tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50689685314178675882024-02-02T09:07:26.383-08:00All Your DisneyPaul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-56771379344819653372008-07-23T05:03:00.000-07:002008-07-23T05:28:46.313-07:00She's just being Miley<span style="font-family: verdana;">God, I feel awful about all the rubbish Miley Cyrus has to put up with. Yes, she gets some of he "rockstar" lifestyle a lot of people really want, but she also takes a lot of rubbish from people and comes out the other side smiling, it's commendable on her part.<br /><br />For example, it appalled me when I started hearing that mothers were "outraged" at Miley for some "racy" photos hacked out of her MySpace. Before we get to the ridiculousness of condemning her for photos meant to be private, let's address the issue of their existence and content full stop.<br /><br />Trust me on this. I'm 16 and I socialise with a lot of girls of my age. Very few girls who use MySpace don't have similar pics. It's quite common and not unreasonable. People seem outraged that Miley's doing it, even though she's not alone. Why is that? Because she's famous, a role model?<br /><br />Wake up. Miley's a kid still too. She's <span style="font-style: italic;">15, </span>you can't hold her to the same moral standards as, say, Barack Obama. What Miley chooses to do in private to explore her childhood is her business. Let Miley be Miley.<br /><br />Setting thta aside, let's return to how the pictures got made public. It's not like Miley posted them on her official site, she had them in a private area of her MySpace. A hacker obtained them to prove he could hack MySpace. Miley's the victim here, not the fans. MySpace failed to protect her privacy, the hacker violated it.<br /><br />Okay, so now someone's probably asking about the infamous photoshoot. Oh please. That's the least erotic magazine photoshoot I've ever seen. It's clearly an admittedly mediocre arthouse peice. It's hardly going to lead young girls to go and strip off. And besides which, even if they did copy it, they'd still be covering themselves, so what does it matter?<br /><br />To stay with the righteous outrage, I wan to know what it is that makes prents think it is Miley's job to raise their children. Miley has better things to do than police the coverage of her so you can ignore your children. If you want your kids not to see hose pictures, keep an eye on them. I've heard many say "I can't be there all the time, what do is ay to them if they do find the pictures?"<br /><br />That's flat stupid. You explain that Miley took those pictures in private and only wanted certain people to see them because they're not things you should show or do in public. You tell them it's not something they should imitate, that Miley didn't want it imitated, that's why she hid it. Tell them they'll understand when they're older and that Miley/Hannah Montana as she appears normally is still a good role model.<br /><br />Well whaddya know? I addressed the issue without telling a lie or hurting feelings.<br /><br />So that's the key takeaway from all this, it's your job to control the message, not Miley's. In private, let Miley be Miley. In public, she's the very picture of a perfect role model and that's what matters.<br /><br />The other stuff Miley has to endure is more insidious. I'm talking here about the adults who viciously insult, demean and defame Miley for no reason other than common malice.<br /><br />I mean, honestly. What has Miley Cyrus ever done to deserve that? She's personable, nice, well-behaved and friendly. It's not like she's Britney or Linsay Lohan. She's Miley Cyrus, I can't easily think of a more inoffensive celebrity.<br /><br />It's annoyg, it's kind of worrying, it should stop.<br /><br />She's just being Miley.<br /></span>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-81695251749089230352008-04-14T10:10:00.000-07:002008-04-14T10:20:03.458-07:00Disney Cruise Line: London<span style="font-family:verdana;">In an actually true story of Disney opening new doors over here in the UK, Disney Cruise Line has recently announced their intention to open a London Office.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><p><em></em></p><blockquote><p><em>Spokeswoman Christi Erwin Donnan said Disney Cruise Line is hoping to increase its presence internationally. The London office will also ensure Disney is “well-positioned to tap into the European market and competitively recruit new talent.”</em></p> <p><em>Disney is having two new liners built in Germany, which will double the size of the company’s fleet to four ships when they arrive in 2011 and 2012. Many industry analysts expect Disney will then opt to base a ship permanently in Europe.</em></p></blockquote><p><em></em></p></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />I for one am delighted at Disney's move to bringing the Cruise service more permanently to Europe. And, like the above quote says, given the two new ships Disney is having built, it makes sense to base one of the fleet of four over here in Europe.<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-tourism1408apr14,0,7599884.story">The Orlando Sentinel</a> via <a href="http://thedisneyblog.com/2008/04/14/disney-cruise-lines-to-open-london-office/">The Disney Blog</a><br /><br />Jens Out<br /></span>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-7669001502387473402008-04-01T07:58:00.000-07:002008-04-01T08:33:18.867-07:00Disney Adventure Theme Park<span style="font-family: verdana;">I have exciting news! A Disney UK insider has leaked information on an incredible and dramtic event to this blog. They were buying a theme park. A British one. The now defunct <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Adventure">American Adventure</a> theme park, which is currently listed as For Sale under the name Shipley Lakeside, is to become a Disney Parks and Resorts property.