, it won't be surprising if Disney and Pixar strike a deal. With their current production partnership ending after May's release of Cars, it was pretty clear that Disney didn't want to be simply a low-priced distributor for Pixar. By the same token, Pixar had little incentive to yield more than that, unless Disney relinquished ownership rights to the properties that Pixar had created for the House of Mouse.
A buyout ends even the coldest of stalemates. It also would come at a time -- and a price -- that is probably agreeable to Pixar. Its shares are at an all-time high, despite a cloudy future. The studio faces a glut of competition, including rival DreamWorksAnimation's (NYSE: DWA) plans to ramp up its release calendar. Disney and Pixar would be worth more as a combined entity than as bitter foes; a deal would ensure that Pixar continues to release outstanding original titles while maintaining its level of quality in any Disney sequels to Pixar's earlier franchises.
Computer animation, done right, is a booming industry. It's why both Pixar and DreamWorks Animation have been winning recommendations for Motley Fool Stock Advisor subscribers. It's why Woody has every reason to pay the right price to keep Buzz around. Andy's room has proved to be too big for Woody to navigate on his own.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz owns all of the Pixar releases, and he'll doubtlessly be at the multiplex in four months for Cars. He owns shares in Disney and Pixar.The Fool has a disclosure policy. Rick is also part of theRule Breakersnewsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.

Copyright 2006 Motley Fool

Disney in Talks to Buy Animator Pixar

NEW YORK (Reuters / CNN) – Walt Disney Co. is in serious talks about an acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The newspaper report said terms under discussion would have Disney pay a small premium to Pixar's current stock market value of $6.7 billion. The deal would be a stock transaction and make Pixar's chief executive Steve Jobs the biggest individual shareholder in Disney, the newspaper reported. The talks are at a sensitive stage and other options are possible, including an agreement for Disney to distribute Pixar movies, the report said, citing people familiar with the situation. The companies have been partners since Pixar began making feature films with "Toy Story." Currently Pixar and Disney split costs, and Disney effectively has sequel rights to Pixar films. Representatives for Disney and Pixar could not immediately be reached for comment.

ABC's Reasons for Axing "Emily"

(E! OnLine) – ABC has its reasons why not to continue production on Heather Graham's new sitcom. Despite the network's massive promotional effort behind Emily's Reasons Why Not, just 6.2 million viewers tuned in for the Jan. 9 debut of the female-friendly series. Based on its audience's apparent lack of interest in Emily, the Alphabet net elected to preempt the second episode of the sitcom with a rerun of the season premiere of The Bachelor Monday night. Though Graham and friends were slated to return to the lineup next Monday, the network shut down production on the show Friday, following the taping of the sixth episode and a decision by ABC to reduce its original order. Depending on how the Parisian exploits of this season's Bachelor fare with viewers, there's a good chance ABC may decide to pull the plug on Emily for good. "It is a shame," Gavin Polone, the show's executive producer, told Daily Variety. "A lot of people were working really hard and the show kept improving. Sony spent a huge amount of money and were very supportive. I can't fault ABC, though: they promoted it like crazy and when the audience stays away, in this supercompetitive environment, quick decisions are made. That's the television business."

It's funny, but Heather Graham's appearance on Letterman a few weeks ago was so horrible I thought Dave was going to retire when it was over. He was clearly bored out of his mind, and Heather's idea of what made an interesting late night anecdote was like listening to a third grader talk about a mud pie he made earlier that day. Bottom line, this move doesn't surpriseme at all, and I didn't even know when the show was airing (er..aired..one time..ever).

Judge Blasts Bogus Proof, Rejects Claim Against Disney

(NY Law Journal) – If only the PalmPilot had existed in 1995, writers Ronnie Niederman and Judith Shangold might still have a federal case that their idea was swiped by the Walt Disney Co. But the product with that name did not hit the market until 1997 – almost two years after the two plaintiffs claimed they had given Disney a treatment, or basic story line, for a children's animated theatrical feature that contained several references to the hand-held personal organizer. That was too much for Southern District of New York Judge William H. Pauley, who called the purported 1995 treatment "irrefutable evidence" that the two plaintiffs fabricated evidence. Pauley took the rare step of punishing the plaintiffs by dismissing their case. And for good measure, after citing the "substantial burdens" imposed on the defendants, "for more than two years," the judge ordered that the plaintiffs pay the other side's attorney fees in an amount to be determined later. The judge was particularly upset that the plaintiffs stuck to their story after being caught red-handed. "Their egregious conduct was prolonged and calculated to advance their claims," he said in Shangold v. The Walt Disney Co., 03 Civ. 9522. "Even now, in the face of indisputable evidence, Plaintiffs do not relent."

