State Probe of Disney Ride Begins 

Disney closes ride 

Russian defense ministry bans ABC network after Basayev interview 

Analysts bullish on Disney as tensions ease 

Russian Defense Ministry denies accreditation to ABC 

Hoosiers are Goofy over Disney 

Disney's On the Record Ends National Tour July 31 

Orlando makes family magic from swamp

State Probe of Disney Ride Begins

 

Investigators examine scenarios that could have led to the crash of a California Adventure roller coaster. At least 15 suffered minor injuries.

 

State officials were investigating Saturday whether mechanical or human error caused the first major ride accident at Disney's California Adventure, in which at least 15 park visitors suffered minor injuries the day before.

The California Screamin' roller coaster will remain closed for several days while investigators look at the ride's dispatch coordination to determine whether a computer failed or a person caused the accident, said Len Welsh, acting chief of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

"The timing was part of [the accident]," he said. "We won't reopen the ride until we understand what caused it, to make sure it is safe."

Welsh could not say how long the investigation would take.

The accident occurred shortly after 6:30 p.m. on the coaster, which propels riders through a silhouette of Mickey Mouse's head. The trains, each carrying 24 passengers, were about to reach the end of the ride. The first train stopped, but the second hit it, said John J. Nicoletti, a spokesman for the city of Anaheim.

By 11 p.m., all of the injured had been treated and released from hospitals, he said. He said that 39 of the 48 riders walked off the ride. One was taken out on a board, put on a lift operated by the Anaheim Fire Department and transported over a wall. Eight others were removed by ladder.

California Screamin', which opened in 2001, was billed by Disney as evoking "the great thrills of wooden roller coasters from days gone by." It catapults riders to 55 mph in less than 5 seconds and has a 108-foot drop.

Sandor Kernacs, president of Intamin AG, the ride's Switzerland-based manufacturer, declined to comment Saturday. There have been three fatalities on Intamin rides in other parks in recent years, but they were related to passenger restraint systems.

In March 2004, a jury ruled against a Milwaukee doctor who alleged he suffered whiplash on the California Screamin' ride.

A 22-year-old man was killed in the 2003 derailment of Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster; it was built by another manufacturer.

Friday's accident comes a month after the California Supreme Court toughened safety classifications for roller coasters. Operators of roller coasters and similar attractions must ensure the same level of safety as those who run buses, trains and other means of public transportation, the court ruled. The court majority wrote that theme park operators must use "the utmost care and diligence" for the safety of riders rather than mere "reasonable care." Most states require operators of amusement rides to use only "reasonable care."

The ruling could make it easier for those injured on rides to win lawsuits against amusement parks, legal experts say, but it could also lead to the removal or modification of thrill rides.

Taking his fourth Disney trip in two years, Kevin Bromagen, 38, an insurance claims adjustor from Lincoln, Neb., and daughter Taylor, 6, were aboard the front train at the time of the accident.

"We were stopped for about 60 seconds. We had never stopped that long," Bromagen said. "I could hear the other car coming. We couldn't do anything but get ready to be hit. We couldn't move and we couldn't see it coming."

Then, he said, he "heard a tremendous smack and then people screaming," including Taylor. The two chose not to be treated at a hospital, he said.

Bromagen said Saturday afternoon in a telephone interview after returning to Lincoln that he had had a headache since the accident. Taylor woke up three times Friday night screaming "Get me off this ride," he said.

Bromagen said park staff gave him $30 worth of food and front-row seats at a show, but that compensation wasn't adequate.

"I'm not sure I'll be rushing back," he said.

Disney closes ride

 

Operator or computer is to blame for crash, state OSHA official says.

 

State inspectors on Monday will continue their investigation into whether computer problems or an operator slip-up prompted a Disney's California Adventure roller-coaster crash, which sent 15 people to the hospital.

All injured passengers, who had minor injuries, were released from area hospitals by late Friday night, just hours after the 6:40 p.m. collision on the California Screamin' ride at the theme park, officials said Saturday.

The ride will remain closed during the state investigation, which officials said could take several days. The park was open on Saturday.

State Department of Occupational Safety and Health inspectors responded within about two hours of Friday's crash, then returned at 8 a.m. Saturday for about seven hours. Investigators are trying to figure out why one ride car smashed into another car as 48 passengers were concluding the ride.

Len Welsh, the department's acting chief, said a "coordination" problem occurred with the arrival times of the two coaster cars. The operator or computer is likely to blame for the crash, Welsh said.

Other ride experts agreed.

In six or so similar cases, an operator was responsible for coaster collisions, said Ed Pribonic, a private ride consultant based in Seal Beach. Unless the ride's computer program was recently changed or a sensor broke down, he said, human error is probably to blame.

"It's highly unlikely that any error would spontaneously occur. That's almost an impossibility," Pribonic said.

Welsh said his agency has received more reports about California Screamin' than many rides, including some in the past two weeks. But the complaints have been about other problems, such as neck or shoulder injuries.

Between 2001 and 2003, the department logged 59 reports, of which 27 were investigated. In many cases, riders complained of neck, back and head pain. More recent numbers were unavailable Saturday.

"It's a big ride and a popular ride," Welsh said. "I think we have more reports on that one than most."

On Friday, 13-year-old Scott Moran of Orlando, Fla., was waiting at the front of the single passenger line when he noticed something was wrong with California Screamin'. After ride operators told passengers to sit back and put their arms up to be strapped in, they immediately told people to get out.

"When they cleared the lines that fast, you know something is wrong," said Lynn Moran, Scott's 16-year-old sister, who rode the coaster twice that day.

"We were so close. We were almost there. The staff was panicking."

Later that night and Saturday morning, no signs of the crash were visible.

Entrances to the ride were blocked with blue, gold and red signs. Employees turned away guests inquiring about the ride Saturday.

In Disneyland Resort hotels, there was idle chat about the accident. Some guests said no one would tell them what was going on. Guests saw helicopters buzzing, but they didn't know the reason until they left. Cafe waitresses and custodians told guests about the closed ride, but said they didn't know why the crash happened.

Russian defense ministry bans ABC network after Basayev interview

 

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov ordered his ministry Sunday to sever all contacts with the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in protest over the broadcasting network's airing of an interview with Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev.

"I hav e ordered the chief of the Defense Ministry's press service today to cut all contacts between Defense Ministry servicemen and the ABC," Ivanov told reporters in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok, the Interfax news agency reported.

Ivanov declared the ABC "persona non grata" for the Defense Ministry, saying his ministry will continue to be open with the press but the ABC will be denied access to the ministry and no interviews will be granted to the network.

"If I have to express my feelings over that (ABC's interview with Basayev), I would put it in just one word -- indignation," the Russian defense minister said.

Prior to the Defense Ministry's move to oust the ABC, the Foreign Ministry had summoned the US Embassy's charge d'affaires, Daniel Russell, to express strong indignation over the interview.

Basayev, the most wanted man in Russia after another Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov was killed in March, is believed to have been behind the Beslan school siege last year, which killed more than 330 people, and a number of other terrorist attacks in the country.

Analysts bullish on Disney as tensions ease

Q. I have owned shares of The Walt Disney Co. the past dozen years. This company gives me a headache. What are future prospects?

C.G., via the Internet

A. The 50th anniversary of the opening of Disneyland has been a time of healing. Besides President Robert Iger succeeding controversial Michael Eisner as chief executive in September, a truce has been reached with dissident former board members Roy Disney and Stanley Gold.

The two dropped a Delaware lawsuit filed this year that challenged the naming of Iger as CEO, and they promised to back his leadership. These longtime Eisner critics pledged not to run rival director candidates or submit shareholder resolutions for five years.

Resolving that ticklish situation and trying to improve strained relations with partner Pixar Animation Studios, whose affiliation with Disney ends next year, have been Iger's priorities. The company reconfigured its strategy unit, adding an Internet consultant and the former president of TiVo Inc., and recently introduced Disney Mobile cell phone service.

The recent buzz about Disney stock involves speculation regarding a possible sale of its 71 ABC Radio stations, valued at $3 billion. One move being considered would provide cash for Disney and a tax-free spinoff to Disney shareholders after merging ABC Radio with another firm.

"We're always open to the possibility of buying or selling assets with an eye to improving shareholder value," Iger said.

Positives include strong showings by ABC Television shows such as the Emmy-nominated "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" and solid theme-park bookings, though there is concern that industrywide DVD sales are on a downswing.

Shares of Disney (DIS) are down 8 percent this year after gaining 19 percent last year and 43 percent in 2003.

The consensus analyst recommendation for Disney shares, aided by positive signs under new leadership, is a "buy," according to Thomson Financial. That consists of six "strong buys," seven "buys" and 10 "holds."

Although Disney's Hong Kong theme park is scheduled to open in September, a second Chinese park in Shanghai is considered unlikely before 2010. Meanwhile, the company ended its relationship with successful filmmakers Bob and Harvey Weinstein, paying them a substantial sum and keeping the Miramax Films name.

Earnings are expected to rise 23 percent this calendar year, versus the 188 percent forecast for the diversified entertainment industry, according to Thomson. Next year's expected 14 percent increase compares to 28 percent projected industrywide. The company's expected five-year annualized return of 12 percent is the same as that forecast for its peers.

Q. What do you think of the T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund, which has been recommended to me?

R.V., via the Internet

A. This fund has a strong long-term track record and is keeping 22 percent of assets in cash as careful manager Stephen Boesel contemplates his next move.

It invests primarily in stocks, but also owns convertible securities and bonds.

The $6.3 billion T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund (PRWCX) has posted a total return of 17 percent over the past 12 months to rank in the top 12 percent of moderate allocation funds, according to Morningstar Inc. The fund's three-year annualized return of 17.8 percent places it in the top 3 percent of its peers, and it has easily outperformed the Standard & Poor's 500 over the past five years.

"Some of the fund's good performance owes to the fact it used to have more of an emphasis on the mid-cap stocks that have had a strong run," said Greg Carlson, an analyst with Morningstar in Chicago. "However, it is gradually moving up to large-cap stocks in the belief that's where value is now."

Although this low-risk fund's emphasis on value investing--cheap stocks unduly punished by the market--will be a drag on performance when growth stocks return to favor, it is a good long-term investment, Carlson said. It fits well in a portfolio that already holds growth investments.

Eighteen percent of its stock portfolio is in financial services and 16 percent in industrial materials. Other significant concentrations are health care and energy. Top holdings are Microsoft, Newmont Mining, Marsh & McLennan Cos., Amerada Hess, Wyeth, Time Warner, Nucor, Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan, American International Group and First Data.

This "no-load" (no sales charge) fund requires a $2,500 minimum investment and has a low annual expense ratio of 0.78 percent.

Q. How long is it necessary to keep various financial and investment records?

S.M., Baltimore

A. From a tax perspective, keep everything pertaining to your tax returns for at least three years from the time you file them. You could be examined any time during that period and would need to prove information on your return.

But since there's a six-year statute of limitations on "substantial omission of income," it's best to keep your tax returns and supporting records at least six years. After that, there's no reason to keep all supporting materials.

"In regard to brokerage statements that show the purchase of a stock years ago, keep them as long as you still own the stock and for at least three years after you sell it," said Martin Nissenbaum, national director of personal income tax planning with Ernst & Young in New York. "You must be able to prove what your cost basis was so you can calculate your gain or loss when you sell the stock."

You may wish to keep records of your financial situation beyond those time periods in order to reference them in the future, Nissenbaum added. That can probably best be done using financial software rather than keeping all underlying documents.

Russian Defense Ministry denies accreditation to ABC

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said the American television channel ABC will be denied access to the Russian Defense Ministry's structures following its broadcast of an interview with international terrorist Shamil Basayev on American television.

"I've ordered the chief of the Defense Ministry's press service today to cut short all contacts between Defense Ministry servicemen and ABC," Ivanov told journalists in Vladivostok on Sunday.

"We'll continue to deal with the press openly. But this channel will be denied access to the Defense Ministry and no interviews will be granted to it. It will be 'persona non grata' for the Defense Ministry and will be neglected," the Russian defense minister said.

"The word 'indignation' best conveys our emotions and reaction," Ivanov said.

Earlier reports said that the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday summoned the U.S. Embassy's charge d'affaires Daniel Russell to protest ABC's broadcast of an interview with Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev.

Hoosiers are Goofy over Disney

In a publicity stunt to hype the 50th anniversary of Disneyland, the people who run the famous theme park bankrolled a survey of people in all 50 states to find out what they love most about Disneyland and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

Of course, we just couldn't ignore the fascinating information Mickey gathered about Hoosiers. Such as:

• Goofy is the favorite Disney character.

• Twenty-eight percent of Hoosiers responded, apparently with a straight face, they wish upon a star to spend a day with Mickey Mouse.

• Our dream job at a Disney park is to be a tour guide.

• Our favorite ride (64 percent) is Space Mountain, followed by Pirates of the Caribbean (55 percent).

• Nearly three out of four Hoosiers can sing at least one chorus of the odious, mind-numbing song "It's a Small World (After All)."

Disney's On the Record Ends National Tour July 31

The new Disney musical On the Record, which features songs from both classic Disney films and Disney's Broadway outings, plays its final performance July 31 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

On the Record kicked off its national tour Nov. 9, 2004, in Cleveland. Emily Skinner, who began the tour, was eventually succeeded by Kaitlin Hopkins. The final cast also includes Brian Sutherland, Ashley Brown and Andrew Samonsky with Leo Ash Evens, Meredith Inglesby, Keewa Nurullah and Ian Rhodes.

The musical played 285 performances during its 36-week tour, which traveled across the country to 24 cities. Over 350,000 people saw the musical, which "is the story of a recording session that changed the lives of a young unknown who is about to get her big break, a pop diva who is about to meet her match, and a matinee idol who is about to meet the 'new kid' who could take his place."

Sources close to the work when it was in development said that an early goal was to create real characters and tension within the studio recording concept of the show, but it was eventually watered down into a more general revue entertainment.

According to a production spokesperson, there are no immediate plans for a future Equity, non-Equity or licensing life for On the Record.

Directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom, the musical's creative team comprises Natasha Katz (lighting), Robert Brill (scenery), Gregg Barnes (costumes), David Chase (musical supervision and arrangements), Chad Beguelin (scenarist) and Acme Sound Partners (sound design).

A two-CD recording of the musical was recently released.

Orlando makes family magic from swamp

"If you believe THAT, I've got a piece of swampland I could sell you..."

That old saying typically rolls off the tongue right after an exaggeration or complete fabrication, to warn gullible listeners against putting too much stock in the previous statement. But if someone made an offer like that to Walt Disney in the early 1960s, he must have taken it to heart. Today, that "swampland" in Orlando is some of the most valuable real estate in the country, thanks to the presence of Mickey Mouse and his friends.

Until Orlando became an official city in 1857, it was home to bands of Seminole Indians. Legend has it the city was named after an army man named Orlando Reeves, who was killed by an arrow during the Seminole Wars. The city thrived for a while on cotton production, and after the Civil War, embraced the cattle business. Near the turn of the century, citrus fruit provided the main economic thrust until Disney converted about 28,000 acres of swampland into Walt Disney World. The theme park opened in 1971, and has expanded several times since then.

Orlando has evolved into a major tourist attraction, with Disney World being just the tip of the iceberg. Actually, Disney World is comprised of four separate theme parks -Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, Disney MGM-Studios and Animal Kingdom - plus a few water attractions. Not too far away is Universal Studios and its sister park, Islands of Adventure. And just slightly farther afield are sandy beaches, sporting attractions, Cape Kennedy and more.

When I was a kid, a trip to Orlando was the stuff of dreams. Very few families could afford such an excursion, and if they did, they let it be known they had saved their pennies for years. Unfortunately, that's probably still true today. If you want to really do it right, you can't plan a trip to Florida on a shoestring budget, unless you happen to win the trip, or if you're like me, and have a relative living in that area who doesn't mind your camping out for a few days. Still, you can get good deals if you look for them, because prices in Orlando run the gamut from reasonable to outrageous. It depends on what you want to do, and what you're willing to settle for.

A family trip to Florida, no matter how you get there, will require more than just a weekend or so. Set aside a minimum of five to seven days, and that's if you're flying. If you're going by train or car, you'll need closer to two weeks to take in a good sampling of what the state has to offer. And if you'd like to venture down to Miami or the Keys, you'll have to fly, and mark off two weeks on your calendar. (Some of you may be frustrated that I waited until so close to the end of summer to publish this particular guide, but you can always save it for future reference. Besides, unlike Oklahoma, Florida is open year-round - you can plan a Thanksgiving or Christmas excursion and still do most of the neat things you'd do during the summer months.) My advice is to avoid driving your car; instead, rent one after you get there. Gasoline prices are outrageous, with no end in sight. Besides, it's 18 to 19 hours from Tahlequah to Orlando by car, so you can't drive straight through unless you want to be so tired so won't enjoy yourself once you get there.

If you can spare the two or three days the drive will require, try taking the train instead. You can drive to Oklahoma City at grab the 8:25 a.m. Heartland Flyer any day of the week to Fort Worth, then take the 4 p.m. Texas Eagle to San Antonio. You can linger in San Antonio for a day or two, then take the Sunset Limited all the way to Orlando. (I recommend lingering, and depending on when you leave Oklahoma, you might have to anyway, since the Sunset Limited only passes through San Antonio three days a week.) This is what we did last March when we went to visit my sister and her family. An Amtrak adult coach ticket from OKC to Orlando is just under $150 ($134 if you're Triple A); children 15 and under are half price. You can also opt for a private room, but I'd only do that on the San Antonio-to-Orlando leg. This particular train has two room options: the standard, which will set you back another $300 , and the deluxe, which has its own toilet and shower and costs $635. If that seems pricey, remember you don't have to get hotel rooms on the way, and all your meals come with the room. My husband and I sprang for the deluxe bedroom for ourselves and got a standard room for our teenage son. However, we found out that - at least on the Sunset Limited - the deluxe bedrooms will accommodate three people, even when the third person is as big as our son. Although not always the case on Amtrak trains, my husband and I easily fit on the bottom bunk (and we're not small), and my son could have slept on the top rack. There are several advantages to taking the train, which I've detailed before - rest and relaxation, beautiful scenery and good food among them. You don't have to worry about getting lost or having your car break down. And if you have kids, they can have the run of the train, to the extent that you may never see them. Finally, the seats are roomy and much more comfortable (even for sleeping) than on a plane. With the Sunset Limited, there was the unexpected bonus of a several-hours' layover in New Orleans, so we took our son down Bourbon Street and enjoyed some excellent Cajun food. The train station is within walking distance of the French Quarter.