<br /><br />In truth, m sources say, Disney are in fact buying the land and as much of the surrounding area as they can not to rebrand the existing park, but to build an all-new Disney Adventure Park. Similar in theme to Disneyland Resort, think of it as half Disneyland Park and half California Adventure (Though possibly with a British theme).<br /><br />The surrounding land will be used to extend the car parks and to build Disney's other resort amenities, such as hotels. As for expansion into a muti-park resort, it sounds like that's not in Disney's game plan. Disney UK's top brass are apparently more itnerested in several of these smaller, more British, Disney parks scattered around the UK than the more American Resort approach.<br /><br />Their eventual goal, my source's claim, is a network of attraction to rival that of the Tussaud's brand (Merlin ENtertianments' UK Theme Park branch). Other suggested park anmes include Disney's Highland Island (Allegedly to be built on - a potnetially manmade - island off the coast of Scotland, presumably to the North) and Port Mickey (Rumoured to be a Disney-owned seaside resort, like Skegness but witht eh entire are Disney wned and operated - and more modern naturally).<br /><br />As to Disney Adventure, my source indicates Disney wish to begin preparing the site for construction (IE, tearing down Ameircan Adventure's remnants and beginnign landscaping) this summer, pending finalising the land purchases. The Imagineers are apparently hard at work preparing plans for a cyclical park, where guests can either use the traditional hub system (Apparently to be built out and onto the lake in a "floating" promenade, hub and weenie with bridges off to various stages of the adventure), or journey through the adventure step by step.<br /><br />As to what form the adventure will take, information was scarce. My source was able to confirm elements of Disneyland Resort's two parks (As mentioned above), but how these are woven togther and into what narrative, he was unable to discover.<br /><br />This narrative idea though is an itneresting one. It takes the traditional Disney idea of themed areas, or sets, and spins them out into a longer story, which can still be accessed ad-hoc through an impressive sounding floating hub. It will be interesting to discover what form the floating wienie will take. My source and I, on discussion, suggest a pirate ship is a likely choice - owing to the aquatic placement, adventure theme suiting it and DIsney's newfound foundness for pirates thanks to the blockbuster movie trilogy and by extension their Princess equivalent for boys.<br /><br />This last point also adds further reasoning. All of Disey's main parks currently feature Princess castles as Wienies (Disneyland Park, Magic Kingdom, Parc Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland). It makes sense that now Disney has an alternative, to use this alternative occasionally.<br /><br />A second suggested wienie is an artifical mountain either beyond the lake and bridged to from the hub or indeed replacing part of it, possibly with some of the lake moved to it's other side, "extending" the lake - though in fact merely creating two smaller lakes with one significantly larger than the other or even atually extending the lake with water allowed to flow around the sides of the moutnain.<br /><br />For this mountain's style, think Grizzly Peak at California Adventure.<br /><br />Well that about wraps up the information I currently have on Disney's plans for UK-based theme parks.<br /><br />More as it develops.<br /><br />Jens Out<br /></span>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-86579585844796847882008-03-31T14:50:00.000-07:002008-03-31T16:10:54.673-07:00Here in the big world<span style="font-family: verdana;">Out here in the big world, the Disney fans are fuming. Fans of pop artist Mary Blair are incensed. The egneral public in cases where they are aware, are extremely surprised. And what's caused all this ruckus? Disney's world famous <span style="font-style: italic;">It's a Small World </span>attraction at Disneyland Park is rumoured and conirmed to have some controversial changes in store for us when it reopens.<br /><br />Now, I feel the need to provide my input.<br /><br />The first change, and only confirmed one, is the inclusion of some Disney characters in the rides' scenes. Now, so long as the characters are appropriate (Aladdin and Jasmine representing the middle east, Woody and Jessie for example as the cowboys in the finale scene, Simba as a lion in Africa), I'm not opposed. Sorry, it just doesn't bother me. I've seen pictures of the Hong Kong version which has similar ideas actually implemented and its fine.<br /><br />The next idea is replacing the rainforest with a tribute to America. Um. No. Sorry, just no. Disney, no. You cannot and should not do that. It defeats the point of the ride - multiculturalism. If people wanted a view of America, they could go to Mainstreet, USA; New Orleans Square or Frontierland, entire areas of Disneyland Park dedicated to emulating America.<br /><br />The final rumour is about changing the song. I haven't got details on how they plan to change it, but I undecided. Some of the other versions, notably aris, use modified songs. In theory though, I still say no.