The pair wrote their first treatment of the series "Starmond the Wizard," or "Starmond," in 1989. Referred to in the litigation as T1, it was rejected by Disney in 1994 as "an unexciting, confusing and mostly listless fairy tale ... that does little to merit further consideration." The pair claimed they revised the T1 in 1995 to add a baseball story line in five pages of handwritten notes. This alleged revision, called T1a, made several references to the term "Palm Pilot." "However, handheld devices with that name did not exist at the time Plaintiffs claim they created T1a," Pauley said. In fact, it was not until November 1995, about five months after the T1a was supposedly submitted to Disney, that Palm Computing Inc. learned through a trademark search that it could not call its promising handheld idea "Taxi" and elected instead to call it the "Pilot." This did not stop the plaintiffs from ultimately suing Disney and its subsidiary, Miramax Books in 2003 for stealing their idea by publishing "Summerland," a novel by author Michael Chabon that used a baseball theme.

D'oh.

Expedition Everest Set for Disney's Animal Kingdom

NEW YORK (AP) – A new ride called Expedition Everest is opening at Disney World's Animal Kingdom in Orlando in April, but New Yorkers will get a peek at the excitement when Disney brings a preview to Times Square next month. Disney plans to transform the exteriors of the W Hotel and the adjacent Argent building at Broadway and 47th Street into a gigantic backdrop of Mount Everest. An aerial acrobatic troupe will perform there Feb. 15 and 16 on a stage 57 stories high, rappelling down the mountain and coming face to face with a Himalayan yeti – the legendary abominable snowman. An animatronic beast will also be part of the thrill when the ride opens at the Florida theme park. The attraction is designed to resemble an old mountain railway, taking guests to the foot of Mount Everest through bamboo forests, past thundering waterfalls and into snowcapped peaks before plunging through canyons to an encounter with the angry yeti. Expedition Everest will be surrounded by a mythical village at Animal Kingdom called Serka Zong. Based on research by a Disney team that traveled to Nepal, the village will be decorated with prayer flags and carvings and will include buildings, plants and trees designed to look like the real thing. On their way to boarding the train, riders can see artifacts from Nepalese culture and learn about the yeti, the Himalayas and the mountaineers who've climbed Everest. Disney researchers were accompanied on their trips to Asia by teams from Conservation International and the Discovery Networks. Discovery plans to air a series of cable specials in April about the journey and the creation of the Disney ride. Although the ride officially opens April 7, Disney will start informal test runs on Expedition Everest next month, so you might have a chance to check it out if you're visiting Orlando in February or March. Children must be at least 44 inches tall to ride.

Theme Parks Put on Party Hats for Convention Goers

ORLANDO (Orlando Sentinel) – By day, an estimated 100,000 building industry professionals roamed the Orange County Convention Center this week looking for new customers and products. But at night, large crowds moved to the theme parks, where corporations tried to impress clients by outdoing each other with private, themed dinners with price tags in excess of $90,000 for just a few hours of exclusive access to attractions. Orlando's theme parks are often a major lure for the nation's most-attended and biggest-spending conventions and, in turn, reap the rewards of deep-pocketed corporations trying to top competi-tors. Last year Walt Disney World and SeaWorld Orlando became Gold Key Members to the convention center, a distinction that gives them an inside track to attendees and their expense accounts. Universal has held that status for about four years. In exchange for $125,000 a year in cash and products, the parks are included from the beginning stages of negotiating and planning a convention, giving them more ac-cess and time to market their private parties to each show's decision makers. "They're looking for ways to differentiate themselves from their competition at the show," said George Aguel, a senior vice president of Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts. "You can't really duplicate that anywhere else in the country."

• On Friday night, Disney planned to host a nearly 400-person party and dinner at Animal Kingdom's African village with a private showing of the park's Festival of the Lion King for Window Classics, a window and door company in town for the International Builders' Show. In addition to the exclusive access to the park, the company also arranged for buses to pick up its clients who are attending. "It's the hot ticket," said Joel Garcia, the Florida-based president of Window Classics. "Everybody wants to try to get invited." The company is spending about $90,000 on the party, about $20,000 more than it dropped last year on an event at Epcot.
• Universal hosted several private events, including a party at CityWalk on Thursday night for 4,000 members of the National Association of Home Builders. Other events at Universal include Revenge of the Mummy themed parties with food, entertainment and ride access.
• SeaWorld spokeswoman Becca Bides said the park hosted several events this week. Typically, par-ties range from luaus on the beaches of Discovery Cove to cocktails at the Shark Encounter. Prices, she said, can vary just as much. "It is a lucrative business for us," Bides said.

