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Archive for December, 2007
Category: Movies
From darkhorizons.com:
While Peter Jackson has been confirmed to be producing New Line’s upcoming dual-films based on Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”, many fans have been left wondering if he or the often rumoured Sam Raimi would sit in the director’s chair.
Jackson’s manager Ken Kamins tells Entertainment Weekly that “Peter won’t be directing because he felt the fans have waited long enough for The Hobbit. It will take the better part of every day of the next four years to write, direct and produce two Hobbit films. Given his current obligations to both The Lovely Bones and Tintin, waiting for Peter, Fran, and Phillippa to write, direct and produce The Hobbit would require the fans wait even longer.”
No decision has been made says New Line’s co-chair Robert Shaye - “There is obviously a small but significant number of directors who could handle two films of this magnitude, but we have no commitment to anybody. Now that Peter is an integral part of the decision-making process, we all have to see eye-to-eye on any candidate we try to enlist.”
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Posted by Dr. Disney on December 21, 2007 at 1:06 pm · Permalink
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Category: Disney
From flickdirect.com:
Could a National Treasure Theme Park ride based off the hit Disney franchise be coming soon to a Disney Theme Park near you? If Nicolas Cage had his way there will be!
Actor Nicolas Cage is currently campaigning to get an attraction built at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim California that will be based on his hit franchise, National Treasure (produced by Walt Disney Pictures). Cage has recently stated that he is a huge theme park fan and would love to be able to ride his own attraction. “My biggest thrill would be if Disney was so happy with the movie that they gave it a ride…That would be a dream come true for me.”
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Posted by Dr. Disney on December 21, 2007 at 1:01 pm · Permalink
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Category: Disney
From foxbusiness.com:
A.D. “Bud” Albers has been appointed as chief technology officer CTO of the Walt Disney Internet Group WDIG. WDIG develops and delivers interactive Disney-branded media for Internet and mobile devices for audiences around the world and also provides centralized development support and a world-class technology for all of the Internet properties of The Walt Disney Company. Reporting to WDIG President Steve Wadsworth, Albers will be responsible for leading technological breakthroughs on existing platforms as well as developing cutting-edge new technology solutions in support of the companys new media technology needs. He will begin on January 2, 2008.
Albers joins WDIG from MediaNet Digital, formerly MusicNet, where he served as Senior Vice President & CTO, leading numerous high-profile digital music service launches including Microsoft Zune, MTV Urge, Yahoo Music Unlimited, Virgin Red Pass and the Samsung Media Service in Europe. He was responsible for all aspects of product strategy, development and implementation, including leading the companys shift into video, DRM free and cross platform technologies.
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Posted by Dr. Disney on December 21, 2007 at 12:51 pm · Permalink
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Category: Disney, Technology, Travel, Theme Parks
From ocregister.com:
The first new monorail car in two decades slid onto the Disneyland track on Thursday as the theme park prepares for guests to ride it starting in late February.
Starting Monday, five flat-bed trucks transported in the five cars of the first redesigned train from Vancouver, Canada, where they were built. Crews ripped off white shrink wrap, which made the cars look like a Space Shuttle, and took about an hour and 15 minutes for a crane to hoist the nose of the first red-striped train to the parking area.
[…]
The biggest change is the look of the train: The first electric cars have blue glass and red stripes that change color in the sunlight. The next two cars will be blue with purple glass and orange with blue glass.
Bench seats will face the windows, allowing visitors a full view of the parks, Downtown Disney and the Disneyland Hotel. The capacity and speed will remain the same.
Until the February debut, Disney workers will put finishing touches on the construction and test the train after the park closes.
Wow! I can only hope this new design makes its way out here to Walt Disney World. It looks FANTASTIC. It resembles the original monorail design from decades ago, but is different enough to be contemporary. I love it.
Link to full article with more photos
Posted by Ricky on December 21, 2007 at 1:36 am · Permalink
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Category: Misc
foxnews.com
You have to admit he does a nice job color-coordinating the wardrobe….wonder if there are any openings in Blue Man Group (he could certainly save them some makeup costs). I think it is interesting that he feels that ‘blue people” are discriminated against in his community….Dr. Disney
Paul Karason puts a whole new spin on “feeling blue.” For more than a decade, the 57-year-old has been living with a blue face.