<br /><br />Later this year, I'm headed to the 'World, so coming tomorrow I have the latest version of Birnbaums Official Guide to Disney World. We have the 1991 edition, but as you can imagine it's a touch out of date. It predates one of the 4 parks by over half a decade!<br /><br />I'll probably review the book after read, and then again after the trip (Which I'll cover on here). Incidentally, I still say the Contemporary is the most exciting hotel on Disney property, if not in the world. The freaking monorail goes into the exciting A-Frame tower for crying out loud.<br /><br />Ahem. Anyway.<br /><br />Jens Out.<br /></span>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-11464446867763483862008-02-29T14:24:00.000-08:002008-02-29T14:26:47.779-08:00The Mickey Phone in action<span style="font-family: verdana;">Hey guys, just found a quick video of the phone I was talking about in action:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EX9YkSFaqKk"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EX9YkSFaqKk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />Seems to work okay. It's not god, but it looks alright. Better than some of the phones I've seen people toting.<br /><br />The user in the video has the black model. I stand by my belief that the white one looks better.<br /><br />Jens Out<br /></span>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-76345435087015991352008-02-28T16:12:00.000-08:002008-02-28T16:42:52.807-08:00Best Mobile Ever Conceived? I think so<span style="font-family:verdana;">I was spurred into looking into the demise of Disney Mobile's US operations by the rather nifty ad for the Japanese version which has hit the internet recently, featuring a cover of everyone's favourite jingle, the Mickey Mouse March.<br /><br />Here it is for your viewing and listening pleasure:<br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zRczci6i6Kw"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zRczci6i6Kw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br />Credit to <a href="http://www.thedisneyblog.com/tdb/">The Disney Blog</a> for bringing it to my attention</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I decided to look and see if any of the old and now (I assume potentially) </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">virtually useless handsets were on eBay. A few of them are. But whilst I was looking at those, caught sight of a Mickey Mouse iPod/Mobile Phone sock. Which was cool enough and I think I might just get one for my iPod touch.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">But then my gaze fell upon the Mickey Mouse LT2. To put it simply, it's a Mickey Mouse branded Smartphone. I believe it originates from China (It seems to be distributed by CECT, a subsidiary of Qiao Xing Universal Telephone Inc.) </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">and is only available via importers on, for example, eBay, here in the UK.<br /><br />It's Dual-Band 900Mhz and 1800MHz, so I can imprt it and use it here no trouble.</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> It's not huge, sporting a screen pretty much identical to the one on my RAZR V3, </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">but I can get it here for £76. Which is less than I was going to pay for less </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">exciting phones by a wide margin.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It's also actually lighter than my RAZR, which is fairly impressive. And it packs a better camera by a megapixel, and slams the RAZR to the ground with more media featurs and support for SD Memory and out of the box USB support.<br /><br />It comes in White and Black (I've included pictures of the White model) and ships with a case which sports a plushie (But tiny) Mickey on its side.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h143/zcmobile/IMG_1429copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h143/zcmobile/IMG_1429copy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h143/zcmobile/IMG_1430copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h143/zcmobile/IMG_1430copy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h143/zcmobile/IMG_1428copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h143/zcmobile/IMG_1428copy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">I'm going to try and buy one in late March and of course I'll review it here.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">And I'll be making Hilary Duff's rendition of the Mickey Mouse March the ringtone.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />Jens Out<br /></span>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-31910476271667532472007-12-18T14:36:00.000-08:002007-12-18T15:43:36.512-08:00Disney on TV<span style="font-family:verdana;">Disney Channel is a premium-only service. Here in the UK, it is available on all three major premium TV services (Sky Digital - Satellite; Virgin Media - Cable; and Tiscali TV - True TVOIP).<br /><br />Which is fine of course. Available to us are The Disney Channel UK, Disney's Cinemagic and Playhouse Disney, as well as their various Plus Ones and whatever. I think there's room for more. We'll get to that later.<br /><br />We also get ABC 1 (A strange name, there is only one ABC channel here. Sky used to name their primary channel Sky One for similarly vaporous reasons, though they have since added a Two and Three). ABC 1 however is not a premium channel and is freely available, even on our Free-to-Air digital terrestrial service Freeview.