The parks, which also host conventions at their facilities, have for years offered event-planning services, but are now realizing the benefits of Orlando's growing convention business. Kathie Canning, deputy general manager of the convention center, said the theme parks are helpful when Orlando is competing with other cities such as Las Vegas for big conventions. "We're putting forward a united effort and the cli-ents feel wanted," Canning said. "We're showing our clients that the theme parks are not just for the tour-ists, but they can do major entertainment events with groups."

'Narnia' Crosses $580 Million at Global Box Office

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – With its fourth consecutive weekend atop the foreign box office, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" crossed the $580 million mark glob-ally, and is increasingly inspiring talk of a new film franchise. Disney's adaptation of the C.S. Lewis classic earned an estimated $20.1 million overseas last weekend, pushing its international tally to $319 million (the domestic total stands at $261.4 million). Since the film covers material from just two of the seven vol-umes of C.S. Lewis "The Chronicles of Narnia" books, there is plenty of material for future "Narnia" screen adaptations, according to David Kornblum, vp international theatrical sales and distribution at Dis-ney's Buena Vista Intl. unit.

• The film had its opening weekend in Turkey – which, along with Poland and Russia, is becoming an increasingly strong market for the Hollywood majors – grossing $890,000.
• In its sixth weekend in the UK, "Narnia" pulled $2.4 million, taking its local total to a robust $70.7 mil-lion.
• In Poland, "Narnia" drew a strong $1 million, No. 1 for a second weekend; its total there is $3.1 million.
• In Australia, the fourth weekend drew $1.8 million, for a total of $21.6 million.
• In its third weekend in South Korea, a market that largely prefers action titles, "Narnia" drew $1.6 million for a local tally of $12 million. Disney expects that within a week, the film will pass "Pirates of the Caribbean" as the company's biggest live action grosser in South Korea.

The international arena's second biggest grosser this weekend was "King Kong, which yielded an esti-mated $15 million from 57 territories, for a 32-day international total of $296 million. The Peter Jackson remake had a strong opening in China, $3.1 million (surpassing "War Of The Worlds" as Universal's big-gest China opening), and rebounded two places to No. 3 in Britain with $2.3 million. While "Kong" slipped in Spain and Germany and is tailing off in Brazil, it maintained its No. 1 spot in Jackson's native New Zea-land with a 33-day total of $5.3 million. "Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire" wound down its international run with a weekend tally of $6.6 million in 56 markets. The foreign total now stands at $582.5 million.

Atop ABC's List : Super Bowl, Minus Headaches

NEW YORK (AP) – With any luck, the National Football League has gotten this year’sSuper Bowl halftime show controversy out of the way early. Faced with an embarrassing story that the dancers it was seeking as extras for the Rolling Stones performance couldn’t be older than 45, the NFL reversed field and opened it up to everyone. Mick Jagger, 62, may now be able to see wrinkles as he looks out over his audience. It may seem incidental to the main event, but the halftime show has caused plenty of headaches for the NFL. The booking of rock royalty like the Stones – who turned down the gig several times before agreeing this year – is an indication of its importance. The Feb. 5 show on ABC is being overseen by NFL executive Charles Coplin. He’s a former ABC Sports producer who joined the league’s front office in 2001 and took over the entertainment staff immediately after the 2004 “wardrobe malfunction.” That incident, after the NFL had largely handed over production of the show to MTV, persuaded the league to take a tighter grip on the plans, Coplin said. “The guiding philosophy is to be unique, entertaining and appropriate, to cast entertainment that serves as wide a group as possible – from grandparents to grandkids,” he said. For several years, halftime entertainment was an afterthought: the Florida A&M University marching band has not one, but two, Super Bowl performances on its resume. Key years in making it more of an event were Michael Jackson performing with 3,500 children (1993) and U2’s Bono opening his jacket to reveal an American flag stitched in, a few months after the terrorist attacks.