If you plan to fly to Florida and can take off practically on a moment's notice - or at least with two weeks' notice - you might find a good deal with American Airlines. AA offers some good "last-minute" fares, but you're taking a gamble on not making your trip. The best bet is probably to go to a Web site like cheaptickets.com or expedia.com, find out which airline is offering the best fares during your travel time, and then go to the airline's own Web site and buy your tickets. During August 2005, you can find standard round-trip tickets for about $550 apiece online with AA. Southwest Airlines tickets, on the other hand, range from about $250 on up to $575, but it depends on when you book, what deal you choose, and what time of the day you travel. The cheapest tickets with Southwest are snapped up quickly, and they are also non-refundable, so booking early is advisable.

Where you stay in Orlando depends largely on what you want to spend. A quick perusal of hotels.com reveals a selection of rooms starting at around $59 and on up into the $600-a-night range. Beware of tourist traps, and always remember if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Consider booking a room close to the attractions you'll be visiting. Embassy Suites is considered an excellent buy for families, because there are always two rooms and breakfast comes with the room. Orlando boasts three or so Embassy Suites properties, ranging from $99 to $140 a night, depending on when you stay. Another good deal is usually Hampton Inn, also part of the Hilton group but a bit simpler; breakfast is free there, too, and Orlando has several of these ranging from $79 to $119 a night. My advice is to stay with a chain you know (and can book directly online from the hotel's own Web site) or book at a hotel a friend has recommended. Despite Orlando's reputation as a family place, there are still plenty of fleabags masquerading as decent hotels. Another option is to stay at the hotels owned by the theme parks you'll be visiting; more on that later.

If this will be your first time to Orlando (especially if you might not get to go again for several years, if ever), set aside at least three days for Disney World. That should get you through the two must-see parks - Magic Kingdom and Epcot Center - and let you choose between MGM and Animal Kingdom for the third day. You'll also want a couple of days at Universal Studios and its sister park, Islands of Adventure. Folks who have never been to a Disney or Universal park but are more accustomed to standing in line somewhere for thrill rides, sun beating down mercilessly, are in for a treat. Many of the "attractions" here are thrilling, too, but they share another feature most scream parks do not have: The "show" extends to the line for the actual "ride" as well. In fact, most lines are indoors. You'll be treated to special scenery and props, music, character dialogue, short movies on overhead monitors and entire "story" for the attraction you're entering as you move along. Even the "cast members" (the folks who work in the park) are dressed for the occasion.

Ticket prices at Disney World can get complicated. Usually they are purchased by the day, but the longer you stay, the cheaper each day's ticket will be. For instance, an adult ticket for one day is $59.75, while for three days, it's $171; for kids ages 3-9, it's $48 and $137, respectively. The catch is that you can only get into one park per day. If you want to move around among parks, you might consider buying a "park hopper" ticket, which costs more: for adults, $94.75 for one day and $206 for three; for kids, $83 for one day and $172 for three. I don't recommend that, though, unless you have only one or two days to spend at Disney World. I consider the park hopper to be for folks who have been there before and want to pass through on another trip and hit the best attractions in each park.

Some people say you get a good deal on tickets if you stay in a Disney Resort, but I don't necessarily find that to be true. However, you do get early entrance to the parks and you can stay up to three hours after closing in at least one park. Disney World boasts several good places to lodge, and they're super-convenient, with regular shuttles or monorails running to and from the parks (you've probably seen the monorail passing right through the Contemporary resort on the old "Wonderful World of Disney" clips). All these properties are nice, with unique themes to suit every taste, and some are quite elegant. Prices range from $77 a night up to about $400 for single rooms, and suites - which are packaged with an array of services - can run as high as $2,000 a night! You can book these hotels online when you order your tickets, but bear in mind the rooms fill up fast, so plan to book in advance. We stayed a night at the Wilderness Lodge, and it was a real treat. This rustic resort is like a gigantic log cabin, open in the center, with balconies on every floor.

Magic Kingdom is the "flagship" park of Disney World, complete with Cinderella's castle and just about everything else you'd find at the original Disneyland in Anaheim - everything, that is, except the signature Matterhorn roller coaster, which is exclusive to the California park. (Inexplicably, Disney World also eliminated a couple of popular attractions from its repertoire: Mr. Toad's Wild Ride - much to the horror of my husband, who grew up 13 miles from Disneyland and still calls this his favorite ride - and Alien Encounter, which has, unfortunately, been turned into a show featuring a character called "Stitch.") If you have kids, Magic Kingdom will be your first stop. I've always said every child deserves at least one trip to Disneyland if possible, and Magic Kingdom is basically the same thing. Younger kids will delight in attractions like Peter Pan's Flight, It's a Small World After All, and Snow White. Favorites for older kids and adults are Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. People of all ages love Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion, both of which have been made into movies.

Epcot Center is also a special place adults and older children will like more than the kiddie set. It was Walt Disney's vision for a futuristic world, which he called an Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow, or EPCOT. It actually has two parts: Near the front of the park are the "pavilions," with a number of educational attractions, and in the back are what might be described as "embassies" for countries all over the world - France, Norway, Great Britain, Italy, and more. Each "country" features its own ethnic restaurants and shops, and a few rides, staffed by people from those countries who speak the languages. Epcot has gone through some changes, so if you haven't been in years, it's worth another look. It features three exceptionally thrilling rides. The first is a "test track" where six people get in a car and ride as it simulates an actual test track, which includes crashing into a wall, veering over a series of bumps, and at the end, what seems like an extreme acceleration on a tilted track (it's only about 65 mph, but it feels faster). There's also "Mission: Space," a simulator ride that gives the sensation of taking off in a rocket and landing on Mars. Each of the four "crew members" in your cabin is assigned a role by the narrator (Gary Sinise, who was in the movie "Mission to Mars") and given distinct duties that require you to push a couple of buttons.

The third "must-see" attraction at Epcot gets a paragraph to itself, because it's worth any wait in line you might have to endure. "Soarin'" is identical to "Soarin' Over California," which opened a few years ago to rave reviews in Anaheim Disneyland's sister park, California Adventure. (We were in Orlando in March, and "Soarin'" wasn't supposed to open to the public until May. But on the day we visited Epcot, my husband happened to notice a short line tucked discretely behind a featureless building. He asked cast members what was going on, and they explained they were letting a limited number of park guests onto the ride for a "test." It was strictly word-of-mouth; no announcements or advertising. Because we had ridden the California version, my husband had no attention of passing up this opportunity, so he ran back and got the rest of our group, and told several other people about it.) "Soarin'" guests enter a huge, dark auditorium where rows of metal seats are suspended, sort of like hangars in a dry cleaner. Once you're strapped in, your "row" lifts up several feet into the air. The row in front of you lifts higher, so you can't see the people in front of you (in Florida the bugs weren't worked out, so we actually saw a few dangling feet). You are then thrust forward into a giant spherical projection screen, similar to an Imax configuration but more radical; the only thing you can see is the screen. What happens next is basically a simulation of flying - or more accurately, hang-gliding, in a feast of sensory perceptions like you've never encountered. You feel and hear the wind rushing past your face. You "soar" over some of the most famous places in California: down a snowy ski slope, where you smell pine needles; through an orange grove, where you pick up the distinct perfume of oranges; and over Pebble Beach, smelling of freshly cut grass, and where a golf ball comes at you so realistically you actually duck. You swoop over the redwood forests, over the Sierra Nevadas, and down to the beach and over the water at Monterey Bay, where you smell and feel the salt water as it sprays your face. This incredible experience is almost worth the trip in itself.

MGM Studios is similar to Universal Studios, and both allow you a behind-the-scenes peek at movie-making. Two fairly new attractions are real doozies: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. As you wait for the coaster, you watch a video of Aerosmith that's almost interactive as it seems to place you in the same room with Steven Tyler and the gang. Your "limousine" will whisk you away to a concert, through the curvy Hollywood hills at night - in other words, it's an indoor coaster, somewhat like Disney's Space Mountain but with a rock 'n' roll theme. The Tower of Terror is probably the best attraction in the park, though. From the outside, it looks like an old 13-story luxury hotel from an earlier era - one that has obviously suffered a fiery disaster and is now derelict. The "scenery" includes lawns overgrown with weeds, broken statues, cracked masonry, and signs pointing to empty pools and once-lush gardens that have now gone to seed. As you enter the hotel (where posh furniture and chandeliers are layered in dust, and the luggage of ancient guests is scattered about as if suddenly abandoned), you'll get the story: A group of guests entered an elevator many years ago and were plunged into the Twilight Zone. Of course, you're about to follow them - down into the dank, dark basement, where you board (with a large group of fellow passengers) a creaky freight elevator that looks like a cage. This "elevator" moves you forward into what seems to be dark space, where you're surrounded by stars and flashes from episodes of "The Twilight Zone," including the famously askew window pane. Then, suddenly, you drop - and I mean, you DROP! (I had to grab my purse because I dropped faster than IT did.) Apparently you lift back up several times and drop again, and for a couple of these "trips," a door flies open to reveal the outside of the building and the rest of the park, and you seem to thrust forward and out before you plunge yet again.

Because of where our relatives happen to live, my family has been to some of the top theme parks in the country (including Cedar Point, considered by most roller coaster aficionados to be the best). But Universal's Islands of Adventure is still my favorite. This well-ordered park is not so big that it's intimidating, yet it's got a good selection of thrill rides. Universal Studios is right next door, and unlike Disney World, you can move with ease from one park to the other. At either Islands or Universal, you'll pay $59.75 for an adult ticket and $48 for a kid for a day, but I recommend the two-day, two-park option, which is $99.95 for anyone. The parks are quite different, and depending on the time of day and whether it's raining (count on it raining at least a couple of times while you're in Florida), you'll want to move back and forth between parks. There's also a place called "City Walk" outside the parks, where you'll find a host of well-known restaurants, like Emeril's and Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, plus shops, movie theaters and dance clubs. This is a fun night spot for adults and older children.

Universal has three resorts, and the price range isn't quite as wide as Disney's. We stayed at the most expensive, Portofino Bay, mainly because everywhere else was booked solid. Right now you can get a room there for about $250 a night (yes, you pay for the convenience of being able to take a boat from your room right to the park entrance). The best part about booking one of these resorts is that you get to bypass the lines at all the best attractions. This almost makes it worth the extra money! Portofino is a very elegant hotel, too, designed to resemble Venice (and if you've ever been to Venice, you'll take any reminder you can get of what that was like!).

Islands of Adventure is separated into several sections according to theme, starting with a Marvel Comics area that features one of the five best roller coasters in the country. The Incredible Hulk coaster starts by moving up a steep hill like most coasters (albeit in a green tube), but then suddenly shoots you up and out, where you go through and immediate twisting coil and into a loop. This coaster's configuration, couple with the initial blast forward, makes it one of a kind. Also in the Marvel area is the Spiderman attraction, which takes you through a "real" newsroom that has been oddly deserted (not that I need any more exposure to that sort of thing). You get a pair of 3-D glasses and board a car, which takes you on a track that melds an actual ride with a virtual reality experience featuring all the well-known characters. Another of the country's five best coasters - not just because of its configuration, but also because of the fascinating "pre-show" and ambiance - is Dueling Dragons. In fact, there are two separate, completely different inverted coasters in the Lost Continent part of the park, and just before boarding, riders are implored to "choose thy fate" - either the blue or the red dragon. Next door at Universal, you'll be treated to all the usual movie sets, from "Earthquake" to "Jaws," and even a lot for "Twister." My husband and son especially like "Men in Black," which has all the expected characters (including a virtual Will Smith), and allows riders to score points by shooting aliens. Too bad you don't get a prize at the end for high score!

15 Hurt on Roller Coaster at Disney's California Adventure 

'You could hear it coming' 

15 people taken to hospitals in Disney-park accident 

Sampling wine offerings at Disney World 

Hong Kong Disneyland Main Street Pictures 

Mickey is coming to town 

Disney to close area call center 

Brandon couple wins Disney redesign of room

Production darkened by 'Holes' in consent

Kingdom Hearts vocalist returns for sequel

15 Hurt on Roller Coaster at Disney's California Adventure

 

One train rear-ends another toward the end of the ride. No serious injuries are reported in what officials call a 'fender-bender.'

Hong Kong Disneyland Main Street Pictures

Here are some pictures of Main Street at Hong Kong Disneyland taken at one of the previews.

Mickey is coming to town

Starting Monday, don't be surprised if 700-pound, six-foot tall statues of Mickey Mouse start cropping up on city streets.

Fifteen of these statues are going on display in New York ahead of a Sotheby's auction on Sept. 27 of 75 Mickey statues created to celebrate the Disney icon's 75th birthday.

Each statue was sponsored by a celebrity -- among them Ben Affleck, Ellen Degeneres, Tony Hawk, Elton John and Shaquille O'Neal -- and the finished product somehow reflects their look and personality.

The Sotheby's auction, whose proceeds will go to charities, is the final act of a nationwide tour during which the Disney Co. displayed the statues in 14 cities.

Among the charities which will receive proceeds from the auction are the Make-a-Wish Foundation of America, the Boys and Girls Club of America, the Children's Miracle Network, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation.

Disney to close area call center

A Walt Disney Co. telemarketing center in Overland Park will close by February, eliminating about 250 jobs.

Disney Direct Marketing’s Onstage Teleservice operation, as it is known, takes orders for Disney’s catalog merchandise and reservations for Walt Disney World.

“Both of those businesses have had a fairly dramatic shift from calls to online — both for shoppers from our catalog and reservations to the theme park,” said Disney spokesman Gary Foster, explaining the decision to shut the operation.

The center, at 11200 W. 93rd St., employs about 200 part-time and seasonal hourly workers and 50 full-time workers and managers. Foster said some would be offered opportunities to work at other Disney call centers. The rest will receive severance packages, he said.

The center opened in 1990 with fewer than 100 employees. At first, it handled direct marketing for a variety of Disney products, including toys and clothing.

The operation is one of several call centers in the Kansas City area that have closed recently or are slated to be closed.

Last year, CitiMortgage closed its call center in Overland Park, eliminating 123 jobs. Pegasus Satellite Television, once a major seller of DirecTV services, shed 304 jobs when it shut its call center in Lenexa about the same time. And at least 150 of the 1,400 employees at AT&T’s Lee’s Summit call center have been laid off in the past year.

Foster denied rumors that Disney was outsourcing the Overland Park call center’s jobs to India.

“That is not correct,” he said. “It really is just because of the shift from calls to online.”

“Quite honestly, I thought someone was pulling my leg,” Elliott said yesterday, of the day she found out she’d won the prize. “I’m not that lucky a person, usually.”

Elliott, who works at the chain’s 10th Street and Victoria Avenue store, and her husband, Murray, are thrilled about the prize, even though their two sons are aged 20 and 23 and the theme room will probably have more appeal for children than adults.

“We’ll just save some things for our grandkids someday,” she said.

Jonny Kwan, the Disney “Imagineer” who designed the theme room and will lead the makeover, described his plans for the room as “really playful and fun.”

Kwan, reached on a cellphone in Burbank, Calif., yesterday, said a few visits to Vancouver have been the extent of his Canadian travels.

“This is going to be fun — an adventure for me.”

He added he has “no idea” what to expect from Manitoba and Brandon.

Production darkened by 'Holes' in consent

It sounded like the classic David-and-Goliath story.

Participants in the Young Actors Workshop in Oakland had practiced all summer to perform "Holes," an adaptation of Louis Sachar's award-winning children's book. But the Walt Disney Co., which co-produced the movie version of "Holes," found out and claimed the theater group had no legal permission to produce the play.

The curtain came down on the kids' show, which was to run for four performances tonight through Sunday.

Parents of the 18 youths participating in the summer theater program and their friends and family got upset at the corporate giant Disney playing Scrooge.

The problem was, the story wasn't true. Disney does not own the legal rights to live stage productions of "Holes." What's more, the Young Actors Workshop never obtained licensing permission to produce the play from the person who does own those rights: Sachar.

"As far as I know, they have no rights to it," said Sachar, an Austin, Texas, resident who was visiting California this week. "It's not a happy thing. I feel bad for the kids involved."

According to one parent who asked not to be identified, the theater group's director, Susan Worthing, led parents to believe she had obtained legal permission from the author and his agent, Susan Schulman, but that Schulman's office erred because Disney was the exclusive rights holder for Sachar's book.

But that story apparently is full of holes, too, said Schulman, a New York-based literary agent.

"Disney has nothing to do with it," Schulman said. "Disney is the distributor of the movie 'Holes,' but they don't hold live stage rights."

Schulman said Young Actors Workshop never contacted her office for licensing permission, and if they had she would have told them that Walden Media, which co-produced the movie version with Disney, currently has live stage permission.Walden Media is staging a production of "Holes" in San Francisco in October, Schulman said, and that creates a freeze on any other licensing rights in the Bay Area.

Someone involved in the Walden Media production saw a flier

for Young Actors Workshop's production and contacted Schulman on July 15, concerned that their exclusive rights were being violated. Schulman called Worthing and asked for a copy of the contract.

"Upon inquiry, she realized she did not have one," Schulman said. "When I spoke to her, she said she thought someone else had done it."

Feeling badly for the theater group kids, Schulman told Worthing to apply for permission and then went to Walden Media to get approval for the children's group to stage a limited performance of "Holes." Walden Media said no, but Schulman persisted, and the company ultimately agreed to allow the young actors to put on one free show tonight for parents.

Worthing declined to comment, citing that one of the conditions of her agreement with Schulman was not to have any press on the production.

For authors such as Sachar, school productions of their creative work can reap thousands in income, Schulman said.

"From the author's point of view," she said, "this is a group that is trying to sneak a production without paying copyrights."

A typical licensing agreement for a school production would require a fee equal to 6 to 7 percent of the potential gross ticket revenue. For the 250-seat Young Actors Workshop theater, with ticket prices that had been set at $10 and $12, that's a gross of about $10,000 for the four-performance run, Schulman calculated.

Schulman said that what rankled her most is that Young Actors Workshop should be teaching its young actors the business of theater — and to respect copyright law.

"Here's a person running a young actors workshop, and one aspect of theater is honoring the writer," Schulman said. "Creative people are not paid that well."

Kingdom Hearts vocalist returns for sequel

Square Enix announced today that bilingual Japanese vocalist Hikaru Utada will sing the Kingdom Hearts II theme song, titled "Passion." For the original Kingdom Hearts released in 2002, Utada sang the theme song "Hikari" in two versions, one in English and one in Japanese.