<br /><br />Freeview has but three children's channels. The rebounding CBBC serves CBBC and CBeebies (A channel for younger children in the vein of Playhouse Disney), whilst the moribund CITV is a waste of good bandwidth.<br /><br />For you to fully understand the true sorry state of free children's programming in the UK and what Disney has to do with it, first you need a history lesson on UK Children's TV over the last decade or so.<br /><br />In 1998, ITV relaunched their dominant CITV segment with a return to presentation. CBBC had been once again ailing for a period of a few years, bolstered only by a later finishing time and shows like Blue Peter and Newsround. CBBC's programming was characterised by some kids as being stuck up and not fun.<br /><br />CITV had hits like evergreen favourite <i>The Sooty Show</i>, surprise hit <i>Bernard's Watch </i>and game shows like <i>Finders Keepers </i>and <i>Fun House.<br /><br /></i>CBBC did have hit cartoons like <i>Count Duckula </i>and low profile cultural hits like <i>Around the World with Willy Fog</i> - an imported cartoon based on Around the World in Eighty Days, but overall, the wind was in CITV's sails.<br /><br />A year before CITV relaunched, CBBC fell victim to the BBC's corporate rebranding. The CBBC logo was switched from a fun, colourful number to a boring black on yellow affair. The studio, previously anarchic with pictures and children's letters everywhere became ruthlessly modern and was stuffed with transparent "fun" gimmicks which ended up never being used other than at their introduction.<br /><br />However, CITV was being poorly managed by the men upstairs. That it was still successful was down to the creative genius of lower ranking producers and managers.<br /><br />Truth be told, things went wrong first in, yes, 1998 when ReBoot - a show with adoring fans - was axed. Management were not as in touch with he audience as their hits might suggest.<br /><br />From 2000 onward, the production quality of CITV's shows deteriorated at an alarming speed. There were hits, like <i>My Parents are Aliens</i>, but on the whole the output was sub-par. To make matters worse, popular foreign cartoons Digimon and CardCaptors were axed despite their potential to be critical shows for boys for example.<br /><br />But even British hot property Sooty felt the pain as producers clearly struggled o put together a consistently high-quality show on what was clearly too little money. Fans balked at a disastrous move in the last season to attempt to redesign the puppets and - in two cases - the characters.<br /><br />The final season was nowhere near the "The New Sooty-era" peak of quality <i>Sooty Heights </i>which managed to match or surpass its predecessor, the final "The Old Sooty-era" series.<br /><br />Things have gotten worse. CITV has moved to channel only - there is no CITV segment on ITV1 any more and CITV no longer produces its own shows - even <i>My Parents are Aliens </i>is gone. CITV now relies entirely on bought programming.<br /><br />CBBC meanwhile has surged ahead, redesigning itself in 2002 and largely walking away with the market as CITV struggled to stay afloat. CBBC used bought programming like <i>Mona the Vampire </i>and surprise cult hit <i>Arthur </i>to lure kids over and those same children were then led into watching shows like <i>Tracy Beaker </i>and the sublime <i>Jeopardy</i>.<br /><br />The heat-death of CITV is a shame. ITV were Disney's partner for free-to-air programming - to the point of co-branding quirky Saturday and Sunday morning show <i>Diggit</i>, which aired Disney shows like <i>Recess</i>, <i>Pepper Ann</i> and <i>Buzz Lightyear of Star Command</i>. This show replaced the older Saturday Disney.<br /><br />CBBC has since relaunched again in a format more similar to their mid-nineties days. But the quality of the programming is ebbing slightly and some shows come across as increasingly aged. <i>Blue Peter</i> for example has never been closer to death. They did score a hit with an international co-production <i>Shoebox Zoo</i>.<br /><br />The death of high profile free-to-air Disney programming (<i>Toonattik</i>, the lousy replacement for <i>Diggit</i>'s lame replacements <i>Diggin' It </i>and <i>Up on the Roof</i>, still broadcasts Disney cartoons) has got me thinking. Why can't Disney offer a free Disney Channel?<br /><br />It could run reruns, use some of Disney's archive of cartoon hits (Which are currently being under-utilised in my view) as well as live action classics like the <i>Honey I Shrunk the Kids </i>TV show.<br /><br />Disney Channel 3 (As I'm going to refer to it) could have ads to support it, after all CITV was/is ad-supported, so why not? It would give wider access to Disney content and it wouldn't be a particularly difficult operation to run.<br /><br />As to that 3...Disney Channel 2 should be a second channel, tandem to 1 (The current Disney Channel) which shows more cartoons. Kids do still like cartoons as well as live action sitcoms, Disney Channel 2 would be an outlet for new animated shows so live action production would not have to be cut back.<br /><br />So firmly do I believe that a free Disney Channel on Freeview could be a smash hit, I would happily run it myself with payment being tied entirely to viewing figures, with no viewers meaning no money. I think I'd make a fair bit of money.<br /><br />Not that I expect Disney to just e-mail me with a job offer. I'm simply making a point.<br /><br />That being said, if Disney did want me to work for any part of Disney Channel UK (Aside from things like cleaning before you start) I would say yes, even to an assistant's job. In fact, I hope to take up such a position once I'm out of uni.