The halftime show was another opportunity to make money, too. Sprint paid the NFL a record $12 million to be sponsor of this year’s halftime show, and is running a contest to fly the winners to Detroit to see the Stones up close. Each year’s TV audience generally approaches 90 million people. Usually only the Academy Awards comes anywhere close in pulling that many people together. But is a football league the right entity to put on such an important entertainment show? Coplin said that’s a subjective question. The NFL turns to others – this year veteran awards show and special events producer Don Mischer – to help run things. “We’re not so myopic to think that we can’t seek outside help,” he said. “And that’s what we do.” Some people in Detroit were unhappy this year’s show overlooks the area’s musical history – from Motown to Madonna to Eminem. The NFL has booked Stevie Wonder to play before the game and has done halftime tributes to Motown twice in the past 25 years. More often than not, like with Paul McCartney last year, the show has no geographical references. Aaron Neville, whose home was damaged by Hurricane Katrina, was selected to perform the national anthem in Detroit. It’s still not certain what the Stones will perform during their 12 minutes onstage, Coplin said. He’s in a delicate position – not wanting to seem like he’s ordering rock legends around, yet also intent on protecting the show’s family-friendly image. “We have a lot of conversations with them,” he said. “We try and convince them to perform in a way that will make them look great and appreciate the fact that the audience is so large.” He’s convinced that “they get it,” however. The stakes are high for the band, too. Sales of McCartney’s catalogue went up 250 percent the week after his Super Bowl show, and U2’s most recent album jumped from No. 108 to No. 8 on the Billboard chart after their gig.

Wow.

Disney stars enthrall Delhi kids

New Delhi: The world famous Disney characters enthralled children in Delhi today and kept them spellbound through their half-an-hour performance.

The stars visited the national capital as a part of their tour to the country in association with Make-A-Wish Foundation of America to offer help to terminally ill children.

Walt Disney Television International (India), as part of its tie-up with Make-A-Wish Foundation of America to fulfil wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy, is touring worldwide with its most popular characters.

“Make-A-Wish Foundation is a very popular community service organisation in India and we have an international tie-up with them in the US to fulfill the wishes of the Make-A-Wish Foundation kids. We've just extended that relationship in India. Disney has a worldwide outreach programme and we have an association with Make-A-Wish Foundation starting with this tour in India. We're touring six other cities in the country with these characters and we've identified places where we can take them and meet children suffering from life threatening illnesses and spread some smiles on their faces,” said Tushar Shah, director marketing and communication, Walt Disney, India.

The characters began their India tour with Mumbai's Tata Memorial and later did some kite flying with kids in Ahmedabad. Delhi was their third destination in India.

The stalls at the venue were colourfully decorated with balloons, festooned everywhere and Mickey mouse caps being distributed. The stalls also had competitions for children, who enjoyed thoroughly.

“These competitions give the children so much confidence. By participating with them, they can win a cap which makes them so happy and also boosts their confidence so as to participate again and again. They have to eat toffees at the stalls and they get a gift and there are also lucky draw, which makes them so happy,” said Nandita, mother of a five-year-old son.

“I love the series on television as it has all the stars in it like Cindrella, Mickey mouse, Mini mouse and Pluto. I just love Mickey mouse,” said Ashita, a nine-year-old.

Children during the programme enjoyed a lot even though they could not understand the seriousness behind the visit of their favourite characters.

Alpenglühen on Matterhorn

Alpenglühen on Matterhorn, originally uploaded by Michael_CH.

The sun is real.

WTO meets Mickey Mouse in HK

mouse6(a), originally uploaded by kennethinshanghai.

Disney could learn a few things about cost cutting in the character department.

ABC's 'Lost' Finds 20 Million Fans

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Let's get "Lost" – that's what 20 million fans did Wednesday night as ABC served up its first fresh episode of the drama series since November 30. "Lost" pulled in 20.5 million viewers and an 8.4 rating/20 share in the adults 18-49 demographic at 9 p.m., according to preliminary esti-mates from Nielsen Media Research. At 8 p.m., a "Lost" clip special dubbed "Lost: Revelation" garnered a healthy 13.5 million viewers. ABC's momentum ebbed at 10 p.m., however, as rookie drama "Invasion" (9.6 million, 3.8/10) plunged from its "Lost" lead-in. CBS' "Criminal Minds" (15.8 million, 4.8/11) performed well against "Lost" in the 9 p.m. hour and posted a growth spurt from its 8:30 p.m. lead-in, comedy "Yes, Dear" (9.1 million, 3.2/8). At 10 p.m., it was a tighter race between CBS' "CSI: NY" (13.1 million, 4.3/11) and NBC's "Law & Order" (12.9 million, 4.0/10), which spiked from its 9 p.m. lead-in, "The Biggest Loser" (6.6 million, 2.7/6). Fox was barely on the radar with its repeat of "That '70s Show" (5.2 million, 2.5/7), a fresh episode of "Stacked" (4.4 million, 2.0/5) and 9 p.m.'s "Nanny 911" (5.3 million, 2.2/5). For the night, ABC led with an aver-age of 14.5 million viewers and 5.8/14 in adults 18-49. CBS was No. 2 with 12.7 million viewers and 4.1/10.