Fourteen years ago, Karason developed a bad case of dermatitis, which results in swollen, reddened and itchy skin. He started self-medicating, using a treatment called colloidal silver, which is made by extracting silver from metal.
Often touted by manufacturers as a cure-all, colloidal silver usually is found in a liquid form. Looking for relief, Karason drank the concoction and rubbed it on his skin — something the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not recommend.
His skin slowly turned blue. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Dr. Disney on December 20, 2007 at 1:54 pm · Permalink
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Category: Disney
From laughingplace.com:
Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade Media Photos
Publicity photos released of the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade taping. The parade airs on December 25th on ABC.
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Posted by Dr. Disney on December 20, 2007 at 9:49 am · Permalink
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Category: Collectibles
From pr-inside.com:
A 710-year-old copy of the declaration of human rights known as the Magna Carta, the version that became part of English law, was auctioned Tuesday for $21.3 million ¤14.78 million, a Sothebys spokeswoman said.
The document, which had been expected to draw bids of $30 million ¤20.81 million or higher, was bought by David Rubenstein, of The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, the spokeswoman said.
Sothebys vice chairman David Redden called the ancient but durable parchment «the most important document in the world, the birth certificate of freedom.
The document was owned by the Perot Foundation since the early 1980s. It had been on exhibit at the auction house for the past 11 days.
Bearing the seal of King Edward I and dated 1297, it is one of 17 known copies of the historic tract that defined human rights as the foundation for liberty and democracy as it is known today. It is one of two that exist outside Britain; the other is in Australia.
I
n the 1980s, it was sold by a British family for $1.5 million ¤1.04 million to the Perot Foundation, created by Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot, and from 1988 until earlier this year it was on loan to the National Archives in Washington, D.C., sharing space with the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, two documents that drew on its principles.
«Over those years,» Redden said, «it may have been seen by 40 to 50 million people, certainly the most viewed version of the Magna Carta anywhere.
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Posted by Dr. Disney on December 18, 2007 at 10:30 pm · Permalink
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Category: Disney
A 44-year-old man died Tuesday after riding a roller coaster at Walt Disney World that simulates a runaway train ride through the Himalayas, authorities said. Jeffery Reed, of Navarre, Fla., was pulled unresponsive from the ride, given CPR and pronounced dead at a hospital. He had no visible signs of injury, the Orange County Sheriffs Office said.
Authorities are investigating whether Reed had a previous medical condition, said Jim Solomons, sheriffs spokesman. An autopsy is planned.
Inspectors found that the ride, Animal Kingdoms Expedition Everest, was working properly, but Disney kept it closed during further review.
“We offer the family our deepest sympathies and will provide assistance to them during this difficult time,” Disney said in a written statement.
The ride, Expedition Everest, made its debut in 2006 and features an 80-foot drop. Before Tuesdays death, at least 15 people had died at Disneys theme parks in Florida and California since 1989, some with previous health conditions.
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Posted by Dr. Disney on December 18, 2007 at 7:07 pm · Permalink
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Category: Disney
From prnewschannel.com:
This winter, cozy up and get ready for the holidays — Disney style — as Disney Parks prepares to shine brighter than ever when many of today’s biggest stars gather on both coasts for the 24th annual “Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade.” On Dec. 25, hosts Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa once again will lead the Emmy Award-winning holiday special from Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and Ryan Seacrest will again host from Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif.
The special will air Dec. 25, 10 a.m. Eastern and 9 a.m. Central, Mountain and Pacific times on ABC-TV, and will be broadcast in HD for the first time. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Dr. Disney on December 17, 2007 at 1:57 pm · Permalink
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Category: TV
From chron.com:
For the second straight year, Fox’s reality behemoth American Idol will use its powers for good, rather than evil.
Fox has scheduled a new Idol Gives Back special for April 9.
All aspiring Idol contenders can probably mark that on their calendar as a non-elimination night.
The 2007 installment of Idol Gives Back raised $75 million for a variety of charities benefiting underprivileged children in the United States and Africa. The telecast was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles and Ryan Seacrest on the Idol stage and featured performances by industry heavyweights as well as past Idol winners.
In telethon form, viewers were invited to either call in or make donations online, while a variety of corporate sponsors also gave generously.
The seventh season of American Idol is set to premiere on Jan. 15 and 16.
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Posted by Dr. Disney on December 17, 2007 at 1:48 pm · Permalink
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