<br /><br />Working for Disney would be a dream come true ;)<br /><br />Anyway, to put it simply, I think Disney needs to offer a free way for kids to watch Disney shows in the UK other than ITV's ailing weekend output. Even a segment on ABC 1 would be good.<br /><br />But for crying out loud, schedule it as a 4-6/7 thing, after school when kids want to sit down and relax in front of the TV. Do not dump it in the early morning, a lot of kids like to sleep in, especially in the UK and make sure you keep the Saturday Morning cartoons tradition alive as well.<br /><br />Jens Out<br /></span>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-74235589500183020162007-11-24T11:46:00.000-08:002007-11-25T09:15:50.479-08:00Where should Disney be building Parks?<span style="font-family:verdana;">If you're anything like me, when you heard that Disney were opening a resort in Hawaii, you started grinning uncontrollably. Reason being, Hawaii is one of my most desired holiday destinations outside all the Disney Parks. And now that there's going to be a Disney Resort there, I have twice the reason to visit.<br /><br />But it got me thinking. Where are the future Disney Parks going to be? And what could be some possible locations?<br /><br />The more credible rumours I've heard suggest Disney is planning an Australian Park and a Mainland China-based one. Australia is a logical choice, Oceania is a major gap in the market and it makes sense to put a Disney Park somewhere not geographically close to any of the others.<br /><br />China is a tad disappointing. There is some logic in the move - there are a vast number of people who could visit a Chinese Disneyland - but owing to the fairly recent opening of Hong Kong Disneyland and the presence of TokyoDisney, some were hoping for some expansion elsewhere.<br /><br />And so, to the potential candidates. Debunked rumours suggested a South American Resort was in the near future, an idea which has cropped up several times.<br /><br />Yet, it's difficult to see how this could work. South America isn't really known for it's infrastructure and most of the continent's major cities are jam-packed. It would have to built in a rural area - and the public relations nightmare this would cause would be unbearable for good old Mr. Iger.<br /><br />I myself believe Disney should open a park in Spain, possibly near Barcelona or elsewhere on the coast.<br /><br />Indeed, a similar idea was presented whilst Disney were planning what eventually became Disneyland Resort Paris. The idea has a number of advantages, especially now.<br /><br />A second resort would give EuroDisney SCA a better income. And it could also serve the burgeoning Disney Cruise operation. Building the Resort right on the coast would allow Disney to build a dock exclusively for the ships, offering a permanent port of call for European cruises - Europeans could board in Spain rather than America. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Perhaps this could even form a seaside-themed land. It's an idea with legs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">One bizarre rumour I have heard, which I think may have been spawned as pure speculation and as such is probably based on pretty much zero evidence, is that Disney (Or more likely EuroDisney SCA or one of the other Disney subsidiaries) might buy The Tussauds Group - comprising a number of UK attractions including theme parks like Alton Towers. However, the recent sale of the business to Blackstone - who rolled it into Merlin Entertainments, has put the proverbial kibosh on that idea.</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />I must confess, I'd also like to see Disney open one more Resort stateside. Perhaps in Central America, perhaps not. However, I believe this is not currently in Disney's plans, so I shan't hold my breath.<br /><br />Where would <i>you </i>like to see Disney expand to?<br /></span>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-3807920773517644342007-11-11T11:56:00.001-08:002007-11-11T12:03:01.623-08:00Disney to expand Mobile Venture to Japan<span style="font-family:verdana;"><a href="http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6217971.html">ZDNet, via Reuters,</a> has it that Disney is to go into partnership with Japanese mobile phone carrier Softbank in a move moderately similar to the existing Disney Mobile service stateside, though it sounds like it may be more focused on downloads than that particular venture.<br /><br />Reuters suggests that this move will spark increased saturation in an already crowded Japanese market. My interest is more in the idea that Disney is finally taking its mobile venture international.<br /><br />Here in the UK, virtual operators are prevalent - Tesco, Virgin and the Carphone Warehouse all operate virtual networks - Tesco for example on the dominant O2 carrier.<br /><br />As such, it piques my interest that at some point soon, Disney may move into the UK Mobile network. As a die hard Disney fan, that excites me.<br /><br />Hit up the link for more details.<br /><br />Jens Out<br /></span>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-15095109163354012502007-10-27T12:45:00.000-07:002007-11-06T14:47:34.987-08:00HD-DVD Vs. Blu-Ray: A Consumer and Entertainment Value Comparison<span style="font-family:verdana;">In this cross-blog feature, I'm taking a look at the optical media format war currently raging across the world.