Stranded on an island for how long? and Hurley still hasn't lost any weight?

Disney Paid Eisner $10.1 Million in 2005

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Michael Eisner, former chief executive of The Walt Disney Co., received $10.1 million in compensation last year, including a $9.1 million cash bonus, according to the company's annual proxy statement filed Wednesday. Eisner left the company on Oct. 1 after serving as CEO for 21 years. He was succeeded by Robert Iger, who serves as president and CEO. Iger received total compensation of $9.7 million in 2005, including a cash bonus of $7.7 million. He will be paid an annual salary of $2 mil-lion, plus a cash bonus in his new role. Eisner was also paid an additional $1 million, the salary he would have received if he had served through the end of his contract, which would have expired this October. He will also continue to receive an annual bonus of $7.5 million through 2008, in accordance with the terms of his employment agreement, the filing said. The bonus, payable for 24 months after his contract would have ended, will only be paid for 12 months if Eisner takes a job "with another major entertainment company other than as an independent producer within 12 months after the conclusion of his employ-ment." Eisner recently was hired to host a talk show on the cable channel CNBC. He also began drawing an annual pension of $297,779 from Disney, plus an additional pension of $579 per year from his 10 years working for ABC. He remains one of the company's largest individual shareholders. Eisner holds 14,239,863 shares, or 1.8 percent of outstanding shares, according to the filing.

Jupelo goes to Disney..all year

You see, I fly down to WDW every week (usually for about 6 days - I like to get 1 day at home), stay in a Disney hotel, go to the parks, ride the rides, watch the shows, shop in the stores, eat in the restaurants, etc. In other words, if you can do it at WDW, you'll eventually see me do it on this site. And I chronicle almost every second of my days via lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of photos.


Click Here To See What Jupelo Is Doing!

OBITUARY : George Walsh

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (AP) – George Walsh, a longtime newsman and announcer for the "Gunsmoke" radio and television programs, died Dec. 5 of congestive heart failure. He was 88. He became the "Gunsmoke" announcer in 1952, introducing the live, weekly radio series with the following words: "Around Dodge City and in the territory out West, there's just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers, and that's with a U.S. marshal and the smell of 'Gunsmoke.'" He remained the announcer when the show moved to television in 1955. In the Los Angeles area, Walsh was a longtime fixture at KNX-AM radio, serving as an interviewer, sports reporter, newscaster and announcer from 1952 to 1986. His voice also was used in the Smokey Bear forest fire prevention campaign and on the now-closed Disneyland rides Flight to the Moon and Mission to Mars.

Prime-Time Nielsen Ratings

(AP) – Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for Jan. 2-8. Listings include the week's ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses. An "X" in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation.

1. (X) "Rose Bowl: Southern California vs. Texas," ABC, 35.6 million viewers.
2. (1) "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 27.2 million viewers.
3. (X) "Rose Bowl Pregame," ABC, 24.5 million viewers.
4. (2) "Desperate Housewives," ABC, 23.7 million viewers.
5. (X) "NFL Playoff: Jacksonville vs. New England," ABC, 22.6 million viewers.
6. (X) "NFL Postgame Show," CBS, 22.3 million viewers.
7. (X) "NFL Pregame Show," ABC, 22 million viewers.
8. (3) "Without a Trace," CBS, 20.9 million viewers.
9. (X) "Fiesta Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State," ABC, 20.6 million viewers.
10. (X) "Orange Bowl: Penn State vs. FSU," ABC, 18.6 million viewers.
11. (16) "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," ABC, 17.5 million viewers.
12. (9) "60 Minutes," CBS, 17.5 million viewers.
13. (X) "Dancing With the Stars," ABC, 17.5 million viewers.
14. (5) "Grey's Anatomy," ABC, 16.3 million viewers.
15. (8) "Cold Case," CBS, 16 million viewers.
16. (13) "Law & Order: SVU," NBC, 15.2 million viewers.
17. (X) "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (Thursday, 8 p.m.), CBS, 14.5 million viewers.
18. (19) "ER," NBC, 14 million viewers.
19. (28) "Numb3rs," CBS, 13.9 million viewers.
20. (X) "CSI: Miami," CBS, 13.9 million viewers.