"When we were creating the original game, there were a lot of factors that were influenced by Utada-san's theme song. That influence will once again be felt in [our development of] Kingdom Hearts II," commented series director Tetsuya Nomura.

Utada's CD-single release of "Passion" is scheduled for release by Toshiba EMI for sometime this winter, which means that Kingdom Hearts II should be coming out for the PlayStation 2 around the same time. But with today's theme song announcement, Square Enix has also rescheduled the game's release from "2005" to "Winter," meaning that it might not hit stores until next year. More concrete details on the game's release date may be revealed at the Square Enix Party 2005 press event, which takes place tomorrow.

Epcot's International Food and Wine Announces New Evening Dinners 

Epcot International Food and Wine Festival Unveils Lineup of Lunches, Tastings, Dinners, Schools 

Night of Joy to Debut Music From 'Chronicles of Narnia' Soundtrack 

U.S. Open Water Ski Championships to be hosted by World WaterSki Pros at WDW

Disney release flies high 

The Muppets Get a Taste of the X Games

Catch Lilo & Stitch 2 

JWR columnist off the air after ABC/Disney is Intimidated by CAIR 

"Lost" Finds New Mystery Man 

Students graduate to ranks of uninsured 

Steiner's Smooth Sailing 

Disney Releases Emperor's New Groove Special Edition This Fall 

Disney & Offspring Take Flight Risk 

Gridiron Classic looks to Disney 

Walt Disney Co. takes ownership of Radio Disney WCOG 

ABC Disney Gives in to CAIR

Epcot's International Food and Wine Announces New Evening Dinners

Three new evening dining opportunities have been announced for the 2005 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.

Food and Wine Pairings
Daily, Times Vary
These late afternoon sessions are a great opportunity to discover a marriage of three wines with three tasting portions of specific cuisines. A winemaker will moderate each session. $35 per person, plus tax, gratuity included. Park admission required.

• Mondays
  Sake, Sushi, and Sashimi
  10/3,10/10,10/17,10/24,10/31,11/7
  Location - Mitsukoshi Restaurant, Japan Pavilion
  Time: 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
• Tuesdays
  Mediterranean Family-Style
  10/4,10/11,10/18,10/25,11/1,11/8
  Location - Restaurant Marrakesh, Morocco Pavilion
  Time: 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
• Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays
  Featured wineries and menu selection will change daily
  9/30,10/5,10/6,10/7,10/12,10/13,10/14,10/19,10/20,10/21,10/26,10/27,10/28, 11/2,11/3,11/4,11/9,11/10,11/11
  Location - Coral Reef, Living Seas Pavilion
  Time: 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.
• Fridays
  Featured wineries and menu selection will change weekly
  9/30,10/7,10/14,10/21,10/28,11 /4,11 /11
  Location - Le Cellier Steakhouse, Canada Pavilion
  Time: 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.
• Saturdays
  Regional French Specialties
  10/1,10/8,10/15,10/22,10/29,11/5
  Location - Bistro de Paris, France Pavilion
  Time: 2:30 - 4:00 p.m.
  A selection of imported French cheeses and the finest charcuteries, pates, rillettes, hams, and sausages will be paired with the wine selection.
• Sundays
  Regional Italian Specialties
  10/2,10/9,10/16,10/23,11/6,11/13
  Location - L'Originale Alfredo's di Roma, Italy Pavilion
  Time: 2:30 - 4:00 p.m.

Signature Dinner Series
10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 11/3, 11/6, 6:00p - 9:00p
This series of dinners showcase the cuisine of our Resort Signature Restaurants. For all dinners, the hosting restaurant will invite a guest chef to join the resident chef to prepare a five-course meal. The wines of 2 or 3 wineries will be presented by winery principals. $145 per person, plus tax, gratuity included. Park admission not required.

• Sunday, Oct.2  - California Dreamin'
  California Grill, Disney's Contemporary Resort
  Winery: Flora Springs and Wattle Creek
  Guest Chef:Cal Stamenov, Bernardus Lodge,Carmel Valley, California
• Sunday, Oct. 9 - Flavors of Africa
  Jiko -The Cooking Place, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
  Winery: Cape Classics
  Guest Chef: Joseph Seeletso, Phakalane Resort, Botswana, Africa
• Sunday, Oct. 16 - Aussie Capers
  Citricos -The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
  Winery: Wynns Coonawarra Estate
  Guest Chef: Andrew Ormsby,Tucker, Dallas,Texas
• Sunday, Oct. 16 - Tour de France
  Bistro de Paris - Epcot, France Pavilion
  Winery: Pierre Sparr, La Louviere
• Sunday, Oct 23 - Jewels of the Greek Isles
  Citricos - The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
  Winery: Boutari
  Guest Chef: Paul Delios, Meze Esetario, Boston, Massachusettes
• Thursday, Nov. 3 - India Inspirations
  Jiko - The Cooking Place, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
  Winery:57 Main Street
  Guest Chef: Floyd Cardozjabla, NYC
• Sunday, Nov. 6 - A Trapper's Expedition
  Le Cellier Steakhouse - Epcot, Canada Pavilion
  Winery: Inniskillin and Jackson-Triggs
  Guest Chef: Dan Atkinson, Salmon House on the Hill, Vancouver, B.C.

Specialty Dinners
10/30, 11/3, 11/8, 6:00p - 9:00p
First time for the International Food and Wine, unique dining adventures exclusive to Epcot during the festival! Price varies from $125 - $185. Park admission not required.

• Sunday, Oct. 30 - Spirited Ball
  American Adventure Pavilion
  The American Adventure Pavilion will be haunted by history! Indulge in a wonderfully eerie Halloween eve Masked Ball- complete with a reception-style dinner,ghoulish cocktails,and dancing. Costumes will not be allowed, however masks will be provided. Price- $145 per person plus tax, gratuity included
• Thursday, Nov. 3 - A Taste of Turkey: A Mediterranean Feast
  World ShowPlace
  Acclaimed Chefs from Turkey bring their tastes and traditions from the orient-a feast full of Turkish delights, reminiscent of the days of the Ottoman Empire! Price-$185 per person plus tax, gratuity included
• Tuesday, Nov. 8 - Brewers' Dinner - An Evening with Jim Koch
  American Adventure Pavilion
  Enjoy an elegant dinner with the founder of Samuel Adams Beer. Jim Koch will take you through the history of beer in America and surprise
  you with great food and beer pairings. Explore the flavor and nuances of great premium domestic beers from The Boston Boer Company, Brewers of Samuel Adams. Price- $125 per person plus tax, gratuity Included

Odyssey Adventures -- Lunch and Learn
Fridays and Saturdays throughout the Festival. 10:30a - 12:30p.
Observe a notable Chef prepare a three course lunch which you will enjoy with a selection of wines presented by a wine principal. Price is $75 per person, plus tax, gratuity included. Park admission required.

• Friday, Sept. 30
  Suvir Saran, Devi, NY Indian
  Schloss Wallhausen
• Saturday, Oct. 1
  Michael Moore, Michael Moore Restaurant,London, England
  Gloria Ferrer
• Friday, Oct. 7
  John Malik,33 Liberty, SC, American
  Silverado
• Saturday, Oct. 8
  John Ash, Fetzer Vineyards, CA
  Bonterra
• Friday, Oct. 14
  Ming Tsai, Blue Ginger, MA, Asian
  Guenoc
• Saturday, Oct. 15
  KarlheinzHauser, SJIberg, Hamburg, Germany
  Stags'Leap
• Friday, Oct. 21 TBD
  Rudi Wiest
• Saturday, Oct. 22
  Andrew Sutton, Napa Rose,CA, American
  Ste. Michelle
• Friday, Oct. 28
  Cat Cora, Iron Chef, American
  Chalk Hill
• Saturday, Oct. 29
  Dede Wilson, PBS, American
  Beaulieu Vineyards
• Friday, Nov. 4
  Chris Prosperi, Metro Bis,CT, French
  Mas De la Dame
• Saturday, Nov. 5
  Nina Simonds, Spoonful of Ginger,Cookbook author, Asian
  Charles Krug
• Friday, Nov. 11
  Ben & Karen Barker, Magnolia Grill, NC,Southern
  Silver Oak
• Saturday, Nov. 12
  Sondra Bernstein, Girl and the Fig, Sonoma, Ca., American
  Fess Parker

Odyssey Adventures -- Sweet Sundays
Sunday throughout the Festival, 10:00a - 12:00p.
Pastry Chefs are showcased with a morning session beginning with a light breakfast and sparkling refreshment while viewing top pastry chefs in the country demonstrate three mouth-watering treats and share tips of the trade along the way. A sampling of the delectable trio will conclude the event with a "sweet" sensation. Price is $55 per person, plus tax, gratuity included. Park admission required.

• October 2
  Julian Rose - Pastry Chef, Switzerland's Barry - Callebaut Chocolates
• October 9
  Jacquy Pfeiffer - Pastry Chef, French Pastry School, Chicago
• October 16
  Jean Claude Perrenou - Pastry Chef, Waldorf Astoria, New York City
• October 23
  Richard Ruskell - Pastry Chef, Montage, Laguna Beach
• October 30
  Wayne Harley Brachman - Pastry Chef, Author,TV Food Network:The
  Melting Pot, New York City
• November 6
  Jeff Lehuede - Pastry Chef, The Four Seasons, Laguna Beach
• November 13
  Colette Peters - Pastry Chef, Author, Colette's Cakes, NY

Odyssey Adventures -- The Odyssey Cooking School
Thursdays throughout the Festival, 10:00a - 1:30p.
The Odyssey Cooking School offers guests the opportunity to participate in an interactive cooking learning experience. A Walt Disney World chef will assist each class with a visiting chef. Teams will come together to create a themed meal, which will be sampled at the conclusion of the class and paired with appropriate wines. Price is $100 per person, plus tax, gratuity included. Park admission required.

• Thursday, Oct.6 - Mexican
  Ximena Mariscal, Escuela de Cocina Mexico
• Thursday, Oct. 13 - Classic American Steakhouse
  Ted Siegel, Institute of Culinary Education
• Thursday,Oct.20 - Italian
  Giuliano Hazan, Cooking School,Tampa
• Thursday, Oct. 27 - Indian Treasures
  Julie Sahni, Brooklyn, NY
• Thursday, Nov. 3 - Japanese
  Chef Kanda, Mitsokoshi, Epcot
• Thursday, Nov. 10 - Mediterranean Treats
  Einev Gefen, New York City

Exquisite Evenings at Epcot
Dinners are Fridays and select Thursdays of the Festival, 6:00p - 9:00p.
Considered the most prestigious dining experiences of the Festival, a team of celebrity chefs and a host Walt Disney World chef prepare a stellar 5-course meal. The Winery principal will showcase wines from two to three different vineyards. Price is $185 per person, plus tax, gratuity include. Park admission NOT required.

• Friday, Sept. 30 Brilliant Bubbles -1Oth Anniversary Champagne Dinner
  Guest Chefs: Nora Pouillon, Restaurant Nora, Washington DC,
  Susanna Foo, Chinese Cuisine, Philadelphia, PA
  Wineries: Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot, Moet et Chandon
• Friday, Oct. 7 Sizzlin' South America
  Guest Chefs: Roberto Trevino, Parrot Club, Puerto Rico; Martin Rios, The Old House, Santa Fe, NM
  Wineries: Casa Lapostolle & Concha yToro
• Thursday, Oct. 13 California Goldmine
  Guest Chefs: Bradley Ogden, Lark Creek Inn, California, Bart Hosmer and Carlos Sanchez, Parcel 104,California
  Wineries: Fife Vineyards and Niebaum-Coppola
• Friday, Oct. 14 Amazing Australia
  Guest Chefs: Andrew Ormsby - Tucker, Dallas,Texas, Will Ford - 8 Mile Creek, New York City
  Winery: Penfolds exclusive
• Thursday, Oct. 20 Pacific Northwest Escape
  Guest Chefs: Charles Ramseyer - Rays Boathouse, Seattle, WA; John Howie - Seastar, Seattle, WA
  Wineries: Ste. Michelle and WillaKenzie
• Friday, Oct. 21 A Taste of Italy
  Guest Chef: TBD
  Wineries: Antinori and Masi
• Thursday, Oct. 27 Tuscan Tales
  Gust Chef: Roberto Donna, Galileo, Washington DC
  Wineries: Castello Banfi and Castello di Querceto
• Friday, Oct. 28 French Fatale - Bordeaux
  Guest Chefs: Dominique Bouchet, Dominique Bouchet Restaurant, France; Michael Ginor, Hudson Valley Foie Gras, New York
  Wineries: Chateau Angelus and Chateau Suduiraut
  ** This dinner will be held in the Wonders Retreat within the Wonders of Life Pavilion.
• Friday, Nov. 4 Romancing the Rhone
  Guest Chef: Michel Richard - Citronelle, Washington DC
  Winery: Jean-Luc Columbo - exclusive
• Thursday, Nov. 10 Discover Portugal
  Guest Chef: Santi Zabeleta,Taberna del Alabardero, Washington DC; Manuel Azuedo, La Salette, Sonoma
  Winery: Broadbent Selections
• Friday, Nov. 11 California Adventure
  Guest Chef: Joachim Splichal, Patina, Ca.; Disneyland chefs: Ralph Stuhlmeyer, Jorge Sotelo
  Wineries: B.R. Cohn and Caymus Vineyards

Eat to the Beat Concert Series
Daily at 5:45p, 7:00p & 8:15p

• Kansas Sep30 - Oct 2
• Commodores Oct 3 - 6
• Edgar Winter Oct 7 - 9
• Kool & The Gang Oct 10 - 13
• The Gap Band Oct 14 - 16
• Arturo Sandoval and Nestor Torres Oct 17 - 19
• Starship featuring Mickey Thomas Oct 20 - 23
• The Beach Boys Oct 24 - 25
• FamilyStoneExperience Oct 26 - 28
• The Miracles Review with lead singer Sydney Justin Oct 29 - 31
• Chubby Checker & The Wildcats Nov 1 - 4
• The Rippingtons Featuring Russ Freeman Nov 5 - 7
• Loverboy Nov 8 - 10
• Three Dog Night Nov 11 - 13

Party for the Senses
The World ShowPlace will host "Party for the Senses", a showcase of the talents of 25 eminent chefs and over 70 wines and beers. Wander from station to station to discover TASTES and TEXTURES, imaginative decor, and the SIGHT of Cirque du Soleil performers. In addition, guests receive VIP seating for the 5:45p "Eat to the Beat" concert performance.
$95 per person, plus tax, gratuity included. Park admission required.

Night of Joy to Debut Music From 'Chronicles of Narnia' Soundtrack

Some of the top Christian Music artists performing at the 23rd annual Night of Joy at Walt Disney World Resort Sept. 9-10 will debut live performances of music inspired by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media's upcoming release, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe."

EMI Music's Nashville-based EMI CMG will release two "inspired by" soundtracks and has announced an all-star lineup for the first release, an inspirational soundtrack CD, Music Inspired By: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, featuring recordings from artists who combined have sold in excess of 23 million albums.

Five-time Grammy Award Winner Steven Curtis Chapman leads the pack with the project's debut single and video, "Remembering You." He is joined at Night of Joy by two of the other artists featured on the album, TobyMac and Kutless. They're among the 21 acts performing at this year's Night of Joy at Walt Disney World Resort.

Night of Joy is a special event held in Magic Kingdom after regular theme park hours Sept. 9-10. A total of 21 acts will present concerts at stages throughout the park:

Sept. 9 features: Steven Curtis Chapman, MercyMe, Casting Crowns, Audio Adrenaline, Mark Schultz, Nicole C. Mullen, Big Daddy Weave, Matthew West, Vicky Beeching and a contest winner from the Gospel Music Association's Music in the Rockies event.

Sept. 10 features: newsboys, tobyMac, Donnie McClurkin, CeCe Winans, Kutless, Tree63, Superchic[k], Further Seems Forever, stellar kart, Kierra "KiKi" Sheard and a contest winner from the Kellogg's Gospel Sing Off 2005.

Night of Joy begins at 7:30 p.m. (after regular park hours) and continues until 12:30 a.m. Single-night tickets are $42.95 plus tax. Two-night tickets are $61.95 plus tax. (Guests can save $5 on single-night tickets by purchasing them in advance at Family Christian Stores and other select Christian bookstores in Florida or by calling 407/W-DISNEY.)

Additional information is available by calling 407/W-DISNEY or by going online to disneyworld.com/nightofjoy.

U.S. Open Water Ski Championships to be hosted by World WaterSki Pros at WDW

World WaterSki Pros will host the 2005 U.S. Open Water Ski Championships Sept. 9-11 at Walt Disney World Resort. More than 100 of the world's top water-ski athletes will compete on Village Lake at Downtown Disney.

Walt Disney Pictures and Offspring Entertainment have bought spec script Flight Risk from writer Kyle Long, reports Variety.

The action comedy is about a hapless young man who's hired by a wealthy father to escort his unusually rebellious 11-year-old son across state lines to a school for troubled kids.

Long recently finished Tommy's Kitchen for Michael Kuhn's Qwerty Films; the script is a feature adaptation of "Jamie's Kitchen," the Blighty reality show starring chef Jamie Oliver.

Offspring is in production on Cheaper by the Dozen 2, directed by Adam Shankman.

Disneyland - the cleanest place on Earth

 

Toward the end of his life, Walt Disney recalled the day he told his wife, Lillian, that he wanted to create a theme park in the Southern California orange groves.

"My wife used to say, 'But why do you want to build an amusement park? They're so dirty,'" Disney recalled, according to company lore. "I told her that was just the point. Mine wouldn't be."

Disneyland marked its 50th anniversary last weekend as the happiest — and possibly cleanest — place on Earth. Where else is Main Street steam-cleaned each night and walkways hosed down even when it rains?

Disneyland's emphasis on cleanliness, a revolutionary idea for amusement parks a half-century ago, has become a model for many U.S. companies and public institutions but also drawn its share of critics who condemn the park's carefully controlled environment.

"The Disney focus on the 'guest experience,' which includes cleanliness, has influenced everyone from McDonald's to the Four Seasons," said marketing expert Adam Hanft, CEO of Hanft Unlimited in New York City.

When Disneyland opened, it was in stark contrast to the dingy, surly staffed amusement parks of the era — the declining remnants of "trolley parks" created by trolley companies as a draw for weekend riders.

"In the postwar Eisenhower years, when we were germphobic — the polio epidemic was just winding down — and with fear of a nuclear attack, the promise of 'clean' in its largest and most amplified sense was deeply appealing," Hanft said.

