Category: Disney
Sports in high definition TV is so 2004.What if someone said you could see Chad Ocho Cinco kiss the star in Texas Stadium up-close and personal without actually being at the stadium? In a comfortable reclining chair? In air-conditioned comfort? And for a much lower ticket price? (you still have to buy your own popcorn, though).
A business deal announced this week could be the game-changer in making sporting events viewable in 3D HD, made possible by people responsible from everything from the 11-time Oscar winning film “Titanic” to “Beverly Hills Chihuahua.”
Digital Cinema Implementation Partners, a consortium of three major theater chains — AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark and Regal Entertainment Group (all have theaters in San Antonio) — struck a deal with five Hollywood studios on Wednesday (Oct. 1) for those studios to help pay for new digital projection systems in its theaters across the United States and Canada. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Dr. Disney on October 5, 2008 at 7:38 am · Permalink
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Category: Misc
From wsj.com:
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Walt Disney Co.’s theme-park and resort unit has coasted through months of mounting U.S. economic woes, but an expected decline in consumer confidence could hurt even resilient vacation spots like Walt Disney World.
In late July, company officials said September bookings at Disney’s U.S. resorts were on par with last year, and that bookings for the holiday season were slightly ahead.
The company hasn’t provided any updated booking information since then. But analysts and other industry observers expect the global economic situation to soften demand for rooms at the company’s resorts and attendance at its parks in early 2009.
So far this year, a weak dollar has succeeded in luring crowds of international visitors to Disney theme parks in Orlando, Fla., and Anaheim, Calif. During a July 30 conference call to discuss the company’s fiscal third-quarter earnings, Disney executives said that while overall attendance was down slightly at both parks, the business was generally defying predictions that it would be hit hard by high gasoline prices, the U.S. housing slump and general economic malaise.
“We aren’t immune to the challenging economy, but we continue to be pleased with the level of business activity we’ve seen so far,” Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger told analysts on the quarterly conference call. “The parks’ performance has been particularly noteworthy.”Mr. Iger added that visits to Walt Disney World area also are unlikely to be affected by a continuing reduction in airline-seat capacity, noting that less than 50% of visitors to Disney World arrive by plane, and those that do tend to book their seats early when seats are plentiful. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Dr. Disney on October 3, 2008 at 12:12 pm · Permalink
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Category: Disney
From discovery.com:
Human friends and relatives keep tabs on their loved ones by phone when they’re apart, and now new research shows elephants do nearly the same thing with rumble vocalizations that can transmit over one and a half miles.
The finding helps to explain how elephants almost always find their way back to their herd, even after they wander far off.
Elephants can see and smell their fellow herd members over long distances too, but visual obstructions, such as rocks, trees and even other big animals, can block their views, while wind changes and smells can compromise odor detection. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Dr. Disney on October 3, 2008 at 12:06 pm · Permalink
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Category: Disney
www.talkoftown.com
Central Louisiana will soon be part of the international stage, even if it is confined to an amusement park.
Beginning Sunday, the cities of Alexandria and Pineville will be on display at Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center as part of the “Welcome to My Louisiana” experience. The event will put not only Cenla, but the entire state, on display during Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival.
“Worldwide exposure” is how Sherry Smith described the event. Smith is the director of the Alexandria-Pineville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“It can’t help but have a positive effect,” she added.
Smith said the Louisiana-focused event was sparked by Walt Disney after the global entertainment company stumbled upon the Louisiana Culinary Trails’ Web site. From there, Disney contacted various state offices and the program took off. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Dr. Disney on October 3, 2008 at 12:02 pm · Permalink
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Category: Disney, Movies
From independent.co.uk:
When historians of the future study the rise and fall of a 21st-century social elite known as “film stars”, they may well pore over a glamorous event organised last week by the Walt Disney Company. In what was described as a “showcase”, the studio presented its slate of upcoming films to an audience of insiders and big hitters at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Somehow, I also got a ticket.
Quite the corporate power trip it was, too. Johnny Depp appeared on stage. So did John Travolta, Robin Williams, Sandra Bullock, and Nicolas Cage. Miley Cyrus performed. Zac Efron smiled sweetly. Lunch was fantastic.
But these events are really about trend-spotting. And that’s where Disney’s “showcase” got really interesting – not least for the stars who turned out so loyally to perform.