<br /><br />Optical media is currently dominated by the ubiquitous Digital Versatile Disc, DVD. The DVD was in the right place at the right time, smashed VHS thanks to better pricing, better quality and more features.<br /><br />It also schooled the older CD standard in the data optical disc market, thanks in large part to an increase of over 300% in per-layer capacity. Most households in the West now contain at least one DVD player, many have several. Additionally, most computers ship with one or 2 DVD drives.<br /><br />But with the HD era approaching and the capacity of the DVD not really sufficient to hold enough content at HD to justify the effort - never mind the increasingly bloated size of video games - a new standard is needed. 2 competitors have emerged to take this role.<br /><br />HD-DVD, Toshiba and NEC's direct successor to the DVD (In name only, it is technologically different) and the one endorsed by the DVD Forum and Sony's Blu-Ray Disc.<br /><br />Both have upsides. In this part of my cross-blog feature I'll be looking at the discs from the perspective of consumers as well as at their value as an entertainment distribution model.<br /><br />The movie industry has put a lot of weight behind Blu-Ray, including the object f this blog's focus, Disney. But were they right to do so? Well, yes and no. it depends on what's more important to you as a consumer.<br /><br />The studios chose Blu-Ray because, as I outlined in the <a href="http://allyourtime.blogspot.com/2007/10/hd-dvd-vs-blu-ray-technical-view.html">first part</a> of this feature, it is technologically superior. On paper, it's an obvious choice.<br /><br />With higher storage capacity studios can put more HD Content on one disc, which is a plus that one would have difficulty in reasonably ignoring. Disney, for example, are able to release the High School Musical 2 Extended Edition in HD <i>and </i>add more special features without adding any more discs over the DVD release.<br /><br />This creates possibilities for consumers which are universally good - less disc-swapping chief among them. But there is one thing Blu-Ray doesn't do well for consumers - relax their wallets.<br /><br />HD-DVD players and in some cases discs are comparatively very low-priced. Players can be had for as little as £115 for the Xbox 360 branded USB model and even standalones run as little as £200 - compared to a starting price for Blu-Ray players of around £300 for the PLAYSTATION 3.<br /><br />Speaking from a consumer's pointof view, it's easy to choose HD-DVD.<br /><br />But from an entertainment-lover's view, it's difficult to choose one over the other. A bi-partisan approach would be best. get both, then you can't lose.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">All Your Time Are Belong To Us: </span><a href="http://allyourtime.blogspot.com/2007/10/hd-dvd-vs-blu-ray-technical-view.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Technical view</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">All Your Disney: <a href="http://allyourdisney.blogspot.com/2007/10/hd-dvd-vs-blu-ray-consumer-and.html">A Consumer and Entertainment Value Comparison</a><br />All Your Time Are Belong To Us: It's Not That Simple</span>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-34111854662320080952007-10-25T13:05:00.000-07:002008-12-08T19:35:55.166-08:00Disney Stuff Pictures Update: PJ Mickey W/ Teddy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHM5Mnb2HFPGlGa4w7zh-EP7zOWw9ucsCQDy1n_W-p8ZNpmdbkkbYAjm5O98NMZ0kWynxD2nJdc2a2Qv7h0hdt3o-ejSTdh3Xo4i2Me-ARGf8Q_zZifWCQ82NSNr1nK5HHFZcnF3dVDJUZ/s1600-h/Mickey+PJ+With+Teddy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHM5Mnb2HFPGlGa4w7zh-EP7zOWw9ucsCQDy1n_W-p8ZNpmdbkkbYAjm5O98NMZ0kWynxD2nJdc2a2Qv7h0hdt3o-ejSTdh3Xo4i2Me-ARGf8Q_zZifWCQ82NSNr1nK5HHFZcnF3dVDJUZ/s320/Mickey+PJ+With+Teddy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125368540256569970" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Hey guys, just a quick one with a picture of the stuff I bought in the Disney Store yesterday.<br /></span>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-76718557708947415482007-10-25T06:40:00.000-07:002007-10-25T06:53:29.029-07:00Disney Store<span style="font-family:verdana;">So I visited the Leicester Disney Store yesterday. I had been told that the stores had lost a lot of their magic, but I didn't really get that impression myself. I was impressed with the size and layout. There was a lot of stuff in there, but it didn't feel cramped.<br /><br />I do agree that the old mountain of cuddly toys will be missed, but I suppose it was never that efficient for finding the one you wanted anyway. In larger stores, I suppose a compromise between it and the shelves could be reached. But at the end of the day the shelves provide faster, easier access to the toy you want, so they probably should win out.<br /><br />The decoration of the store was quite impressive too. The areas all match the properties they apply to and there is not an inch which is not colourful. The carpet is marvelous and unique, the walls a joy to behold.<br /><br />The service was also exquisite. There's not a cast member in there who didn't have a smile on their face. One got the impression was was surrounded by people who loved that they were in this place. They also seemed to be very well trained with the young lady who served me expertly boxing what I was buying in a few seconds and only 1 try. It took me multiple tries and significantly more time to mimic her when I was resealing the box later.