The park's well-scrubbed environment was clearly a core part of Disney, and cleanliness became a metaphor for the brand identity on many levels, he added.

"Walt created Disneyland as a safe family destination, in contrast with the traveling roadside attractions of the era, which were questionable on many levels," Hanft said. "He knew 50 years ago that a clean environment was a key to getting repeat visits."

An average of 36,500 visitors entered Disneyland's turnstiles each day last year, according to the trade publication Amusement Business.

Each created work for custodial guest services manager Bob Scott and his crew. An energetic former medical laboratory operations supervisor with an MBA, Scott supervises the custodial staffers, who work from midnight until the park opens at 8 a.m.

As stragglers make their way to the gates at the end of the day, cleanup crews come in behind them. The din of steam cleaners, pressure washers and vacuum cleaners replaces the squeals of children, the music of stage shows and the screams of thrill riders. The crews sweep and wash in carefully orchestrated patterns that maximize efficiency while staying out of view of departing patrons.

All the guests are gone by 1 a.m. Workers hose concrete paths — even in the rain, Scott said — while a window washer sprays cleaner and swirls his squeegee over a window that already looks spotless. Main Street gets a pressurized steam wash.

"We clean everything that guests see or touch," Scott said.

Nearly 2,000 mechanics, custodians, and groundskeepers toil under the moonlight, repairing, replacing and sprucing up everything at the 85-acre Disneyland and its 55-acre neighbor, Disney's California Adventure.

The custodial staff uses 1,000 brooms each year and goes through 3,000 mops and 500 dustpans. The park stocks 26 million restroom hand towels annually, about two for every visitor.

Disneyland uses a minimum of 5,000 gallons of paint per year to keep attractions and buildings looking fresh.

The park's 200 horticulturalists start work around 4 a.m. and examine every plant, shrub and tree in both parks. "Anything that shows the slightest sign of fading is replaced," Scott said during a recent midnight tour of Disneyland. Last year, groundskeepers planted 1 million annuals, an average of about

2,700 per day.

Each night, workers pluck trash, swab grime and paint over scuffs on ride cars, which are all switched out on a staggered schedule for refurbishing.

Disney has extended that single-minded focus on maintaining a squeaky-clean home for Mickey Mouse across its movie, TV and toy businesses.

Hanft points out that the term "Disneyfication" has come to mean cleaned to the point of lifelessness, a criticism that the company has endured for many years.

"Disney has so overcompensated on the side of cleanliness that they present a world that is over orchestrated, oversimplified, over scrubbed and hyper perfect," Hanft said. "Their view of reality is largely white, blonde and happy. It's sterilized perfection."

Raglan Road details

 

Irish hospitality and a bit of blarney will be coming to Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World Resort in the form of Raglan Road, an authentic Irish pub and restaurant. Scheduled to open in summer 2005, Raglan Road will feature the very best of Irish food, flair, heritage and entertainment.

The Irish culture is known for its warmth, character and hospitality, and the new Downtown Disney pub promises to deliver an experience immersed in genuine Irish atmosphere -- from food and drink to music and entertainment.

Raglan Road will be warm and welcoming with one-of-a-kind fixtures and furnishings -- all designed and built in Ireland by Irish craftspeople. Additional décor items include Irish antiques and bric-a-brac.

Traditional and contemporary Irish music, storytelling and dance will help create a lively social ambience and the friendly pub staff will bring Emerald Isle charm to Downtown Disney.

The restaurant's gastronomic delights will be the work of Chef Kevin Dundon, one of Ireland's best-known chefs. He will introduce a menu that blends traditional Irish fare and fresh ingredients, all with a modern flair. Chef Dundon's credits include cooking for celebrities and heads of state, overseeing deluxe international hotel cuisine, opening a premiere hotel and restaurant, and appearing in his own television series.

"We are thrilled to introduce an authentic Irish pub to Downtown Disney," said Djuan Rivers, vice president of Downtown Disney. "The superior level of quality, energy and appeal that this new venue brings is a perfect compliment to Downtown Disney's lineup of world-class retail, dining and entertainment."

Raglan Road will be owned and operated by Great Irish Pubs Florida, Inc., the Irish-owned company that previously created Nine Fine Irishmen at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

"We are working extremely hard here in Ireland preparing to deliver what we believe will be the very best expression of Irish hospitality ever seen in the U.S.," said Paul Nolan, one of the establishment's co-owners. "We are extremely proud and excited to have the opportunity to bring a real slice of Ireland to Downtown Disney."

Raglan Road will occupy the building that formerly housed The Jazz Company. Pleasure Island club admission will not be required for entrance to the pub.

Lucky ready to leave Animal Kingdom

ABC Appoints Briton As 'Nightline' Chief

'Dancing with the Stars' Changes Voting

Bucs' camp info

New "Alias": Mommy

'Inside' Star Gets New 'Alias'

Rachel Nichols is moving from investigating serial killers for the FBI to performing covert operations for the CIA.

Nichols, who currently stars in the FOX series "The Inside," is joining ABC's "Alias" for the coming season. She'll play a character named Rachel Gibson, a technical analyst who works for a black-ops division of the CIA.

Her casting should help take some of the workload off series star Jennifer Garner, who's pregnant. Garner's pregnancy -- she's expecting her first child with new husband Ben Affleck -- will likely be written into the show, but it also will likely mean a reduction in stunt work and tight costumes for her.

ABC Entertainment chief Stephen McPherson told TV critics earlier this week that Garner's Sydney Bristow would be mentoring a new, younger agent this season that would offer "sex appeal, if you will, in different places." Nichols seems to fit that bill.

Nichols plays FBI Agent Rebecca Locke on "The Inside," which likely won't be back after scoring only meager ratings this summer. She's also appeared in the remake of "The Amityville Horror" (with former "Alias" regular Melissa George) and "Dumb and Dumberer" and guest-starred on "Line of Fire."

First 9/11 Miniseries Starts Filming

ABC's execs need not fear the Death March

Lohan misses premiere in London

Actress Lindsay Lohan did a U-turn and headed home, missing her own premiere in London on Thursday, to fly back to her mother for the start of her parents' divorce proceedings.

The teenager was meant to join her co-star Michael Keaton at the premiere of the Disney film' Herbie: Fully Loaded,' about the adventures of the Volkswagen "love bug" with a mind of its own.

But the 19-year-old, who shot to fame in 1998 in the remake of 'The Parent Trap,' left London last night to join her mother and siblings in New York.

Lohan visited Britain as part of a European tour promoting the film, which would have travelled on to Germany tomorrow.

Goldston to exec produce ABC's 'Nightline'

Former BBC producer James Goldston has been named executive producer of "Nightline" ahead of the planned departure of Tom Bettag later this year. Goldston joined ABC last year as senior producer of primetime specials and investigative reports following a career in British television. Most recently he was executive producer of ITV1's "Tonight with Trevor McDonald" but has also been a producer at "Newsnight," a BBC show that is a lot like "Nightline." Thursday's announcement is aimed at remaking "Nightline," which will lose not only Bettag but host Ted Koppel by the end of the year. "Nightline" recently marked its 25th anniversary but ABC executives have been thinking of ways to gain more viewers. Over the past year, ABC has done at least one unaired pilot and recently began experimenting with multisegment shows in the three nights that Koppel isn't on the air.

Paradise educator named 2005 Teacher of the Year at Disney awards event in Anaheim

David Vixie, an eighth-grade teacher at Paradise Adventist Academy, was named the 2005 Teacher of the Year Tuesday at the annual Disney Teacher Awards in Anaheim.

He competed with 50,000 nominees from across the country and was selected from 45 finalists, all of whom made presentations to a selection committee and attended the awards ceremonies.

Vixie also won the award for Outstanding Middle School Teacher. He'll receive $40,000 and his school will get $5,000.

"When I found out I'd won, I felt an awesome sense of responsibility," Vixie said in a phone interview from Disneyland Wednesday evening. "I'll be representing teachers from all over the country."

Vixie and the other finalists were introduced to Disneyland visitors Wednesday morning in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle and then rode in a parade down Main Street.

"I was in a fire engine with Mickey Mouse," Vixie said

"I want to emphasize that I think all 45 teachers are winners," he said. "I can't tell you why I was chosen. My heart is in education, but that doesn't set me apart from the other teachers. My award wasn't so much because of my natural abilities, but because God is my strength. Strength is for service, not for status."

Vixie said he was shocked when he found out he'd won so much money. He said he plans to use some of it to pay back loans he has taken out over the years to do special teaching projects, including taking students on camping trips along trails the state's first emigrants used.

Disney Worldwide Outreach has committed $700,000 to the 45 teachers and their communities. Vixie said the teachers were selected for their creativity, innovative teaching methods and their ability to inspire students.

Vixie has taught at Paradise Adventist Academy since 1986. He said he had been nominated for a Disney Teacher Award before, but this was the first time he was one of the finalists.

Jason Thomas, one of Vixie's former students, wrote in a letter of recommendation to Disney that "Mr. Vixie instilled in me the values and the work ethic that would prove to be essential to my success as I embarked on my college career."

Tim Bair, Paradise Adventist Academy principal, wrote to Disney that "the desks in Mr. Vixie's classroom are seldom in the standard classroom configuration. One day I walked in and the room was filled with empty appliance boxes. The class was studying the Depression, and this was their 'shanty town.' "

Vixie spent Wednesday in Disneyland with several family members and friends, including his mother, Hilda, his wife, Karen, and their daughter Melinda.

Teen diver nearly drowns while restoring shore at Disney hotel

 

A 16-year-old diver nearly drowned after he became entangled in a rope while doing underwater shore restoration at a Walt Disney World hotel, authorities said.

 

Alan Kringel of Lake Park was in critical condition early Thursday at Orlando Regional Medical Center.

Kringel was working Tuesday on a barrier in a lake behind the Walt Disney World Dolphin, according to an Orange County Sheriff's Office report.

After Kringel's helmet surfaced, other members of the Anchor Marine Environmental Services crew found him tangled in a rope used for diving and pulled him into their boat, the report said.

The teen wasn't breathing and had no pulse, and he was flown by helicopter to the hospital, officials said.

Anchor Marine Environmental Services, a Riviera Beach contractor, had been hired to perform shoreline restoration.

William Billard, the company's vice president, said the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was investigating.

Kringel was certified to scuba dive about eight months ago, and he had been working for the company for about six months, according to the sheriff's report.

Hotel spokeswoman Treva Marshall said Kringel's age had not been disclosed before the shore restoration began.

"Obviously, we were very surprised when we found out the age of the young man," Marshall said.

Senior officials inspect HK Disneyland

 

Acting Financial Secretary Stephen Ip and Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Frederick Ma visited Hong Kong Disneyland today to inspect preparations for the park's opening.

Disneyland Group Managing Director Don Robinson briefed the officials, saying all necessary arrangements are being made to ensure a smooth opening on September 12.

The group also saw the Penny's Bay Police Post where a Joint Command Centre for the opening has been set up to monitor crowd and traffic conditions and co-ordinate contingency measures if necessary.

Disney skaters confident about Beijing adventures

After the success of "The 100 Years of Magic show" in China last year, Disney wants to test the waters a little more this year.

For the first time ever, Disney On Ice brings together three of its most popular animated hits—The Jungle Book, Tarzan and The Lion King, which will be staged from August 2nd to 7th at the Workers Gymnasium.

The director and leading actors from this year's show "Jungle Adventures" met with Chinese audience at a small-scale press conference in Beijing on Tuesday.

Director Melodee Clysdale says she combined the three stories in one, using the story of Timon and Pumbaa.

They characters emerge at the beginning of the show from the Jungle looking for a perfect place for their home.

The home they are looking for is a home with no cares, no problems; a home without worries, a home with "Hakuna Matata".

They search through a series of jungles looking for a home.

The story combines elements of the Jungle Book, Tarzan and the Lion King in this show.

Leading actor Stephane Morel, who plays Tarzan in the show, is a skater from the French National Team.

He is a former French Champion and began skating when he was 19.

Asked why he chose to act Tarzan Stephane Morel said:

"The reason we choose Tarzan and Jane because we were physical capable. We were trained to learn acrobatics. We are not afraid of heights and we want to learn something new. We have very intense training of 8 hours a day."

The same question was put to Gene Siruno, who plays Mowgli, a little boy and is raised up by a group of wolves.

Gene Siruno said he did not choose the role, but the character chooses him.

"I think it's a nice way to stay young and it is a nice way to stay happier."

At last, the director explained that the settings for the show in Beijing are almost the same with in Hangzhou and Shanghai last year except the sizes.

She promised that audiences will see an innovative combination of world-class figure skating and amazing athleticism.

MyPreciousKid.com Scores as Disney wins too

It's no small potatoes! MyPreciousKid.com won the "2005 Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award" created by Jodie Lynn and stands right up there with one of the major family fun players, Disney.com. Kay Green of Banks, Oregon, founder of MyPreciousKid.com has created a Wearable ID Safety Pack to keep kids safer at amusement parks and other outings.

"This is amazing news and we are thrilled beyond words to be an "Adding Wisdom Award" winner, just like Disney.com. The best sites and products really are found on www.AddingWisdomAward.com ," says Kay Green, CEO/founder of www.MyPreciousKid.com .

"MyPreciousKid.com is committed to helping families keep their kids happy and safe while still being kids. Winning such a comparable award for our Wearable ID Product gives a huge boost to the company. We are honored to receive this award," says Green.

Jodie Lynn, family columnist, CEO of www.ParentToParent.com and author, Mommy-CEO says "I have worked with Kay of My Precious Kid in previous years and have enjoyed getting to know her and the importance of her ID items for kids. Her passion for this heartfelt endeavor is incredible. In fact, when a little girl was separated from her mom in one of the largest malls in America last year, she was quickly reunited when the security guard found one of Kay's ID bracelets on the 4-year-old. Need I say more?"

MyPreciousKid.com was founded by Kay Green in 2001 when she needed an ID card for her newly adopted daughter and for her home schooled children. Kay's own experience with her own special needs child makes her mindful of the unique needs for these incredible children. In the last 4 years Kay has created 16 products at the request of families concerned with keeping their children safe. In the last two years she has added 34 products from the best child safe products on the market such as a Child Locator, Shopping Cart Covers, Taggies, Allergy Labels, and ID Bracelets. Kay Green and her husband, along with their 4 children, live in rural Oregon.

MyPreciousKid.com offers free safety consultations to parents who want to know the best safety products for their children. Let Kay help you find the right safety solution for your special child. Contact Kay at 503-324-7323.

McDonald's ditching Mickey Mouse for Shrek

Musical Giants

 

Disney Insider - As it happens, some of the makers of the best kids' music got their start working in the grown-up world of alternative rock. According to John Flansburgh, cofounder of alt-rock duo They Might Be Giants, that's no accident. Together with partner John Linnell, Flansburgh conceived the kid-friendly "Here Come the ABCs," a catchy, comical romp through the alphabet that comes in both CD and DVD formats. It is the premier offering from Disney Sound, an offshoot of Walt Disney Records specifically created for family-oriented projects.

 

"Our songs have often had a bit of humor in the lyrics," notes Flansburgh. "Balancing those ideas while creating a record that can hold the listener's attention is probably the best training for someone who wants to record songs for kids."

Like 2002's "No!," the group's first children's album, "Here Come the ABCs" (which sports titles like "Flying V," "I C U," and the instantly memorable "E Eats Everything") pits bouncy melodies against a hail of brassy guitars and sound effects, resulting in a rare treat: a collection of clever songs that make children happy without making adults cringe.

 

"We just figure that if we make it fun for ourselves, it will work for kids, too," reasons Flansburgh, whose band has penned the TV theme songs for "Malcolm in the Middle" and "The Daily Show." "Kids' recordings are often so streamlined for acceptability's sake that they don't really work for anybody, whereas real kids often like the pop songs they hear on the radio more than any kids' records. We're just trying to bridge that gap."

 

David Agnew, general manager of Buena Vista Music Group and an ardent Giants fan, was executive producer of the DVD. "It's nice to work with people who genuinely like your music, and who give you a lot of creative room," says Flansburgh. "It was very ambitious making a full-length DVD, but John and I were really free to do what we wanted."

Other possible Disney Sound projects include albums from the likes of Devo, B-52's, and the Go-Gos. There might even be another album from the Giants. "There's talk of us doing a 'Here Come the 123s,'" adds Flansburgh, "but I'm so terrible at math, I'm afraid I'll get something really wrong."

Hyperion, IBM Team to Deliver Integrated Business Performance Management Solutions

 

Hyperion, a global leader in Business Performance Management (BPM) software, and IBM announced today that the two companies will work together to deliver new industry and technology solutions and services designed to enhance value to CFO and CIO organizations. This relationship will enable both companies to focus on joint solutions that integrate Hyperion's financial applications and Business Intelligence software with IBM's industry-leading infrastructure software products and Business Consulting Services.

Through the integrated partnership model presented today, IBM will contribute an end-to-end world class enterprise software infrastructure that leverages IBM's DB2 Information Management and WebSphere middleware technologies. IBM will also provide a platform that encourages end-user participation and supports collaborative innovation, modeling, and integration of key business processes across organizations. The second element of the model will be provided by Hyperion, whose technology will deliver insight to improve business performance across the enterprise. Hyperion products will provide superior reporting flexibility for internal controls and deliver transparency and greater visibility into compliance risk exposures.

"Hyperion provides the front-end Business Intelligence access and tools that leverage the power of DB2 for warehouse systems and Business Intelligence capabilities across the enterprise," said Karen Parish, vice president, Business Intelligence Solutions for IBM Software Group. "Working together, we will be able to provide organizations with the deep visibility that provides CFOs and CIOs with the information they need to optimize their operations."

IBM Business Consulting Services (BCS) unit, a global implementer of Hyperion solutions, will help clients optimize business performance, enhance profit and create growth by delivering comprehensive services and solutions. The partnership will maximize the use of Hyperion solutions and make it possible to more effectively deploy Business Intelligence tools and solutions to the enterprise.

"By working more closely together, Hyperion and IBM will offer clients flexible and more powerful methods to optimize business performance," said Nancy Thomas, partner in IBM's Business Consulting Services. "Companies today need an integrated and expansive view of all their business processes to address the increasing need for compliance reporting and risk mitigation."

"With this collaborative model, IBM and Hyperion have combined our depth of knowledge, experience and technology to create integrated solutions for managing business performance management and compliance issues," said John Kopcke, chief technology officer for Hyperion. "Combining IBM's strength in key middleware technologies with Hyperion's leadership in Business Intelligence tools and financial applications will help our mutual customers achieve greater visibility and superior performance."