When ABC does well, this is fun to read. Usually, it doesn't look this 'rosy'.

Disney Draws Record Traffic

ORLANDO (Orlando Sentinel) – Walt Disney Co., the world's largest theme-park operator, set a holiday-season attendance record at its Walt Disney World resort in Florida. "Parks had a great holiday season," Chief Financial Officer Thomas Staggs, 45, said Tuesday at a Citigroup media conference in Phoenix. In attendance, "we actually set a record at Walt Disney World." A marketing campaign to promote the 50th anniversary of Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., boosted attendance throughout Disney's parks and resorts unit, Staggs said. Walt Disney World overcame disruptions and closures caused by hurricanes. "We really had a nice end to the quarter," Staggs said. "We had a little bit of a slow start due to the hurricanes." Staggs didn't disclose attendance figures or first-quarter sales at the parks and resorts division, which had revenue of $9.02 billion in the fiscal year ended Oct. 1. Crowds were so heavy at Disney World the week after Christmas that the Magic Kingdom parking lot was closed briefly one day as it reached capacity in the early afternoon. Overall, 2005 was a strong year for attendance at Disney World's four theme parks, with the Magic Kingdom coming in again as the most-visited park in North America and the world. More than 16 million people visited the park, a 6.5 percent increase, according to figures from Amusement Business, a trade publication.

Disney Deal with Pixar is Likely - But Not a Merger, Analysts Say

  LOS ANGELES (AP) - The more time that passes without a new distribution deal between The Walt Disney Co. and Pixar Animation Studios, the greater the speculation, including a theory that Disney is angling to buy Pixar and install its CEO Steve Jobs as Disney's chairman. Analysts believe a new distribution deal is likely – and soon. But they dismiss the notion that Disney would buy Pixar. An outright purchase would be too expensive, analysts say, and would not be wise for either company in the long term. Still, guessing the terms of a deal has become a bit of a sport on Wall Street, with speculation pushing Pixar shares higher in recent days. Most analysts who cover both companies believe Pixar will soon announce a new deal that has Disney distributing its highly popular – and profitable – animated films. Renewed speculation about a deal helped drive up shares of Pixar nearly 8 percent to $58.16 last Wednesday. Another possible trigger for the sudden jump was the expansion of an earlier deal between Disney and Jobs' other company, Apple Computer Inc., to provide more entertainment for download on Apple's iPod. Shares dropped back to $56 the next day and have been trading around that price since. "Something has to happen soon," Marla Backer, an analyst at Research Associates Llc, wrote in a recent report. The current Disney-Pixar deal expires with the June 9 release of "Cars." Marketing plans for Pixar's 2007 release, tentatively titled "Ratatouille," must be made soon. The most likely reason for the delay is that a new deal with Disney is complex, despite the mutual respect that has developed between Jobs and Disney CEO Robert Iger. Animosity between Jobs and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner led to the two sides breaking off talks in 2004. "There are a lot of moving parts here," said David Miller, an analyst with Sanders Morris Harris. "It's not as simple as slapping together an extension of the current agreement."

Technorati Tags : Disney, Deal, Pixar

BVHE Announces Lineup of Blu-ray Disc Titles

Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) will begin releasing titles beginning this summer on the Blu-ray Disc format in conjunction with the hardware manufacturer's release of Blu-ray Disc products. The announcement was made by BVHE President Bob Chapek.
"The Blu-ray Disc represents a major technological advance in our industry, and just as DVD revolutionized home entertainment, the Blu-ray Disc promises to be the next step in our ability to satiate the consumer's appetite for entertainment by providing the ultimate user experience," Bob said. "The possibilities are endless, and we've just begun to bridge the future of digital entertainment."
Blu-ray Disc is the next generation home entertainment medium featuring storage capacity five times greater than current DVDs, a picture compressed in full high-definition 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080) and superior audio that offers an experience equal or superior to that of theatrical feature presentations.
In addition to film, the Blu-ray Disc will also support music, gaming and other digital entertainment. The following titles will be the first to be released:

• Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol. 1
• Award-winning Hero
• Dark Water starring Jennifer Connelly
• Ladder 49 starring John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix
• The Brothers Grimm starring Matt Damon and Heath Ledger
• The Great Raid starring Benjamin Bratt
• Armageddon directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer
• Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
• Walt Disney Pictures' Dinosaur
• the documentary Everest narrated by Liam Neeson.