First, the studio revealed that 16 of its future films will be 3D animations – a genre that relies on slick computer programmers, rather than overpaid celebrities. Then Disney unveiled a futuristic system by which it can now shoot animations using real-life actors clad in jumpsuits, who are then rendered in cartoon form.
Due to debut in 2009, with a remake of A Christmas Carol starring Jim Carrey, it effectively represents the creation of “virtual” acting and could very well change the face of the film industry.
As insiders and big hitters noted over lunch, it effectively represents the creation of “virtual” acting. And if – in the hi-tech world of the future – you can achieve such a thing as a “virtual” performance, will there be there any point in actually having “real” film stars?
Link
Posted by Dr. Disney on October 3, 2008 at 11:39 am · Permalink
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Category: TV, Music
From americanidol.com:
Grammy-Nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi has joined American Idol as a fourth judge. She will sit alongside Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson at the judges’ table and use her background as an award-winning songwriter and producer to praise or critique the wannabe hopefuls throughout the competition. The eighth season of American Idol premieres January 2009 on FOX.
“We are turning the heat up on Idol this year and are thrilled to welcome Kara to the judges’ table,” said creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. “She is a smart, sassy lady, and one of America’s most successful songwriters. We know she will bring a new level of energy and excitement to the show.” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Dr. Disney on October 1, 2008 at 6:27 pm · Permalink
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Category: Disney
From nz:
A re-created cityscape is at the centre of the world’s largest and longest food and wine festival, at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, using the setting to extend US perceptions of Australian cuisine.
Epcot International Food and Wine Festival director Nora Carey said an expected 1.3 million visitors came to taste a foreign food culture they would not normally receive.
“There’s not a lot of people who go through the pain, the rigour (of travelling extensively),” she said. “To come here, for the six weeks, it gives them an insight into what the country is like.”
In this new Melbourne, a market deli serves pepperberry-coated prawns, chilled barramundi, grilled lamb chops and wattleseed mousse. A Brunswick Street-style terrace outlet serves beer and a long wine-tasting bar introduces tourists to producers such as the Mornington Peninsula’s T’Gallant Winery, Prancing Horse and Yabby Lake Vineyard. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Dr. Disney on October 1, 2008 at 6:18 pm · Permalink
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Category: Disney
From abc4.com:
Gingerbread Dough
Recipe Courtesy of Executive Chef Erich Herbitschek
Grand Floridian Hotel WDW
Recipe Yields 5 ½ Lbs (30 each 3 0z cookies)
For the Honey Dough
Ingredients:
# 2¼ Lbs Honey
# 1¾ Lbs High Gluten Flour
For the Gingerbread Dough
Ingredients:
# 3¾ Lbs Honey Dough
# 1½ Lbs High Gluten Flour
# 1½ Each Eggs, Fresh
# 6 Ounces Simple Syrup
# 1½ Ounces Lebkuchen Spice
# 2 Ounces Warm Water
For the Method: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Dr. Disney on October 1, 2008 at 6:15 pm · Permalink
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Category: Misc
From mtv.com:
On IMDB’s trivia section for “Iron Man,” there’s a line stating that at some point in the flick’s development, Tony Stark was supposed to fight his actual father, Howard Stark, and not father surrogate Obadiah Stane.
Not true, “Iron Man” screenwriters Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby told MTV News. Well, unless you mean that they would fight metaphorically. And in…”Captain America”?
Could Howard Stark, of whom so little is known in the official Marvel canon, be one of the scientists responsible for creating Captain America, thus tying the shared universe that much closer together? Can you think of a MORE plausible scenario given what Fergus says below? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Dr. Disney on October 1, 2008 at 6:12 pm · Permalink
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Category: Misc
From bostonherald.com:
Sharon Stone’s suggestion that her 8-year-old son get Botox injections to rid him of smelly feet is just one of her many parenting overreactions detailed in court papers released the other day.
The 50-year-old actress was shot down last week by a San Francisco Superior Court judge when she sought to modify a 2007 custody decision that gave primary parenting duties for Roan to her ex-hubby, Phil Bronstein.
The court contended that Stone is a drama queen of a mother who has gone off the deep end over and over, and refused the “Basic Instinct” star’s request to move her son to Los Angeles for “better medical attention.” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Dr. Disney on October 1, 2008 at 1:46 pm · Permalink
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