ABC banks on twists in returning hits for ratings

ABC, on track to post its first profit in years, is counting on plot twists in "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" to keep viewers tuned in to the two hits that have powered the network's rebound, ABC's prime-time programming chief said on Tuesday.

The popular new castaway thriller "Lost" will reveal a key secret to fans early this fall, but the plot revelations on companion hit "Desperate Housewives" will come more slowly, ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson said.

Either way, McPherson said the twin pillars of ABC's comeback in the ratings last season have helped reinvigorate broadcast television, and he is confident both shows will prove hard to copy by rivals.

"'Desperate' and 'Lost' are not shows you can rip off," McPherson told TV critics gathered for ABC's annual summer showcase for the upcoming season. "You can do shows that are maybe influenced by those or that appeal to the same audience, but I think it gets a little risky when people are trying to imitate them."

The two series picked up a load of Emmy Award nominations this month, and both garnered top prizes on Saturday from the Television Critics Association.

The influence of both shows, especially "Lost," is unmistakable this year as all the networks, ABC included, prepare to launch new serialized dramas built around high-concept, paranormal themes. And many more are being pitched by producers for next season.

"'Lost' has really spurred this idea of a big idea," McPherson said.

McPherson said that on this season's premiere of "Lost" in September, viewers and the show's cast of plane crash survivors will discover what lies inside "the hatch" -- a mysterious portal on the fictional island where they are marooned.

LINGERING MYSTERIES

Near the end of the show's first season, the castaways blew open the hatch to find a ladder leading down a dark hole. "You will find out what's in the hatch, and it's not something like, 'Oh, look, there's another ladder,"' McPherson said.

However, viewers will have to wait a bit longer to get answers to lingering questions on "Desperate Housewives," the darkly comic tale of suburban intrigue that ranked as TV's top-rated new show last season.

McPherson reasoned there were fewer loose strands to tie up from last season's finale to "Housewives" -- such as who fathered Eva Longoria's baby -- than there were on "Lost."

The huge success of "Housewives," a show noted for its sexually charged story lines, emerges amid a debate in U.S. political circles over the importance of "family values."

But McPherson said he saw little connection between the nation's political mood and television.

"One's politics, and one's pure fun," he said. "What people are going to watch on television, what they're going to go see at the movies ... I don't know that that really ties in necessarily directly to politics."

Elsewhere on ABC's prime-time lineup, returning espionage drama "Alias" will be undergo a major overhaul to accommodate the real-life pregnancy of its star, Jennifer Garner, newly married to film star Ben Affleck.

McPherson said producers and Garner decided to "embrace" Garner's pregnancy, rather than try to hide it or put the show on hiatus, by writing her impending motherhood into the story.

Garner's participation in action sequences will be toned down considerably, and the network hopes to shift some of the show's "sex appeal" to a new character -- a yet-to-be-cast secret agent who will be introduced as Garner's protege.

ABC parent Walt Disney Co. expects to turn a profit at ABC in the current fiscal year, which ends in September.

Lynda Carter: from Wonder Woman to Principal Powers

There's nothing like the memory of "Wonder Woman's" tiara, bustier and knee-high red boots to reduce a grown man to awkwardly embarrassing behavior. Mike Mitchell admits to having a crush on Lynda Carter, who he directed in the Disney family film "Sky High."

"There was a lot of hero worship going on. I'm a big Wonder Woman fan. I think she has a restraining order against me now 'cause I was directing her and stalking her at the same time," he says. "In fact, if you see her tell her I said, 'Hi' and 'Why hasn't she answered my letters I'm sending her?'"

In Carter's first film role since 2001's "Broken Lizard's Super Troopers," she plays Principal Powers, the headmistress of a top-secret high school for adolescent superheroes.

Writer Paul Hernandez reveals that the folks at Disney who are friends with Carter were responsible for the casting coup and enthuses, "You grew up watching her, (someone) who was so strong and represented the girl side of being tough, the first one of them (to do that)."

When Carter enters the interview room at the Four Seasons Hotel, the tired journalists immediately perk up, talking over each other in their excitement. Although the actress takes the adulation in stride, she firmly credits the iconic character, not herself, with the continued following.

"I figured this out very early on in the Wonder Woman saga that she was striking a chord with people," she says, looking elegant in a black turtleneck and slacks, cream pinstriped blazer and jaunty pink sandals. "And I love her too. I've never been afraid of embracing her, and for some reason that surprises people."

Although it may seem odd to speak of Wonder Woman as a real person, she also had a more personal impact on Carter, beyond just launching her screen career.

"She really saved my life in so many ways," reveals the actress. "I was happiest on the set during that time in my life. I wasn't happy going home. And so she really was a life saver."

"Sky High" centers on young Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano), who's the offspring of the world's most famed superheroes (Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston). To his disappointment, Will doesn't seem to have any powers, and is labeled a sidekick, doomed to take "hero support" classes with his pals who are constantly picked on by the more gifted kids.

Despite her iconic career and current happiness, Carter sympathizes with the sidekicks, who are relegated to second-class status at the school.

The former Miss USA recalls, "I was the nerd. I was the big, tall girl (among) all the little shrimpy boys. I only had three dates in high school, and it was the same guy. He would ask me for every prom and that was the only time he would ever ask me out."

Fast forward 30-odd years later, and it's Carter's character who wields the power at Sky High and gives a new meaning to the term "heavenly body."

"She is a comet. She chooses to also be a principal of the high school," she explains. "When she pulls herself out of this comet and into this principal it's just like, 'Don't mess with me.' She's not going to take any guff off of these little rat kids."

Imagine her surprise then, when she found out that the dynamic character was initially conceived as a frumpy old lady, complete with glasses, orthopedic shoes, tweed suits and hair in a bun. Prior to the casting, Hernandez admits that he envisioned quite a different actress for the role. "In my head it was an older woman ... like Bea Arthur or something."

After one look at the proposed wardrobe for Principal Powers, Carter took matters into her own hands, suggesting, "What do you think about the extreme opposite? Stiletto heels, expensive great-looking suits that are fit to perfection - a power suit. Let's just bomb her out. Those kids are shaking in their boots when they see her walking down the hallway."

After gaining the costume designer's support, she won over Mitchell with her superhero debating skills. "I said, 'She's the principal of this high school. And, you cast me, not just somebody else - and she's a comet, for God's sakes."

ABC exec fires at attack of 'clones'

Copy ABC's hit series at your own peril.

That was the caveat issued Tuesday by Stephen McPherson, president of entertainment at ABC, during the network's opening session at the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour.

Alluding to the handful of new sci-fi series on the fall schedule, McPherson noted that the series that helped rejuvenate ABC are unique.

"'Desperate Housewives' and 'Lost' are not shows that you can rip off," he said. "I think it would be a mistake to do those shows again."

With elements of fantasy in its story line, "Lost" in particular has been cited as an influence on first-year shows incorporating otherworldly occurrences such as CBS' "Threshold" and NBC's "Surface" (previously known as "Fathom"). McPherson credited "Lost" with helping broaden "the palate of what's being pitched" with regard to series ideas for ABC.

McPherson echoed his copycat concerns for the unscripted realm, where he noted competitors are aping the feel-good tone of its hit reality shows like "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." With even "American Idol" now marketing itself in the mode of dream fulfillment, McPherson wondered whether the saturation point for kinder, gentler reality TV is near.

"At what point does that become overkill because of the clones?" McPherson said.

Speaking to reporters after the session, McPherson alluded to grievances he aired at last year's TCA tour about allegations that Fox was copying ABC's reality-show concepts. "I hope with (new network president) Peter Liguori and Fox we're going to see a different approach," he said.

ABC's summer reality shows were a big subject of discussion, particularly new hit "Dancing With the Stars." Reporters grilled McPherson about how Kelly Monaco, star of ABC's "General Hospital," managed to win the contest.

"You can't underestimate the power of the daytime audience, in terms of support," McPherson said of Monaco's fan base. He noted that "Dancing" is considering adding a separate episode devoted to results a la "Idol" when the series returns midseason.

In a separate session devoted to "Dancing," producers and judges denied Monaco's affiliation to ABC influenced their vote. "Never once did they (ABC) ever ask us about judging," said judge Len Goodman. "I didn't even know that she was on ABC."    

In addition, McPherson stood by another ABC unscripted summer hit, "Brat Camp," when questioned whether filming a therapeutic wilderness program for teenagers amounted to exploitation. "We do in fact think they are effective programs," he said.

ABC's success this summer also could impact its scheduling strategy for midseason, particularly Mondays, where the network had slated such new shows as "Emily's Reasons Why Not" and "What About Brian" to replace "Monday Night Football" in January.

"We now have a couple more assets coming out of the summer, with alternative shows," McPherson said. "Those will play into how we move things around."

McPherson also reaffirmed his decision to yank reality series "Welcome to the Neighborhood" from the schedule just 10 days before it was scheduled to air this month because of its potential violation of the Fair Housing Act.

The reversal came about, McPherson said, because he had greenlighted the series on the basis of its premiere only to find that later episodes were inconsistent with the messages offered on tolerance. "The responsible thing to do was not to air it," he said.

However, McPherson noted that ABC might edit "Neighborhood" footage so that it would be suitable for primetime. "We're still trying to figure out if there's a way to air it in a different form," he said.

On the scripted side, McPherson indicated that returning series "Alias" will figure out how to write the real-life pregnancy of its star, Jennifer Garner, into its story lines. "We're going to embrace the fact that she's pregnant," said McPherson, who noted a new character would be added to the series.

McPherson also dismissed concerns that J.J. Abrams, executive producer of "Lost," "Alias" and "Brian," might be overextending himself. Abrams is in Rome directing "Mission: Impossible 3."

"We think he's surrounded himself with the right players to get the shows done," McPherson said.

ABC, actress answer to criticized 'Dancing' outcome

Kelly Monaco knows there are television viewers who aren't happy she won ABC TV's "Dancing With the Stars" competition, but she isn't going to let it bother her.

"I do not hold anything personally. I'm not going to go home and cry because someone did not like my dancing," the actress from ABC's "General Hospital" soap opera said Tuesday of a viewer backlash.

"I felt from the beginning this is fun for me. ... If you don't like it, you don't like it. I wouldn't be sitting here if the whole world hated what I did," she told the Television Critics Association.

Monaco and the producers of the ABC series were peppered with questions, with some reporters saying they received complaints from viewers who were confused by the voting process that relied on both the audience and judges.

Questions also were raised about possible network favoritism for Monaco. The runner-up was John O'Hurley, who played catalogue king J. Peterman on NBC's "Seinfeld."

Judge Len Goodman said the results weren't influenced by the network.

"I never knew she was on ABC," he said of Monaco.

Asked about reports that O'Hurley was upset he didn't win, supervising producer Izzie Pick said only that the actor was "obviously disappointed." Pick noted how much time and effort O'Hurley and others put into training and competing.

Monaco received support from judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who said she scored the actress' final dance a "10" because "she did a great performance, she showed us what she had."

O'Hurley, on the other hand, played it safe with his routine, Inaba said.

The celebrity contest has found overwhelming success in the United Kingdom, where it originated, as well as in other countries including Australia, Poland and Denmark, said Paul Telegdy, a BBC executive.

"It's a fun, satisfying show that hasn't got a nasty bone in its body," he said. "We're really enjoying the controversy but it baffles us."

The program proved to be an American hit as well, ranking as the most popular summer series since the first "Survivor" on CBS in 2000, according to Nielsen Media Research.

It will be returning at midseason and changes are under consideration, said Pick, who was vague on details.

Earlier Tuesday at the critics' meeting, ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson was grilled about Monaco's victory and viewer perceptions of possible ABC influence.

"Do I understand it? I guess I understand that people are going to have strong preferences. I love that people are so wrapped up in the show," he said.

He suggested the possibility of a "dance-off" between Monaco and O'Hurley. When a reporter asked Monaco about it later, she replied: "Bring it on. You want a dance-off, come on up here. I'll give you a dance-off."

Disney rewards creativity

These teachers do not teach by the book.

One taught her students about her experience of escaping the Cambodian minefields. Another brought in a lion cub so her visually impaired pupils could feel the animal through their other senses.

The teachers were among 45 people from across the nation honored Tuesday night for finding creative ways to inspire their charges.

Gathering at a Disneyland Hotel gala, each won $10,000 or $5,000 for their schools. About 50,000 teachers were nominated by their peers in May.

Only one teacher was named the 2005 Disney Teacher of the Year and four others were named outstanding teachers. They received an additional $15,000.

David Vixie, an eighth-grade humanities teacher from Paradise, took the top award.

Carol Anne McGuire, a teacher of blind and visually impaired pupils at Imperial Elementary School in Anaheim Hills, was the only finalist from Orange County. She recently was honored with two California State Media and Multimedia Festival Awards during the Cal State Technology Showcase for teaching her blind pupils how to make movies.

"The motto of my classroom is vision, and it does not require sight," McGuire said during the awards ceremony. "I still think that these kids have taught me far more than I taught them."

Since 1989, the Walt Disney Co. has contributed more than $25 million to teachers and schools. The annual awards are part of DisneyHand, a worldwide outreach program.

Other teachers with Orange County ties have been honored in the past:

Jason Unger, a graduate of Edison High School of Huntington Beach, earned the Disney Teacher of the Year Award in 2001. He was selected by the Teach for America program to work at an inter-city school for two years and was assigned to Dickinson Elementary School in Compton, where he raised $35,000 to take his entire class to Washington, D.C., in June 2001.

Huong Tran Nguyen of Westminster and a Long Beach Polytechnic High School teacher was selected by her peers in 1994 as Walt Disney Co.'s most honored Teacher of the Year.

Meg Elder was nominated in 2003. She started Anaheim High School's dance program 16 years ago with only 15 students and the use of an empty classroom for one hour a day.

Cell phones targeted at kids get angry reception

A group of child advocates, including the singer Raffi, Harvard child psychiatrist Alvin Poussaint and conservative political operative Phyllis Schlafly, sent letters Tuesday asking both houses of Congress to investigate the marketing and sale of mobile phones to children.

Protesting the new market niche of children 8-12 years old, the letter accused the telecommunications industry of declaring "open season upon the children of this country."

"The targeting of young children as the next growth market for the telecom industry is one of the worst ideas to appear in the American economy in a long time," the letter states. "Despite the industry's rhetoric, Disney and the telecommunications companies really want to use children as conduits to their parents' wallets, and marketers want another way to bypass parents and speak directly to the nation's children" through telemarketing, text message marketing and adver-games.

While kiddie cell phones are seen by some consumers as potential safety devices that keep families connected, the group wants Congress to investigate whether adults other than parents could contact children by phone, and whether individuals other than parents could track the physical location of the child's phone. Their other concerns included classroom disruptions, billing practices and health concerns specific to children.

Firefly Mobile has signed up 100,000 users under age 12 since March. Firefly phones connect with parent-programmed phone numbers at the touch of one button. The five-key pad includes "mom" and "dad" icons. Walt Disney Co. and Sprint earlier this month announced a deal to offer wireless service to 8- to 12-year-olds. Coming soon: child-targeted phone service from Enfora for children as young as 6, Global Positioning System through Wherify, a Barbie brand mobile phone from Mattel and one from Hasbro called "Chat Now."

The letter-writing campaign was organized by Commercial Alert, a Portland, Ore.,-based nonprofit organization. Letters were sent to members of the Senate and House commerce committees.

Michaels to keep 'MNF' gig when ESPN takes over in '06

 

Al Michaels will continue to call play-by-play on Monday Night Football, when it shifts from ABC to ESPN in the 2006 season, ESPN programming executive Mark Shapiro announced Tuesday.

"He wasn't about to let Monday Night Football get away," says Shapiro. "And we weren't about to let him go."

Michaels will receive a new eight-year contract as part of the arrangement.

NBC publicly had sought Michaels for its Sunday night NFL game coverage, also starting in 2006, and NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol has suggested that Michaels was being offered much more money to remain with Disney, which owns ESPN and ABC. "I can't speak for him, but the only issue was money," Ebersol said.

"To say that Michaels made the decision based on perks or money you couldn't get elsewhere would be spin from somebody finishing in second place," said Shapiro.

NBC hired John Madden last month to be its game analyst for Sunday night games. Madden has another season of Monday Night Football on ABC, whose current NFL deal ends with the Super Bowl as ESPN inherits Monday games.

Bob Costas will host NBC's Sunday night NFL studio show along with Cris Collinsworth.

Hong Kong Disney to bring huge benefits

The opening of the highly-anticipated Hong Kong Disneyland will foster the significant development of tourist-related industries in the territory.

Lui Yui-dong, vice-chairman of K. Wah International Holdings, said this yesterday at a public forum, adding that the recent revaluation of the Chinese currency will reinforce this positive momentum.

"After the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park opens, there will be a notable resurgence of tourists in the territory, benefiting many sectors including retail, hotel, catering and travel industries," he told reporters.

In spite of an anticipated influx of mainland and overseas tourists in the coming months, Lui said the supply of hotel rooms in Hong Kong is sufficient to meet the increased demand.

"The supply of hotel accommodation in Hong Kong will be adequate to meet the needs of additional tourists, and the prices might increase slightly in the latter part of the year, as they have risen by about 10 per cent in the first half of the year," he said.

But Lui said hotels under K. Wah International will not raise hotel rental prices in the short-term.

"We will not raise accommodation charges at this stage to keep prices attractive to tourists," he said.

Government officials had stressed that Hong Kong Disneyland's opening would be a "driving force for tourism growth in Hong Kong".

They said that the whole economy will continue to benefit tremendously from it.

The project has created 11,400 jobs during its construction, while another 18,000 jobs are expected to be created in phases by the park's opening.

In the first 40 years after its opening, Hong Kong Disneyland is projected to bring about a huge economic benefit of HK$148 billion to the territory as a whole.

The Girls of Summer have arrived

Buena Vista Games, Inc. (BVG), the interactive entertainment arm of The Walt Disney Company, announced today that Disney's Kim Possible 3: Team Possible and Disney's That's So Raven 2: Supernatural Style are now available at retail outlets nationwide. Exclusively for the Game Boy^® Advance, Kim Possible 3 and That's So Raven 2 take players on interactive adventures with their favorite stars of hit Disney Channel television shows "Kim Possible" and "That's So Raven."