BVHE's Blu-ray titles will feature seamless pop-up menus which will allow for a continuous movie play experience; high-definition picture; up to 7.1 channels of surround sound; new layering coating technology which provides a scratch resistance surface; and new sleek packaging.

Former Disney Head Eisner to Host CNBC Show

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Michael Eisner, loved and loathed as former chief executive of Walt Disney Co., will begin the next chapter of his career in the entertainment industry, this time as a talk show host for business news channel CNBC. Eisner, credited with steering Disney through a period of extraordinary growth and criticized later for his management style, will host a bimonthly, one-hour show called "Conversations With Michael Eisner." The program's premiere date has yet to be announced. The network said the program will focus on the importance of creativity and innovation in business, politics, entertainment and other subjects. In October, Eisner was tapped as a guest host for PBS's Charlie Rose, when he interviewed InterActiveCorp. CEO Barry Diller and actor John Travolta. Eisner joins a number of executives who have parlayed careers into television talk show hosts, including advertising executive Donny Deutsch and former hedge fund owner Jim Kramer. And real estate magnate Donald Trump scored a major hit with NBC's "The Apprentice," albeit in a different format from TV talk shows.

Brazilian Wins His 3rd Disney Marathon

LAKE BUENA VISTA (St. Petersburg Times) – Adriano Bastos of Sao Paulo, Brazil, broke away from a field of more than 10,000 at the start of Sunday's Walt Disney World Marathon to win with a time of 2 hours, 19 minutes, 44 seconds.

Bastos, 27, danced at the finish line along with many cheering Brazilian fans after becoming the first three-time winner in the 13-year history of the marathon, adding to his titles in 2003 and '05. Tim Keller, 24, of Park Rapids, Minn., was second in 2:31:36.

• Paige Higgins, 23, of Littleton, Colo., was the top female finisher in her marathon debut, with a time of 2:51:38. Last year's winner, Amy Shertzer, 28, of Monument, Colo., placed second in 2:59:14.
• Renzo Martinez, 41, of Boca Raton won the male wheelchair division in 2:24:11 and Kristen Messer, 18, of Austin, Texas, won the women's wheelchair division in 4:09:11.
• Josh Eberly, 25, of Rochester, Mich., won Saturday's 13.1-mile Walt Disney World Half Marathon in 1 hour, 8 minutes, 12 seconds. The women's winner was Melissa White, 25, of Rochester, Mich., in 1:18:33.

Race officials said the temperature was 38 degrees at the 6 a.m. start at Epcot. The route wound through the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Disney-MGM Studios, ending back at Epcot.

Longoria Helps Chrysler Show Off Cars

DETROIT (AP) – “Desperate Housewives" actress Eva Longoria was on hand Sunday to help Chrysler Group executives show off their latest concept cars, including a sleek sedan with a sumptuous interior based on the popular 300C. She sauntered across the stage as DaimlerChrysler AG Chief Executive Of-ficer Dieter Zetsche and Tom LaSorda, who replaced Zetsche as president and CEO of Chrysler, warmed up the crowd of journalists. And she rolled up with LaSorda as they brought the Imperial concept, which sported the look of a highly refined 300C, on stage for a second showing. "I'm desperate for one of these cars," she quipped. Chrysler also showed its Dodge Challenger concept, which was inspired by the 1970 version but updated with a 6.1-liter, 425-horsepower Hemi engine.