<br /><br />I was also pleased to see that the big screen playing Disney musical numbers which I remember delighted the young me was still in use, in this case pumping songs from High School Musicals 1 & 2 - as well as a couple of older songs from cartoons if memory serves - all around the store. I caught myself miming along a couple of times and I wasn't alone.<br /><br />Looking around as I was being served I saw a young girl delightedly handing over a collection of coins in exchange for some Mickey Mouse shaped Chocolate Lollipops. She was quite clearly on Cloud Nine and the Cast Members were sharing in the fun. Watching this take place, I could really see the famous Disney magic a work.<br /><br />There are cynics who say The Disney Stores are corporate greed at its best. They're wrong. However frivolous you think the products, or whatever opinion you have on the pricing, you're missing the point. The Disney Stores bring the magic that little bit closer to the children in all of us.<br /><br />Jens Out<br /><br />PS: I was buying the Pajama-Wearing Mickey with a Teddy if you were wondering.<br /></span>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-50808520279625327462007-10-18T15:02:00.000-07:002008-12-08T19:35:55.606-08:00Some pictures of my Disney Stuff<span style="font-family:verdana;">Hey guys, here's some pictures of some of my Disney merchandise, including the Cars Phone.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNruWdUBrqyKofv20YaV04g8GIcAfJFd1ujKB0-u-CQoiOQf-KFIzzKUkFgcTSeRZLDGn5SfM4TbWIH99W2OQmoMMCEsjOn6bKooYsatDH92EReRQc4rN3p7RhDGhtOSy-zSdB9QHZaEXo/s1600-h/MickeyGlassBody.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNruWdUBrqyKofv20YaV04g8GIcAfJFd1ujKB0-u-CQoiOQf-KFIzzKUkFgcTSeRZLDGn5SfM4TbWIH99W2OQmoMMCEsjOn6bKooYsatDH92EReRQc4rN3p7RhDGhtOSy-zSdB9QHZaEXo/s320/MickeyGlassBody.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122803292044188722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDu5oSLYnqVazU1_zOLrb8UqrybbWo1VTNR-nMOJoHpKY_ZUpqIDYxtiax8nqr5uPCSG94QMndTaTFduBFLaf5aPDipzE2tyPRDxaHXICVDENoaxfyZnmQz2fMB0Jejcl_Xys4CrYx6bm/s1600-h/MickeyPoster.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDu5oSLYnqVazU1_zOLrb8UqrybbWo1VTNR-nMOJoHpKY_ZUpqIDYxtiax8nqr5uPCSG94QMndTaTFduBFLaf5aPDipzE2tyPRDxaHXICVDENoaxfyZnmQz2fMB0Jejcl_Xys4CrYx6bm/s320/MickeyPoster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122803296339156034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6m2NgLsNwjxayuQ5mN1v3UoqNpNzImV5FMG5le1myDVymNwCoGVUigqwAYpkcZOMcKvJtfgdvFRaZ51XUG8m7paDZwScpIYtXyYhD-FYL2k6dh4hMG9CwTVpsbz-VUNm-0IwRjE2kcPdx/s1600-h/CarsPhone2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6m2NgLsNwjxayuQ5mN1v3UoqNpNzImV5FMG5le1myDVymNwCoGVUigqwAYpkcZOMcKvJtfgdvFRaZ51XUG8m7paDZwScpIYtXyYhD-FYL2k6dh4hMG9CwTVpsbz-VUNm-0IwRjE2kcPdx/s320/CarsPhone2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122803296339156050" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkAJm5crWQ67MoNrWgSv3uOPy8Y6yyTTLUUQykVR1GXy-ZbkM6tar7GRPNqM-lC4Srs9ey96WAquboaf-R4TAZfcL1n1G6dKNtnkDMmKusC-qamo2gB21vVVoGka1AyPwIhu2BKX2U02Jx/s1600-h/CarsPhoneHandset.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkAJm5crWQ67MoNrWgSv3uOPy8Y6yyTTLUUQykVR1GXy-ZbkM6tar7GRPNqM-lC4Srs9ey96WAquboaf-R4TAZfcL1n1G6dKNtnkDMmKusC-qamo2gB21vVVoGka1AyPwIhu2BKX2U02Jx/s320/CarsPhoneHandset.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122803300634123362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /><br /></span>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-48628133730143454452007-09-21T07:30:00.000-07:002007-09-21T07:42:13.174-07:00Cars Lightning McQueen Animated Character Phone<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">I recently bought the aformentioned phone for use as a VoIP phone on my desk. I must say, Lightning looks right at home sitting there in front of my monitor and beside my PDA.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">The USP of the phone is that instead of simply ringing when a call is received (Though that is an option), Lightning vibratesas if limbering up to race and delivers phrases from the film.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">Phrases like "Kachow, kachow, kachow", "I am faster than fast", "Speed, I am speed" and "Now that's what I'm talking about".</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">There are five in total and a press of the Demo button, located by the handset cable port, plays all of them including some vibration.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">The handset itself is the top of Lightning. The area from his bonnet (Hood) back to his spoiler comes away as the handset. On it are the obligatory 1-9-0 # * as well as Redial, Recall and Mute buttons plus a volume High/Low switch and a Cars logo.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">The handset is surprisingly comfortable to hold and the buttons all have nice feels and are easily readable - even the corresponding letters on numbers which have these.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">The phone looks very neat, most likely a result of it being a compact phone with a unique form factor. It's also a surprising accurate model of Lightning, including - as far as I can tell - all of his sponsor stickers, matching is body shape exactly and basically just looking, for want of a better word, right.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">I'll update later with pictures and details on how good it is as a phone.