"Our Disney Channel handheld games are some of the most successful franchises for tweens on the GBA," said Dana Long, director of kids marketing for Buena Vista Games. "Just in time for summer, these games allow players to take their favorite characters with them anywhere they go for hours of game play fun."

Disney's Kim Possible 3: Team Possible brings Kim Possible, everyone's favorite crime-fighting cheerleader, back to the Game Boy Advance along with her sidekick, Ron Stoppable. Players will have to master Kim's and Ron's unique gadgets as the duo battles together to defeat evil villains such as Monkey/Gorilla Fist; Señor Senior, Jr.; Shego and the evil Dr. Drakken to save the world from maniacal schemes. With expansive environments, unlockable mini-games and both single- and multi-player modes, Disney's Kim Possible 3: Team Possible immerses fans of the television series into Kim's crime-fighting life in a new, action-packed adventure.

In Disney's That's So Raven 2: Supernatural Style, Raven faces some wacky predicaments on her way to the season's most important fashion show. Players must help Raven make it in time to strut her stuff on the catwalk while playing through hilarious escapades in six different environments. From the mall to the zoo and even to a science fiction convention, players will use Raven's psychic premonitions and help from Chelsea, Devon, Eddie, Cory and Dad to get Raven to the show on time in classic Raven style.

Developed by Artificial Mind and Movement (A2M) and published by Disney Interactive, a publishing label of Buena Vista Games, Disney's Kim Possible 3: Team Possible and Disney's That's So Raven 2: Supernatural Style are rated "E" for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and each carry a suggested retail price of $29.99.

About Buena Vista Games

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

Is Disney World safe?

Over the weekend, Disney's (NYSE: DIS) flagship theme park resort in Florida was dealt another blow when a medical report detailed the case of an April fatality on the Dinosaur thrill ride at Disney's Animal Kingdom. The ride was cleared in the mishap; the 30-year-old passenger had an unfortunate medical history and was wearing a pacemaker. But the press picked up on the story, adding to the bad publicity Disney has garnered lately.

This is the kind of story that would normally scoot below the radar. In fact, it almost did. If it were not for the reports coming out of the Bureau of Fair Rides and Exhibitions and the Orange County Medical Examiner's Office, the media would have probably not even have known that it happened.

But it did happen. And journalists love to rubberneck when covering the self-proclaimed Happiest Place on Earth.

Grim, grinning media comes out to scandalize

For some recent guests at Disney's Florida parks, it has been anything but that. Earlier this month, a teenaged girl suffered a stroke after riding Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and remains in critical condition. In an even more horrific accident, a four-year-old boy died in June after riding EPCOT's Mission: Space attraction. Tack on the case of a 77-year-old woman with medical complications who passed away while riding the rather tame Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Florida's Magic Kingdom back in February, and Disney seems downright dangerous.

Is Disney too daring for your next family vacation? Of course not. I've been to the Florida parks more than a hundred times since the 1970s. Beyond once gashing a thumbnail when I was 10 while going down a slide at the now-defunct River Country water park, I can't say that I'm any worse for the wear.

That certainly isn't meant to belittle the fatalities or the families who have suffered. It's terrible. It's incomprehensible. There's no doubt about that. However, two of the three deaths were apparently the result of bad timing as the guests came packing plenty of medical history baggage.

According to Amusement Business, Disney's four Florida parks combined for 40.7 million guests in attendance last year. The law of averages states that a few folks will pass away while on vacation. I've been on cruise ships where guests bid bon voyage and it never makes the printed page. Disney, on any given day, is probably a much safer place to be than, say, driving or walking around. The problem is that the press couldn't care less about the guests who expire while dozing in their guest rooms or on their way to catch a plane to Orlando. It just doesn't make the headlines sing the way an on-ride casualty does.

Disney Stores Nationwide Gear up for Back-to-School

Disney Store Offers One-Stop Shopping Experience for "Must-Have" Apparel and School Supplies, Including Denim, Backpacks and Lunch Totes

Kids can go back to school in authentic Disney style - with everything from fleece ponchos and sateen skorts for girls, to varsity jackets and wind pants for boys - all in mix & match separates featuring the latest fabrics and trend-setting designs from Disney Store. Available only at Disney Store in malls and shopping centers nationwide, the 2005 back-to-school collection offers a variety of character-themed, head-to-toe ensembles for kids sizes 2-12.

"Disney Store is the only place to get authentic, high quality, character-themed Disney apparel and supplies for back-to-school," said Mario Ciampi, President of Disney Store. "Our goal is to offer families a magical, fun, one-stop shopping experience, and our mix and match separates make it easy. Kids can go back to school with comfort and style, accompanied by their favorite Disney characters."

Disney characters are especially comforting to children starting a new school year - particularly those beginning school for the first time. Over the years, parents have come to trust the reliability and durability of Disney Store apparel and accessories, and this year parents will appreciate even more the quality and value of authentic Disney products.

Back-To-School Supplies And Accessories

Disney Store backpacks ($SRP 14.50) and lunch totes ($SRP 9.50) feature characters from The Incredibles and Power Rangers for boys and Disney Princesses and JoJo's Circus for girls. Disney Store back-to-school accessories are popular with kids because they're fun, colorful and functional.

Back-To-School Fashions For Girls

For girls, Tinkerbell, Disney Princesses, Minnie, Daisy and Pooh inspire ensembles of trend-setting separates, including five-pocket, pre-washed jeans in sapphire, topaz or sparkly denim ($SRP 18.50). Little princesses can complete their outfits with sophisticated, character-themed coordinates like rhinestone tees ($SRP 14.50), stretch jersey blouses with ruffles and bows ($SRP 12.50), sweet Mary Jane shoes ($SRP 14.50) or multi-colored baseball caps ($SRP 7.50).

Back-To-School Fashions For Boys

For boys, coordinated ensembles and denim staples inspired by Buzz Lightyear, Power Rangers, The Incredibles, Nemo and Mickey make dressing for school fun. Mix & match separates include five-pocket carpenter jeans in Mainstreet (antique) and Frontier (dirty) washes ($SRP 18.50). Paired with football jerseys ($SRP 14.50) or long-sleeved rugby tees ($SRP 16.50), boys can go back to school in colorful Disney style. The assortment also includes velcro athletic shoes ($SRP 14.50), baseball caps ($SRP 7.50) and outerwear ($SRP 19.50) to complete the look.

About Disney Store North America

Disney Store originated the themed retail environment when it opened its first store in Glendale, California in 1987. Disney Store currently operates over 300 locations in the United States and Canada that offer immediate access to magical Disney products. Disney Store is operated by a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Children's Place Retail Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCE), a leading specialty retailer of apparel and accessories for children.

Disney Channel Worldwide Appoints New VP

Disney Channel Worldwide has promoted Sean Cocchia to VP of business development. 

In addition to overseeing the business planning and development for Disney Channel Worldwide, Cocchia will work with other departments and divisions across The Walt Disney Company on the formulation of new opportunities and growth strategies for the kids television business. He will report to Rich Ross, the president of Disney Channel Worldwide.

"Sean's expertise and experience, as well as his in-depth knowledge of the Disney organization, make him the perfect person to lead our business development efforts," said Ross. "He has done an exceptional job over the past five years to extend our Disney Channel and Jetix businesses by formulating and implementing a variety of growth strategies."

Cocchia joined The Walt Disney Company in July 1998 as a senior analyst in the strategic planning division. Most recently he served as executive director of business management for Disney Channel U.S

Child Advocates Diss Disney’s MouseKaPhone

Boise teacher finalist for Disney's teacher of the year

A Boise teacher is visiting the happiest place on earth this week as a finalist for Disney's teacher of the year award.

Wanda Jennings teaches first grade at Jefferson Elementary School and was chosen out of 50,000 to be in the top 45 invited to Disneyland this week.

Tonight a special gala will be held where the top five teachers will be announced.

This morning Mrs. Jennings paid a visit via satellite to our morning show with Maggie and Ryan who asked the most important question at Disneyland.

“Are you going on all of the rides?” asked NewsChannel 7.

“I've been on a few,” said Jennings.

“Come on, you've got to tell us about the rides,” inquired NewsChannel 7.

“Mostly they're keeping us busy with, we're meeting all of the other people and we've got to hear all the other teachers tell how they're good and what things, creative things, they're doing in their classrooms. So it's been a really awesome experience,” said Jennings.

Tonight Mrs. Jennings will find out if she is one of four honorees chosen as outstanding teachers, or even the one chosen as the 2005 Disney teacher of the year!

And already because she was chosen in the top 45, Mrs. Jennings received $10,000, the trip to Disneyland with her husband, $5,000 for Jefferson Elementary, and a six-day professional development institute with her principal.

 

Viewer alert: Major revelations are coming soon. Television's two most-talked-about series, ABC's Lost and Desperate Housewives, quickly plan to answer questions raised by their cliffhangers last season.

On Desperate Housewives, the first episode will open by showing what happens when plumber Mike (James Denton) goes into the house where agitated teen Zach (Cody Kasch) is holding Susan (Teri Hatcher) hostage, series creator Marc Cherry says.

Lost will plunge into the mysterious hatch in its first episode, series co-creator Damon Lindelof says.

"You will see everything that's in there. What is in there will change everything about how they live on the island," Lindelof says. "We are erring on the side of giving away too much as opposed to being too vague."

The producers are meeting the nation's TV critics to collect awards. The Television Critics Association honors Desperate Housewives as program of the year. Lost earns prizes as best new program and top drama. Both series are likely to start their second seasons in mid-September.

The hatch looms as the main topic on Lost, and producers plan a bold revelation.

"I can guarantee you there will be people [viewers] who do not like what they find in the hatch," Lindelof says. "We found this door in the 10th episode of the show, and 13 episodes later they finally open it up. So what's inside has to be something big."

Although the contents can be construed as science fiction, Lindelof rules out a few possibilities.

"There aren't aliens in there," he says. "There isn't a time-travel portal. They aren't going to find a ship they blast off into space." The ill-fated voyage of the raft forms another major plot. A band of vicious strangers set the craft afire and seized the boy Walt (Malcolm David Kelley). Three other castaways -- Michael (Harold Perrineau), Sawyer (Josh Holloway) and Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) -- were left struggling for survival in the ocean.

"If they will reconvene with the main group becomes the story fodder of the first seven or eight episodes," Lindelof says.

The show will continue to examine characters' lives through flashbacks before the plane crash put them on a remote island. Those plots will include more on the marriage of Jack (Matthew Fox); the injury that put Locke (Terry O'Quinn) in a wheelchair; the rock-star existence of Charlie (Dominic Monaghan); the fugitive past of Kate (Evangeline Lilly); and the lottery lifestyle of Hurley (Jorge Garcia).

Michelle Rodriguez joins the cast as a passenger who was in the tail section and who survived elsewhere on the island. The recurring numbers -- on the flight, hatch and lottery ticket -- will become "the driving and fundamental plot point of the second season," Lindelof says. Viewers will know how the plane crashed by season two's end, he promises.

But Lindelof stresses the people are the main element. "The island just serves as a conduit to tell character stories," he says. "No one is really watching the show for the answers to those mysteries. They're watching to see: Will Kate and Jack hook up?"

Desperate Housewives creator Cherry clears up a lingering mystery: Rex (Steven Culp), husband of Bree (Marcia Cross), is definitely dead.

"There was a scene in the finale which made it really, really clear," he says. "Because we were long, I cut it. I thought the phone call [from the doctor to Bree] did it. I did not mean to confuse the fans in any way."

Alfre Woodard, who's a new regular, plays a housewife with a dark secret. "Her character was a concert pianist," Cherry says. "She's going to be involved in something pretty gothic on the show -- pretty dark and spooky."

Cherry previews what's ahead for the other wives:

Susan finds out the truth about Mike's relationship to Zach.

Lynette (Felicity Huffman) joins the work force in a surprising way. Joely Fisher will play one of her bosses.

Pregnant Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) has to convince Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) that the baby is his, and finds a way to do it.

Bree has a battle royale with her mother-in-law (Shirley Knight) over Rex's funeral.

Edie (Nicollette Sheridan) will begin a romantic relationship in the second episode that frustrates Susan greatly.

Cherry dismissed speculation, fueled by a Vanity Fair article, that the actresses are not getting along. He notes that Huffman attends the critics' party, although she wasn't a nominee for comedy achievement. Hatcher and Cross, who were nominees, do not show up. They lose to Jon Stewart of The Daily Show.

"Everyone's really lovely," Cherry says. "We're people going, 'Glad we have a job.' With the exception of Eva, most of us kind of had passed our prime a little bit, in terms of how the industry can look at you. So I think we're all grateful we caught the second wave. If you're a comedy writer or an actress, when you hit 40, you start to get nervous. We have a lot in common, those two professions."

Disney to axe Sydney studio

Australia's film industry has been dealt a blow with the decision by US entertainment giant Walt Disney Co to close its animation production studio in Sydney.

The closure of DisneyToon Studios Australia (DTSA) in mid-2006 will cost about 250 jobs, the company said.

"It is with regret that DisneyToon Studios has decided to close their animation production facility in Sydney in mid-2006," the company said in a statement today.

"This closure is a business decision due in large part to the changing creative climate and economic environment in which DisneyToon Studios requires more flexibility to choose the most appropriate and efficient animation process."

The demise of the Australian studio follows Disney's closure of other international facilities in recent years.

DisneyToon staff were told of the decision yesterday when all employees were briefed by general manager Philip Oakes.

"They just told us they wanted to finish up (films) Brother Bear and Cinderella III and the studio would shut down after that project," said a staff member who asked not to be named.

"They said primarily that they just can't guarantee getting enough constant work coming through to us here so that decision was made to close the studio.

"I think most people knew it was going to happen. You hear a few rumours.

"We are not covered by a union at all. They did hand us out some forms and are giving us a redundancy payout, which I think is pretty standard."

The DTSA began operations in Australia in 1988, taking over the old Hanna Barbera studios in Sydney's St Leonards.

Since then, the studio has grown rapidly and moved to the city with offices in Castlereagh Street in central Sydney.

DTSA started working mostly on television cartoons, such as Winnie the Pooh, Darkwing Duck, Goof Troop, Aladdin, Timon and Pumbaa, and Duck Daze.

However, as technologies advanced and Australian animation staff became more skilled, the studio began working on higher profile projects.

Its first feature film was the 1994 sequel to Aladdin, entitled The Return of Jafar, released direct to DVD.

Other films included the sequel to The Lion King, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, An Extremely Goofy Movie and Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure.

In 2002, the DTSA produced its first theatrical release feature, Return to Neverland, the sequel to the 1953 Disney classic Peter Pan.

That film grossed more than $100 million at the worldwide box office.

In recent years, DisneyToon's US parent company closed all its overseas operations bar Australia and a small office in the Philippines.

In March last year, DisneyToon said "virtually all" of Walt Disney Co's hand-drawn animation was being produced in Sydney.

"The studio thought it was better to boil it down to what the audience would accept and Sydney being so good still remained," senior Disney animator Andreas Deja said earlier this year.

This year, DisneyToon Studio has produced animated movies Tarzan 2, Lilo and Stitch 2 and Bambi 2.

"The many gifted and talented artists on the Australian team have made a tremendous contribution to Disney's animation endeavours," DisneyToon said in today's statement.

Disney said it would continue to employ 270 Australians around the country in other divisions.

Skeptical Carson woman took chance on Disney

A half century ago, 84-year-old Janice Ayres of Carson City took a chance on a job with Disney Enterprises as the first marketing director for an amusement park being developed in Southern California.

As Disneyland celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, Ayres said she didn’t understand then how the Anaheim project would be a booming success. Ayres, who worked for the company for five years beginning in late 1954, also said she remembered Walt Disney’s unpretentious nature, her dislike for rides and how the work environment became less fun as the business grew.

“Overall, it was an experience I’ll always treasure,” Ayres said. “Although I was skeptical in the beginning, I was fortunate to be in on the ground floor with something that made history.”

Ayres, executive director of the Nevada Rural Counties Retired and Senior Volunteer Program and a former Carson City supervisor, plans to discuss her experiences next month at the Nevada State Railroad Museum.

“I was looking for a marketing job and decided to give it a try,” Ayres said of interviewing with Disney.

She and her husband owned the Chevrolet dealership in Long Beach, and Ayres said she had done regional marketing for the American Heart Association. With degrees in business administration and mass communications from the University of Southern California, she managed an interview.

“The personnel director told me Walt Disney was a visionary. But I just couldn’t see it,” Ayres said. “At the time, people went to the beach in their leisure time. I really couldn’t understand why people would go to an amusement park in Anaheim.”

When she went to the site in Anaheim, she said it was covered with rabbit trails.

“But if this was really going to be as big as some people thought, I felt I was lucky to get the job,” Ayres said.

Soon it became evident that the press wanted to tell the Disneyland story, she said.

When the park started she said all there was to it were some houses in an orange grove and a horse barn. Work had begun on the railroad — a special Disney interest and park focal point — and rides were under development in preparation for a July 17, 1955, opening.

She said her first meeting with Walt Disney was far from what she expected.

“I was talking on the phone and suddenly someone started hammering on the building,” Ayres said. “I yelled, ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing out there?’”

She said she went outside and discovered it was Disney, wearing a tool belt.

“He said he was sorry, that he should have asked first,” Ayres said. “He was very down to earth. He would go around the park and if something needed to be done, he would do it.”

Not long after that, she said she got a call from a person identifying himself as Walt. When she asked for his last name, he said Disney.

“I told him, ‘Sure, and I’m Minnie Mouse.’ But it really was him. He liked to be on a first-name basis with everyone. People had trouble getting used to his informality,” Ayres said.

By the time the park opened, Ayres said people became enamored by what was being offered.

“We realized we needed to aim much of our marketing at adults,” Ayres said. “They were every bit as interested in the park as children, and that’s still the case today.”

Film review: Sky High

"Sky High" gets off to a slow start with half-baked jokes and a cheesy visual style. Then the jokes pick up and the characters come into sharper focus.

The visual style remains pedestrian, but director Mike Mitchell ("Surviving Christmas") receives spirited performances from his young actors and knowing turns from the veterans. This comedy about a special high school for teens with superpowers earns a B+, with much of the credit belong to a savvy screenplay by Paul Hernandez, Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle, which explores the angst and travails of high school through the comic lens of a world in which superheroes are commonly known and accepted.

This Disney film is a likable mix of laughs and wacky action sequences so the studio can anticipate above-average business from family audiences and teens on dates.

Will (Michael Angarano) is the son of two superheroes, Commander Stronghold (Kurt Russell) and Josie Jetstream (Kelly Preston), who must save the world on a regular basis. His first day at his Dad's alma mater, Sky High -- a campus whose antigravity device keeps it suspended above the clouds -- Will must confront his worst fear: He has no apparent powers of his own.