Technorati Tags : Longoria, Chrysler

Expedition Everest

'Jimmy Kimmel Live' & ABC Team Up to Create Ultimate Super Bowl Experience

LOS ANGELES (PRNewswire) – In a unique marketing and television broadcast partnership, popular late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel will move his entire production team and show to make the historic GEM Theatre in downtown Detroit his temporary home for Super Bowl XL. "Jimmy Kimmel Live" will pro-duce shows beginning Tuesday, January 31 and run through Friday, February 3, as well as produce a Super Bowl special to air after the game. Kimmel and ABC Television Network have teamed up with Bragman Nyman Cafarelli (BNC) – a marketing and public relations agency – to create the hottest VIP and broadcast venue in Detroit during the Super Bowl XL. The concept is designed to offer clients and sponsors the opportunity to become a part of the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" broadcast through unique and in-tegrated content partnerships as well as the opportunity to host exclusive VIP and celebrity events at the GEM Theatre leading up to Super Bowl Sunday. Pontiac is the first partner aboard with the show and will be creating a national promotion around the launch of the brand's G6 Convertible Coupe. Disney and ESPN Media Networks with Comcast has also partnered with the show and the venue and will host two events early in the week at the GEM Theatre. Located directly across from Ford Field in Downtown De-troit, the GEM Theatre is equipped with state-of-the-art audio and visual capabilities, a 450-seat theater, a separate concert stage, several rooms for entertaining and lounges for private events as well as on-site parking facilities.

Cookies Take the Cake on Disney Cruise

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (The Birmingham News) – Kathy Sagan wrote to tell about her recent experience aboard the Disney Magic which sails from Port Canaveral. "I recently took a Disney cruise on the Magic with my twin 7-year-olds," she reported. "We had a terrific time. They loved the kids' club, the shows, the characters, the computer lab, the Pirates' night – everything," she wrote before ending with her reason for writing. "But proba-bly most of all," she noted, "they loved the chocolate chip cookies that they serve every day.” During a typical cruise, the ship's pastry chefs (18 in all) use 620 pounds of chocolate and serve 720 cakes in 85 flavors. Guests eat the most cookies – oatmeal, sugar and chocolate chip – on the day that the ship docks at Disney's private island in the Bahamas. It's there that guests have an entire day for sun, surf, feeding stingrays, para-sailing – and food, including hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken. The chocolate chip cookies are "definitely the most popular cookie," said Herbert Lindner, an Australian who works as the ship's pastry chef. Cookie-baking starts daily at 2 a.m., with enough oven space to allow as many as 300 cookies to bake at one time.

Buena Vista Home Entertainment Announces Line-Up of Blu-ray Disc Titles

BURBANK, Calif. (PRNewswire) – Buena Vista Home Entertainment president Bob Chapek today announced that BVHE will begin releasing titles beginning summer of 2006 on the Blu-ray Disc format in conjunction with the hardware manufacturer's release of Blu-ray Disc products. Titles will include Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol. 1; award-winning Hero; Dark Water starring Jennifer Connelly; Ladder 49 starring John Travolta and Joa-quin Phoenix; The Brothers Grimm starring Matt Damon and Heath Ledger; The Great Raid starring Benjamin Bratt; Armageddon directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer; Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back; Walt Disney Pictures' Dinosaur; and the documentary Everest narrated by Liam Neeson. These ten titles mark the first wave of an ongoing release strategy from BVHE which will support the Blu-ray format. Blu-ray Disc is the next generation home entertainment medium featuring storage capacity 5 times greater than current DVDs, a picture compressed and authored in full high-definition 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080) and lossless audio (bit-for-bit directly from the sound stage) allowing for the first time a pristine digital audio and video home entertainment experience equal or superior to theatrical feature presentations. In addi-tion to film, the Blu-ray Disc will also support music, gaming and other digital entertainment

Pixar Stock Surges on Deal Rumor

(LA Times) – Pixar Animation Studios shares soared to a record high Wednesday amid speculation that the company behind "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles" is on the verge of a new deal with – and possibly sale to – longtime partner Walt Disney Co. The nearly 8% jump in Pixar's stock, to $58.16 a share, comes as Chief Executive Steve Jobs and Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger have been negotiating to extend their companies' long-term distribution pact that ends this summer with the release of Pixar's "Cars." Recent talks have focused increasingly on Disney acquiring part or all of Pixar, two sources close to the matter said Wednesday. In that scenario, Jobs would become a major Disney shareholder and possibly the company's chairman. The sources would not speak on the record because talks were ongoing. The sale speculation became feverish Wednesday afternoon on Wall Street, causing Pixar stock to jump $4.20 in heavy trading. That increased the value of Jobs' controlling stake by $250 million to nearly $3.5 billion. "The activity in the stock today indicates to us that the market believes that some type of announcement is imminent, whether it's a new distribution deal or something broader in scope," said media analyst Michael Savner of Banc of America Securities. Disney spokeswoman Zenia Mucha said that negotiations were continuing between the two companies and that there was "nothing new to report." A Pixar executive declined to comment.

That would be awesome. After 15 years of flat Disney gains, it's nice to see movement in a stock that covers way too much of my holdings.