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">Jens Out</span></div>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-90562521564912511432007-09-08T06:31:00.000-07:002007-09-08T06:35:48.320-07:00Vanessa could still stay<span style="font-family: verdana;">Disney have said that they are "sticking by Vanessa" over the issue, but have not confirmed her involvement in High School Musical 3, as they are still involved in negotiations with talent for that release.<br /><br />This is looking good, but I for one am keeping my eye on things. Vanessa needs to be confirmed for High School Musical 3 at least before I'll stop watching things closely.<br /></span>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-61845899077260287772007-09-07T09:35:00.000-07:002007-09-07T11:37:52.519-07:00Vanessa Anne Hudgens<span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Below is an open letter from me and anyone else who wishes to sign it in the Comments to The Walt Disney Company regarding news that </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.thedisneyblog.com/tdb/2007/09/is-vanessa-hudg.html">they may drop Vanessa Anne Hudgens from future High School Musical productions</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dear Board of Directors, Management of The Walt Disney Company/Disney Channel Worldwide and all other involved parties,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />I have heard the news about a nude picture of Vanessa Anne Hudgens surfacing on the internet and that as a result, Disney is considering dropping Vanessa from future productions in the High School Musical franchise.<br /><br />I would like to emphatically suggest you show leniancy in this case. Vanessa has said that the picture was a private matter and that she did not wish for it to appear in public. I for one believe her and you should too.<br /><br />And either way, Vanessa is a fantastic role model and a very down-to-earth, nice person. She has earned her good name and Disney should do everything to help her maintain it - not help soil it.<br /><br />Besides which, dropping Vanessa would be a huge mistake. High School Musical is a global cultural phenomenon. And Vanessa is a central part of that. There is no question over whether future High School Musical productions will be as successful if Vanessa is replaced. They will not. So financially, it's a mistake.<br /><br />And that's not to mention the public outcry Disney would surely face.<br /><br />Dropping Vanessa is neither justifiable or clever. As a die hard Disney Fan through-and-through, I would hate to see Disney make the huge mistake of ending Vanessa's involvement in the High School Musical Franchise.<br /><br />And who's to say the cast would go along with this move? If Vanessa goes, one could imagine Zac Efron walking. Ashley Tisdale might be next and what is there to guarantee Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman would stay?<br /><br />And without the whole set, there's no franchise to continue. No record-breaking profits. Nothing.<br /><br />Disney has chucked away profits before - refusing a potentially lucrative deal with Hilary Duff over a slightly late response, turning down hits like Survivor and CSI, but we're past such monumental mistakes and into a time of wisdom. Like buying Pixar or allowing movies and TV shows to be bought from iTunes. Let's not make dropping Vanessa Anne Hudgens the crowning screw-up of this renewed era for Disney.<br /><br />Vanessa Must Stay.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />Paul Douglas<br /></span>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068968531417867588.post-78982025430115850512007-09-02T14:02:00.000-07:002007-09-02T14:09:10.626-07:00Welcome to All Your Disney<span style="font-family: verdana;">Welcome to All Your Disney, my new blog dedicated to all things The Walt Disney Company and it's related subsidiaries and owned brands.<br /><br />As some of you will know, I am a huge Disney fan and would like very much to be a Cast Member. On this blog, I will chronicle both my dealings with Disney and my thoughts on its products and so on.<br /><br />Anyway, to kick things off here is a reprint of my recent preview of the music of High School Musical 2, first showing on Disney Channel September 21st here in the UK.<br /><br />I simply must get Disney Channel by then...<br /><br />I recently previewed the music from the sequel to Disney's smash hit High School Musical. High School Musical 2's not showing until next month over here, but it's alreadys et records Stateside.<br /><br />Anyway, the music. I gotta say, I loved the music of the original, but I felt it was artificialy bolstered by a reprisal and the Album by a couple of "alternative versions". The music in this sequel is almost all the equal of the best of the original. And there's more of it.<br /><br />From the upbeat "What time is it?", a catch number as good as or better than the original's "Stick to the Status Quo" and "Breaking Free" to the spectacularly fun "You Are the Music in Me", High School Musical 2 is full of hits.<br /><br />But it's not just the "catchy" numbers that are fantastic, "Gotta Go My Own Way" is superb, better than "When there was Me and You" from the original in every way.<br /><br />Another standout is "All For One", a number similar in content to the original's "We're all in this together". It is equally as fun and catchy as its predecessor.<br /><br />To summarise, whatever you thought of High School Musical (I myself thought it was delightful), High School Musical 2 is both its musical superior and a standout musical in modern times.<br /><br />At least give it a try.<br /><br />Jens Out</span>Paul Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15671138383581450412noreply@blogger.com0