The school is divided into a demeaning class system among heroes, kids with extraordinary power, and sidekicks -- youngsters who act as support for the heroes of the future. So for Will, his first day becomes a bad news/good news situation. The bad news is that he, along with his best friend and girl next door, Layla (Danielle Panabaker), whose beauty Will fails to notice, get lumped with the sidekicks. The good news is that the hottest girl on campus, senior class president Gwen Grayson (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), seems to have a thing for him. Which is bad news for Layla, who has a major crush on Will.

Will also discovers he has an arch enemy in Warren Peace (Steven Strait) -- as in War and Peace because the guy's a bit schizophrenic -- whose dad was put in jail by Will's dad. Eventually, Will must confess to Dad and Mom about his lack of powers, a conversation he no sooner has then he discovers he does have superpowers. (Something to do with late-blooming puberty, no doubt.) When Will transfers from sidekick to hero studies, the whole class issue becomes ensnared in the romantic triangle among Will, Layla and Gwen. Of course, Gwen has ulterior motives in her relationship with Will.

Adult figures on campus include Principal Powers, played by Wonder Woman herself, Lynda Carter; Bruce Campbell's Coach Boomer, his voice a sonic boom; Kevin Heffernan's bus driver, whose gung-ho spirit belies his lack of powers; and Cloris Leachman's amusing cameo as a school nurse with X-ray vision.

"Sky High" wins few marks for originality. A school for superheroes sounds suspiciously like the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series. And a family of superheroes does remind you of "The Incredibles." But the way in which the script mixes campus melodramas -- from cafeteria fights and detention to school dances and problematic romances -- with a world of superheroism becomes more amusing with each passing minute.

Angarano delivers just the right blend of earnestness, insecurity and moral indignation. Panabaker has a beguiling, intelligent presence on screen, while Winstead nicely suggests a cool femme fatale. Russell and Preston play their roles with nonchalant preening. Strait is allowed to develop the movie's most complex character, a sullen antihero with the makings of an actual hero.

The effects, sets and action is clumsy at times, but then you wouldn't want the movie to be slicker; the filmmakers could have overproduced this little comedy. By keeping things modest and relying on the ingenuity of the script, the movie stays enjoyable rather than becoming silly.

Cast: Josie Jetstream: Kelly Preston; Will Stronghold: Michael Angarano; Layla; Danielle Panabaker; Gwen Grayson: Mary Elizabeth Winstead; Commander Stronghold: Kurt Russell; Warren Peace: Steven Straight; Coach Boomer: Bruce Campbell; Principal Powers: Lynda Carter.

Director: Mike Mitchell; Screenwriters: Paul Hernandez, Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle; Producer: Andrew Gunn; Executive producers: Mario Iscovich, Ann Marie Sanderlin; Director of photography: Shelly Johnson; Production designer: Bruce Robert Hill; Music: Michael Giacchino; Costumes: Michael Wilkinson; Editor: Peter Amundson.

Scott Frank is on The Lookout

Screenwriter Scott Frank will make his directiorial debut on The Lookout, a dramatic thriller he wrote, says Variety. Spyglass and Disney will finance and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will star.

The film revolves around a mentally impaired former athlete who works as a janitor at a bank and gets sucked into a heist. Shooting begins next spring in Canada.

Frank wrote Lookout eight years ago. The script originated at DreamWorks and has had at various times attachments from directors Sam Mendes and David Fincher and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Ryan Gosling.

Disneyland Resort rail link to open August 1st

 

Disneyland Resort Line, the rail link running between the new Tung Chung Line Sunny Bay Station and the Disneyland Resort Station, will be open to the public August 1.

MTRC's head of operations, Wilfred Lau, said the opening is part of the final preparation work for Hong Kong Disneyland, which will open September 12.

Lau said there will be contingency measures in place to control the crowd at Disneyland Resort Station, while a small section of the Park Promenade between the station exit and the park entrance will be open for public access to facilitate smooth pedestrian flow.

``Advisory public announcements will be broadcast at MTR stations when we see crowds starting to build. And there will be intermittent closure of ticket gates to slow down passenger flow,'' Lau said.

He said the MTRC will work with the police and Disneyland to monitor the crowd situation.

Lau urged the public not to be in a hurry to try out the new service on August 1 and during the initial period of the MTR's operations.

The Disneyland Resort Station was opened to the media Monday. The station is decorated in Victorian style.

Miranda Leung, MTRC's general manager-corporate relations, said that the aim is to take visitors on a journey back in time, traveling from the modern-day Sunny Bay Station to the 19th century-styled Disneyland Resort Station.

Inside the Disneyland Resort Station, people can find Mickey Mouse everywhere as nearly 200 Mickey head logos in five styles are printed on lifts or engraved on lamp poles inside the station.

The resort line trains will be fully automatic. Lau said there may be ``teething problems'' during the early days of operation, but they will try to deal with problems immediately. The route length of Disneyland Resort Line is 3.5 kilometers and it takes only 3½ minutes to finish the journey. The fare from Sunny Bay to Disneyland Resort Station is HK$6.

The service hours of the new line will be from 6am to 1am, as with the current MTR system.

Trains will run every four minutes during peak hours and 10 minutes during non-peak hours.

Lopez to co-anchor 'ESPN Hollywood'

Former "Saved By The Bell" actor Mario Lopez has been named the co-anchor of "ESPN Hollywood," ESPN 2's new show looking at the intersection between Hollywood and the sports world. Lopez will join co-anchor Thea Andrews, former co-host of ESPN 2's "Cold Pizza," on the Los Angeles-produced show that will air weekdays at 6 p.m. ET beginning Aug. 15. Andrews has been on the team for several months but ESPN Original Entertainment has been trying to find the right co-anchor ever since. "One of the things we liked about Mario is that he really knows sports and he's passionate about what this show is going to be," Bill Bonnell, co-executive producer of ESPN Hollywood, said Friday afternoon. Bonnell is an NBC Sports veteran who has been coordinating producer for ESPN's tennis coverage.

Gibson teams up with Disney on Mayan-language film

Actor-director Mel Gibson is well on his way to cornering a new niche market in Hollywood -- movies written in ancient languages.

A year after breaking box-office records with "The Passion of the Christ," which was shot in Aramaic, Latin and Hebrew, Gibson has struck a deal with the Walt Disney Co. to release his next picture in a Mayan dialect.

Gibson is due to begin shooting the film, titled "Apocalypto," on location in Mexico in October and is aiming for a summer 2006 release, spokesman Alan Nierob said on Monday.

As with "Passion," Gibson will direct and produce the Mayan-language film from his own script through his own company, Icon Productions, and he will not appear in the movie.

The film's cast will consist of unknown performers native to the region of Mexico where the film is being shot, Nierob said. Few others details about Gibson's project were revealed.

"He lets his work speak for itself," Nierob said.

The story, which Gibson began writing nine months ago, is described as a "unique adventure" set 500 years in the past. Nierob said the title, "Apocalypto," was taken from the Greek word for an unveiling or new beginning.

A note on the first page of the script says: "The dialogue you are about to read will not be spoken in English." Gibson presumably will have the script translated into Mayan by a scholar of the language and release the film with English subtitles, as he did for "Passion."

A Disney spokeswoman confirmed that the studio had agreed to team up with Icon to handle marketing and distribution for the movie but declined further comment.

Entertainment trade paper Daily Variety reported that at least three studios passed on the film before Disney landed rights to it.

Still, the Disney deal demonstrates how much Gibson's clout in Hollywood has grown since he made "Passion," which was financed entirely out of his own pocket and issued by the small, independent studio Newmarket Films.

At the time, many industry analysts scoffed at what they saw as the commercial folly of making a film in Aramaic about the last hours of Jesus.

But intense media attention and a heavy Christian turnout helped propel the controversial film to well over $600 million in ticket sales worldwide, making it the most successful R-rated movie ever.

It remains to be seen whether Gibson can repeat his success with a subtitled film that lacks a built-in religious-based audience or controversy like the criticism leveled by some Jewish leaders at "Passion."

In the meantime, the "Lethal Weapon" star has put on hold what was to be his next acting project -- the Icon-produced drama "Under and Alone" for director Antoine Fuqua at Warner Bros., Nierob said.

HK Disneyland gives sneak preview

Hong Kong Disneyland gave journalists a sneak peek two months before the park opens, showing off classic thrill rides like the Space Mountain roller coaster and giving tours of restaurants serving all the major Chinese cuisines.

The park features an East-meets-West theme, with a trademark Sleeping Beauty Castle and a Main Street that recreates small-town America. The food is distinctly Asian, catering to the masses of tourists Disney hopes to attract from across the border in mainland China.

Robert Iger, who takes over as Disney's CEO in October, told reporters he dreamed of going to Disneyland when he was a child.

"I'm convinced that the children of this region will have that same dream. They will dream of one day being able to come to Hong Kong Disneyland," Iger said.

The park plans to attract 5.6 million visitors a year and opening day on September 12 is already sold out, said Don Robinson, managing director of the Hong Kong Disneyland Group.

Robinson said 95 percent of the park is complete and that workers are rehearsing shows and testing rides.

The park has eight restaurants -- with 29,000 seats -- serving all the major Chinese cuisines, like Cantonese, Shanghainese and northern noodle dishes.

Visitors will also be able to dig into Japanese sushi and Kashmiri chicken curry.

The park will feature popular rides like Space Mountain as well as a jungle river cruise and a Buzz Lightyear ride, named after the spaceman warrior in the movie "Toy Story."

A long palm tree-lined driveway leads to the park. At the front gate, there's a huge water fountain with a bronze statue of a whale spouting a stream of water on which Mickey Mouse is surfing.

Throughout the park, signs are in Chinese and English.

Robinson said the park hopes to eventually attract 10 million people a year, and when that goal is reached, Disney will expand the attractions.

Idaho ice cream company adding employees

The Idaho maker of an ice cream sandwich that's due to be sold at Disney theme parks is adding 60 office and manufacturing jobs at its plant in southwestern Idaho.

Matterhorn Ice Cream announced the expansion this week, doubling the size of the company's Caldwell work force.

The move comes after the company's merger with Salem-based Deluxe Ice Cream, and Vitafreze Frozen Confections of Sacramento, Calif.

"The environment in the grocery industry has changed, with the big getting bigger, and we needed a broader product line," said Tom Nist, Matterhorn's chief executive officer.

Ten office jobs will pay between $30,000 and $100,000 per year. The 50 manufacturing jobs will pay wages of $7 to $15 an hour, and include full benefits, Nist said.

News of the expansion comes as the company is testing its Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwich, to be sold at Disney parks in the United States.

Matterhorn is making the product for Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, the unit of Nestle SA that distributes the sandwiches for the entertainment conglomerate.

Battsek Named Miramax Films President

 

Walt Disney Co. on Monday named Daniel Battsek as president of Miramax Films - the studio responsible for Academy Award best picture winners including "The English Patient," "Shakespeare in Love" and "Chicago."

Walt Disney Studios said Battsek will work with founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein, who will remain co-chairmen of Miramax on a non-exclusive basis through Sept. 30. The parties reported in March that they mutually agreed to conclude the Weinsteins' employment contract with Disney.

This year, Miramax films received best picture nominations for "The Aviator" and "Finding Neverland."

Battsek, who most recently served as executive vice president and managing director of distribution and production for Buena Vista International UK, will report to Dick Cook, chairman of Walt Disney Studios. The company said Battsek will focus on building a new executive team and slate of Miramax films, while the Weinsteins will focus on completing projects in production and oversee marketing and distribution of Miramax and Dimension films scheduled for release.

Disney said Battsek will take over all operations for Miramax Films on Oct. 1. He will relocate to New York from the UK, and the Miramax headquarters will continue to operate independently, the company said.

Shares of Walt Disney fell 5 cents to $25.78 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

10th Annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival Tickets On Sale now

Designed for guests who want to uncork the secrets of fine wines, a lineup of special mealtimes, tastings, schools and parties has been planned in conjunction with the 10th annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival this Sept. 30 through Nov. 13.

Reservations for the special events, which have limited availability and popular appeal, are now available at prices ranging from $35 to $185 per person.

The schedule includes a new cooking school and a third wine school, focusing on Spain. Some of the returning events include vertical tastings, two dinner series, Lunch and Learn, and Party for the Senses -- a well-named Saturday evening experience that combines an array of special food, wine, music and entertainment, including a sampling of Cirque du Soleil.

Reservations and additional information are available by calling 407/WDW-FEST(407/939-3378).

The special events are in addition to all of the festival fun included with regular Epcot admission -- wine and beer seminars and cooking demonstrations plus the Eat to the Beat concert series featuring an eclectic musical lineup of classic rock, oldies, jazz and funk.

Walt Disney World guests can immerse themselves in cultural experiences from around the globe or sip to learn at a wine seminar. They can expand their culinary repertoire at one of many cooking demonstrations or drop by the Specialty Beer Garden. The opportunities are many when Future World and World Showcase overflow with first-rate food, wine and beer experiences during the six-week-long Epcot International Food and Wine Festival Sept. 30 through Nov. 13.

Each year, the festival features at least 20 international tasting marketplaces and a lineup of winemakers and guest chefs, elegant dinners, wine schools, tastings and pairings.

In recent years, the festival around World Showcase Lagoon has grown dramatically, attracting a diverse audience of more than one million each year -- from wine connoisseurs and epicures to droves of wine neophytes eager to boost their wine IQs. In addition, the fest's nightly Eat to the Beat! concert series will feature an even more varied lineup this year, including classic rock, oldies and country performers.

"The festival is our opportunity to showcase not only all the culinary and wine-related talent at Walt Disney World Resort, but also to introduce great celebrity chefs and wine connoisseurs in the industry," said Nora Carey, festival manager. "We strive to provide various levels of experiences that reflect the diverse interests of our guests, from simple marketplace tastings and seminars to extravagant dinners."

More than 100 wineries offer tastings, and guests can sample the marketplace cuisine in tasting portions ranging from $1 to $4.50. Other highlights include:

• The Festival Welcome Center, with a Champagne and Sparkling Wine Bar, commemorative posters and other festival keepsakes.
• Some 250 Disney chefs and guest chefs conducting culinary demonstrations and hosting elegant dinners and tasting events (past guest chefs have included Allen Susser, Dominique Macquet, John Ash, Diego Lozano, Michael Ginor and many others).
• Up to 1,200 wine and beer seminars providing complimentary samplings.
• Elegant dinners, the weekly Party for the Senses grand tasting and other by-reservation-only events.
• Along with the music, dance, acrobatics and avant-garde entertainment showcased at Epcot pavilions, festival guests can enjoy Eat to the Beat! concerts performed three times each evening at America Gardens Theatre.

Entrance to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, plus wine and beer seminars and cooking demonstrations, is included with regular Epcot admission. Guests can call 407/WDW-FEST (939-3378) for information or reservations for special events and programs. By summer, festival details will be posted on the Web site: disneyworld.com.

Mickey Mouse to Visit 5th Avenue World of Disney Store on August 1st and 31st

During a rare trip outside of a Disney theme park, Mickey Mouse will stop by the World of Disney store on Fifth Avenue on August 1 and 31 to greet store guests. In addition, nine of the 75 unique, 700-pound, 6-foot-tall Mickey statues, created in celebration of Mickey's 75th Anniversary, will be on display for guests to enjoy.

The nine statues displayed, part of the "Celebrate Mickey: 75 InspEARations" tour, will be: The Original Mouse Pad by Jamie Lee Curtis, Funny Bones by James Gandolfini, Space Mouse by Tom Hanks, Music Royalty by Sir Elton John, Mickey: In Yellow by Rosie O'Donnell, Clouded Conscience by Raven-Symoné, Big City Mouse by Kelly Ripa, Mousetaccioli by Doris Roberts and Ready for Action by Christy Carlson Romano.

Beginning August 1, World of Disney will have six exclusive, limited-edition pins modeled after six of the 75 InspEARation. Separately, a "Pin Pursuit" interactive competition for World of Disney guests, will also debut.

Visitors will be given a map to navigate through the World of Disney store and answer trivia questions, all to receive a complimentary starter Mickey pin upon completion.

After visiting the World of Disney Store, the statues will be auctioned by Sotheby's in New York City on September 26, 2005 with all proceeds benefiting 50 charities.

Mickey Mouse will greet guests on August 1 and 31 during the following times: 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 3:15 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The World Of Disney store is located at 711 Fifth Avenue.

Disney win rights for Gibson's next epic

Disney has won the right to distribute Oscar-winning actor Mel Gibson's next historical epic - which is largely to be performed in a language that was used 3,000 years ago.

According to reports in America over the weekend, Mr Gibson has written the script, will direct and produce the movie, Apocalypto, through his Icon production company, but he will not act in the film. The film will be based on the Mayan civilisation of central America, of around 1000 BC. Shooting is due to begin in October with the release due next summer.

This is not the first time that Mr Gibson has preferred an off-screen presence, having courted controversy with his The Passion of The Christ. That film also revived Aramaic, as well as using Latin and Hebrew.

In Passion, Gibson retold the final hours of Jesus' life, often in excruciating detail. Hollywood studios were reluctant to distribute the religious epic, but it ended up grossing more than $611 million worldwide.

Apocalypto is apparently does not have a religious theme, and Disney were keen to snap up the rights, according to Daily Variety.

The film's contents were closely guarded secrets, with executives forced to read scripts at Mr Gibson's Santa Monica offices to help prevent any leaks.

Apocalypto is not the only movie based on Central American history planned in Hollywood, where The Serpent and the Eagle and Aztec are both in pre-production.

Empire magazine today sounded a note of scepticism about Mr Gibson's apparently opting to replicate the successful formula of Passion, however. "After all, the success of Passion lay largely on two elements: the support of the immense religious movement in the States, and the controversy that drew everyone else to go have a look out of curiosity's sake", the online edition of the magazine related.

"In the absence of those factors, you're going to be left with a struggle to persuade anyone but lecturers in Mezoamerican studies to attend... Frankly, we'd be surprised if an R-rated action film in Mayan breaks box office records".

'Sky High' cast soars at premiere

Not even hot, humid weather could dampen spirits at this Hollywood premiere. After all, the movie is called, "Sky High" - and, appropriately, it's a buoyant Disney action-adventure comedy.

Think a live-action take on last year's animated hit "The Incredibles."

"'Sky High' follows the life and tale of Will Stronghold, the only child of possibly the two greatest super-heroes in the history of the planet: Commander and Jetstream."

"The only problem with Will is he's their only child, so everyone thinks he might inherit his father's super strength or his mother's supersonic flight," star Michael Angarano told AP Television News at the Sunday screening. "The problem with Will is he doesn't inherit any of their powers, and he has no powers whatsoever."

Will is portrayed by Angarano and his father is played by Kurt Russell, who, according to Disney publicists, pulled out of the premiere at the last minute Sunday morning.

The role of Will's mother is filled by Kelly Preston.

"When I read the script, I just thought, 'It's so upbeat, and it's so much a family movie,'" noted Preston, who brought along daughter Ella. Her husband, John Travolta, did not walk the arrivals line.

"It's the perfect Disney," Preston continued. "It's almost like the Disney movies of yesteryear - you know, those great ones that you could take the whole family to. And it's upbeat and it's clean and I loved the fact that it's a new concept."

The film marks an on-screen reunion, of sorts, for comic troupe Kids in the Hall mates Kevin McDonald and Dave Foley, who couldn't resist some arrivals-line fun.

"Sky High," Foley joked, is "a sensitive lesbian love story..."

"No," interjected Foley's wife, Crissy Guerrero.

Foley: "No?"

Guerrero: "Wrong movie."

Foley: "It's a searing advocation of gay rights..."

Guerrero: "No, no, no. Try again."

Foley: "I'm not sure I've seen this movie."

The "Sky High" cast includes Lynda Carter, who portrayed Wonder Woman in the 1976-79 prime-time series.

"Normally, I have stayed away from sitcoms wanting to take advantage of the 'Wonder Woman' thing, because it's much more about their show and not about my character," said Carter, who turned 54 Sunday and soon returns to the big screen in "The Dukes of Hazzard."

"And I don't ever want to cheapen her, I love her too much," she said. "You know, I love Wonder Woman. But this one was just a nod, a salute. It was paying homage to her in a way."

Disney internships draw criticism

Dan Cockerell spent his time as a Walt Disney World college intern checking guests into their hotel rooms, working as a custodian and parking cars. He says the experience 16 years ago has been useful in his current job as general manager of the Disney All Star Resort.

Each year, 8,000 students come to Disney World to work as six-month college interns in one of the largest internship programs in the country. The interns make up a significant portion of Disney World's 55,000-person workforce. They learn about customer service and absorb Disney's hospitality culture.

''It's very different for the students from working at the local mall,'' said Kristi Breen, manager of college and international recruiting at Disney World. ``It's training that I think will stay with someone forever.''

But aside from giving interns valuable experience, the program is a relatively cheap source of labor for Disney and is sometimes a worry for the unionized workers, although union officials approved the program when it began almost 25 years ago.

''None of them are paid properly,'' Ed Chambers, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 1625, said of the college interns. ``They're like indentured slaves . . . They live on Disney property. They eat Disney food. They take Disney transportation.''

GETTING PAID

Most of the college interns earn $6.25 an hour, well below the more than $11 an hour pay for a veteran employee performing the same tasks. Interns also don't receive any pension or healthcare benefits like regular workers.

Regular workers sometimes grumble about the college interns when business is slow and their work hours are cut back, such as after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Last year, the college interns, along with part-time high-school students and international students, worked almost a seventh of all available scheduled hours in jobs such as lifeguarding, serving fast-food and selling merchandise, according to figures compiled by the unions at Disney World.

Disney's California parks also have a college program, but it's on a much smaller scale. Only a few hundred students participate in it, and unlike the Florida location, the company doesn't offer housing. Disney generally docks $79 or more a week from the Disney World interns' paychecks to pay for housing.

Some students such as Cockerell leave the program with a step on the career ladder at the company.

HOPES RUINED

But a few, like Steve Cippittelli, leave with dashed expectations.

Cippittelli, a Schenectady County Community College student, was forced to leave the college intern program last year after a co-worker accused him of making a vulgar remark. Unlike regular hourly workers, who have the right to join unions, the community college student didn't have any labor representation, and he said he was unable to defend himself properly.

''It hindered my education quite a bit. That was a major requirement, and I was not able to finish my college education,'' said Cippittelli, who hopes someday to work again at Disney World because he loved the experience.

Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty said in an e-mail that the company doesn't comment on individual workers. But the company's goal is for every participant to complete the program and that disciplinary action is taken based on the available facts, she said.

''There are guidelines students are expected to follow,'' she said.

Despite his concerns, Chambers said the program probably is a good experience for the students because they learn what it's like in the working world.

Joanna Gonzalez, a University of Florida graduate, said serving fast food in the Magic Kingdom helped her become quick on her feet and overcome shyness.

HIGHER PURPOSE

''We're not there to flip burgers or to give people food. We're there to create magic,'' said Gonzalez, 23, who now works at the Department of Homeland Security in Washington. ``When I worked there, I opened up. The confidence it builds in you is huge.''

Less than half of the students earn college credit during their internships. Those who do pay tuition to their universities and can take classes on subjects such as communications, hospitality management or human resource management taught by Disney executives with higher education degrees. They can earn anywhere from three to 12 credits, depending on their school.

''Many times when the students come back here, I have local employers ask me if they can have some of the students who were in the Disney program . . . because Disney has such a reputation in the area of customer service,'' said Bud Miles, a business professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, whose school sends 75 to 100 students to the program each year. Miles also serves on an advisory board for the internship program.

Disney World offers a more advanced internship program for alumni of the college program. The advanced program offers work in white-collar jobs that are more closely aligned with students' studies, rather than jobs in the parks or hotels.

BACK FOR MORE

Omarr Cantu, who recently graduated from Texas A&M with degrees in history and communications, worked as a ride operator at the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway in the Magic Kingdom four years ago. His experience this summer is quite different since he is working as an advanced intern in the marketing department of the resort's human resources department.

Cockerell regularly tells college interns that they can handle anything after being in the program.

''Guests walk up to you and . . . they expect all the great service and heritage, and you have to know everything about everything,'' Cockerell said. 'It's a bit overwhelming. So I tell the college program students, `Just roll with it. I guarantee if you get through this thing, you'll get through a lot.''

Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL Training Camp Opens at Disney in July

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers return to Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex for their 2005 NFL training camp, July 29-Aug. 17. The Buccaneers, who have trained at the 220-acre sports complex for the past three years, are the first NFL team to conduct a preseason training camp at Walt Disney World Resort.

Warner and Disney unit end alliance

WARNER Music International has ended a potentially lucrative licensing deal with the Walt Disney Company’s Hollywood Records, the record label whose acts include the teen star Hillary Duff, The Times has learnt.

The five-year-old deal has fallen apart after Disney and WMI, the international division of Warner Music Group, the world’s fourth-largest record company, failed to agree terms for a new agreement that would begin early next year.

The negotiations, which lasted about six months, are understood to have fallen apart after Disney insisted on removing the right to distribute read-along children’s CDs and books. WMI is also thought to have balked at multimillion- dollar advances demanded by Hollywood on new releases, which it would prefer to spend on developing its own artists.

The record company is understood to have been frustrated by difficulties in selling some of the biggest artists because they did not make promotional tours to Europe.

“There was no way WMI could justify doing the deal that was offered by Hollywood,” said one person familiar with the situation.

However, Hollywood is likely to be courted by rival record majors, including EMI and Universal Music Group.

A division of Disney’s Buena Vista Entertainment, 15-year-old Hollywood Records has long been a minor player in the US music industry, and for years lost tens of millions of dollars annually. Disney is thought to have considered closing it several times. But the company has recently began making modest profits on the back of chart successes from a clutch of teen stars.

WMI’s cancellation of the deal reflects the pressure on Warner Music Group to win favor on Wall Street after a poorly received $556 million (£320 million) share sale and initial public offering.

The company has been focusing on cost-cutting and artist development since it was acquired from Time Warner in 2003 for $2.6 billion by Edgar Bronfman Jr and a group of private equity backers.

Comic book hopes for new life under Disney

CrossGen Entertainment of Oldsmar launched 26 comic book series during a dynamic five-year run that ended in bankruptcy court. The Walt Disney Co. snagged the rights to all 26 titles at auction last year for $1-million.

Will Disney fare better with CrossGen's intellectual property? We're about to find out.

The entertainment powerhouse recently announced plans to turn one of CrossGen's titles, Abadazad, into a series of chapter books for children ages 9 to 12. Tentatively priced at $9.99 apiece, the books - written as if they were the diary of the main character, Kate - will meld traditional comic book panels, text and other artwork.

Brenda Bowen, editor-in-chief of the Disney Book Group, says it's the ideal format for our postprint world of movies, television and the Internet. "It's a lot more complicated graphically, but it's very simple to read, and in fact makes the reading experience tremendously satisfying."

Bowen expects an initial print run of 100,000 when the first book makes its debut next spring. The original writer and artist are on board.

One of the advantages Disney enjoys over CrossGen is its deep pockets. At the Comic-Con convention in San Diego this month, Bowen's group sponsored a panel, "Abadazad Lives On," and handed out 2,500 fans featuring one of the comic's characters. Other possible promotions include issuing character trading cards, asking educators to include free Abadazad textbook covers in their back-to-school kits, and advertising in Disney properties such as Mad magazine, Disney Adventures and D.C. Comics.

Bowen, whose offices are in New York, hopes to see Abadazad picked up by Disney's television, film and games divisions. "We actually had a pitch meeting (in Burbank) with our own colleagues," she says. "They are keenly interested."

Catching a bit of the fervor that the Harry Potter series has stirred among young readers would be nice, too.

"I want my own action," Bowen says. "But I'll take whatever action is out there."

Hong Kong Disneyland emphasizes East-meets-West theme

Hong Kong Disneyland gave journalists a sneak peek Wednesday, nearly two months before the newest park opens to the public, showing off an East-meets-West mix of classic thrill rides, such as Space Mountain, and restaurants serving Asian cuisines.

Disney, Former Director Roy Disney Agree to Put Aside Disputes 

Now a half-century-old, Disneyland still shapes American travel and life 

Girl Remains Critical After Riding Disney's 'Tower Of Terror' 

Roy Disney to Dismantle Site After Striking Truce

Disney, Former Director Roy Disney Agree to Put Aside Disputes

 

Walt Disney Co., the second-biggest U.S. media company, and former director Roy Disney said they agreed to put aside their differences and that Roy Disney will become a director emeritus and consult for the company.

Roy Disney agreed not to run a rival slate of directors for the Burbank, California-based company's board and will dismiss his lawsuits against the Disney, the company and Roy Disney said in an e-mailed statement.

Now a half-century-old, Disneyland still shapes American travel and life

Uncle Walt, the storyteller, saw it this way: "Disneyland is like Alice stepping through the looking glass; to step through the portals of Disneyland will be like entering another world."

And if the locals were at first perplexed — "What's a Disneyland?" — lore would soon have it that the magical kingdom sprang from the orange groves as if, well, by magic.

In the 50 years since Walt Disney flung open his gates on July 17, 1955, more than 500 million "guests" have stepped through his portals, willingly surrendering to his fanciful notion that "Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy."

Disney's vision has transformed not just Anaheim, but the American consciousness. His creation was a story he would tell Americans about themselves, about "the essence of the things that were good and true." Yet the storyline appeals to people the world over. When Hong Kong Disneyland opens in September, it will make for a total of 11 Disney theme parks on three continents, each as much a state of mind as a destination.

There was pixie dust in those California fields — in Disney's imaginative ideas about how we experience the world around us: what urban planners call a sense of place.

At the very moment Disney was searching for fertile ground, postwar Americans were moving in droves to the suburbs, where they would come to lament the loss of unique urban identities. That yearning persists for public spaces where people can naturally gather. It's evident in Anaheim and other cities across the country where developers have revived fading downtowns and designed new "town centers" and "village squares" that connect people with their environment.

Sleepy town hits gold

In the early 1950s, Anaheim was, as they say in the movie industry, a bit of a sleeper with just 14,556 residents. Founded by German immigrants in 1857, it was dominated by the orange groves that replaced vineyards wiped out by a late 19th century virus.

But this agricultural community also had an eclectic flair for the entertainment business. In the 1880s, it built an Opera House (where plays were performed, though never an actual opera). A Halloween parade grew so popular it was televised. A future mayor, in 1952, opened an entertainment center described as "part zoo, part park and part nightclub" and featuring Jerry, "The World's Most Human Chimp." Jerry was known to wait tables.

Walt Disney, meanwhile, had commissioned the Stanford Research Institute to survey Southern California for a place to build a theme park — an idea percolating in his frustration as "a daddy with two daughters wondering where he could take them where he could have a little fun with them, too."

He considered and rejected 16 acres next to his Burbank studios. He wanted a bigger, blank canvas, "to mold his own hills and mountains, and dig his own lakes," says Tim O'Day, a Disneyland spokesman and student of the park's history.

Seventy potential sites were studied. Prevailing winds, average maximum summer temperatures, freeway master plans — this and more was taken into account. All roads, many of them still dirt byways, led to Anaheim.

A deal was struck between Disney and Anaheim.

Not quite a decade later, in 1963, renowned developer James W. Rouse, in a keynote address to the Harvard Graduate School of Design, issued this pronouncement: "I hold a view that may be somewhat shocking to an audience as sophisticated as this: that the greatest piece of urban design in the United States today is Disneyland." He praised its inherent respect for people, and how it functioned to serve them.

How had Disney done it?

On opening day, 15,000 were expected. A "Disneyland" television show on ABC — now owned by the Disney company — had built audience interest for almost a year.

It worked, all right. Some 28,000 people showed up. They counterfeited tickets and climbed walls to get in. High-heeled shoes, in the 100-degree heat, stuck in newly poured asphalt. The three hosts — Ronald Reagan, Bob Cummings and Art Linkletter — struggled with the unpredictability of live TV, before an estimated 90 million viewers.

Disneyland's old-timers still call it "Black Sunday." But something important happened that day, and a singular moment captured it: A beaming Frank Sinatra was filmed riding Tomorrowland's Autopia, an idealized version of the highways then transforming the American landscape. Here was a prosperous, clean, safe and — above all — fun world. Americans saw what was on the other side of those portals Disney talked about, and they wanted in.

Disneyland, as Rouse would say, was "a brand new thing." Costumed street sweepers kept it spotless. It was staffed for "guests" by well-mannered and clean-cut "cast members." Public areas were "onstage," with park operations kept out of sight "backstage."

Disney made his reputation in 1928 with the film debut of Mickey Mouse. And guests approached Disneyland like a film. The main gate was the lobby, and the view down Main Street the "long shot." At its end, Sleeping Beauty Castle beckoned viewers, drawing them to a plaza that formed the hub of a wheel. Each spoke led to a different "land," orienting visitors — "You always know where you are," says O'Day. Scale was kept at a human level. Sleeping Beauty Castle is only 77 feet from moat to the highest spire.

The overall effect was summed up by the late John Hench, one of the park's lead designers. Disneyland, he liked to say, allowed you to say hello to a stranger. Sklar believes the park is not so much about escapism as an acute sense of optimism and reassurance that comes directly from Walt Disney.

Controlling everything

Disney was preoccupied with controlling the environment. A half-century later, Anaheim is embracing his philosophy. The company and the city have worked hand in hand since the 1990s to give the Disney area and Anaheim itself a distinct, pedestrian-friendly, palm tree-lined resort look — a signal to visitors that they have arrived someplace special.

Billions of dollars have been pumped into reinforcing that all-important sense of place. The additions of a new park, California Adventure, and the Downtown Disney retail and dining district reinforce Mayor Curt Pringle's assertion that "Mickey Mouse is right in the middle of everything here."

That mouse helped transform Anaheim into California's 10th largest city, and the transformation began immediately. In the first years after opening day, it was the nation's fastest-growing city.

Ron Dominguez grew up on one of the family farms that made up Disneyland's original 60 acres. His grandfather planted orange groves there in 1910. As a boy, Dominguez built forts and had orange fights. His home stood about where the entrance is now to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. He started with Disney on opening day, as a Main Gate ticket-taker, and retired as an executive vice president in 1994. His last working years were spent reimagining Anaheim.

"We were trying to make a statement that this is our town," he says.

And perhaps that was Walt Disney's secret all along.

"Disneyland is your land," he said that sweltering July day in 1955.

Which is why the guests streaming in this summer are in such a celebratory mood. They are donning commemorative golden mouse ears over the traditional black at a rate of eight to one.

Girl Remains Critical After Riding Disney's 'Tower Of Terror'

A 16-year-old British girl remained in critical condition Wednesday after riding the "Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror" ride at Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World, according to Local 6 News.

Officials said Leanne Deacon, of Kibworth, Leicestershire, exited the ride Tuesday at about 9:50 a.m. and complained that she was not feeling well, Local 6 News reported.

She sat down with her mother in the theme park but her condition continued to worsen.

"Deacon felt strange but told her mother she'd quickly recover after exiting Disney World-MGM Studios' "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror," which depicts a haunted elevator ride, said Jim Solomons, an Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesman.

However, Solomons said the girl's condition deteriorated so rapidly that her heart stopped beating and she had to be resuscitated by emergency workers.

Disney medics came out and treated her and she was transported to Celebration Hospital where she was unresponsive, Local 6 News learned.

Disney said in a written statement that the ride was closed until more information was available.

"Our concern is for the family and we are working with them to provide whatever assistance they need," the statement said. Disney officials declined further comment.

Orange County Sheriff's Office will be investigating.

Two people have died at Disney World this year. A 4-year-old Pennsylvania boy, Daudi Bamuwamye, died June 13 after riding Epcot's "Mission: Space" and a 77-year-old Minnesota woman, Gloria Land, died in February after riding the Magic Kingdom's "Pirates of the Caribbean."

A medical examiner's report said Land who was in poor health from diabetes and several ministrokes and her death "was not unexpected." The cause of the boy's death remains under investigation.

Florida's major theme parks are not directly regulated by the state, and instead have their own inspectors.

On the ride, guests are seated aboard a freight elevator that glides through hotel passageways.

The elevator enters a pitch-black shaft and launches guests skyward unexpectedly. The vehicle then drops 13 stories.

Roy Disney to Dismantle Site After Striking Truce

Former dissident shareholder Roy E. Disney, who led a revolt against Walt Disney Co. management last year, said he would shut down his website, Savedisney.com, days after striking a truce with the company.

Roy Disney and partner Stanley P. Gold used the site to criticize the entertainment giant's leadership after they left the board in late 2003. But the two men and management agreed to work together to better the company last week.

The site will be dismantled Aug. 7, Roy Disney said.