A Spirited Perfect Ten

[PhotoDave219]

I was debating whether to respond to this or not (some folks here believe I have to respond to any/every thing they place out there or even when they tag me, I don't).

I don't enjoy echo chambers. That's why I get very ****ed when there isn't news and people use this thread as an anything goes place to talk. I believe we have a Chit Chat forum and the PML members have that. I don't start threads like this so they can fall apart when I disappear for a week or there is nothing newsworthy.

I certainly hope you don't think I bully people because I hate that carp and don't. Apparently, you missed the ganging up on me (by my biggest fans) because I had a tech glitch and wondered if it was normal or whether someone had accessed my devices ... yeah, I was the bully there.

As to the other things you've raised, all I can say is you know what you're going to get in my threads and I won't apologize for that. If people don't like hearing what I don't like and why, then they don't have to read or post here. Take a look at page views for my threads if you believe most people feel that way. I don't watch MTV or CBS crime procedurals because I know what I'm going to get. Only a crazy person would spend time reading a thread that they don't enjoy or get anything out of.

I know the topics and the NEWS (because when it is put out, it is that, it isn't guessing or taking 10% fact and crafting an elaborate -- WDI-like -- back story for the tale, as other online bloggers do) I tend to put out are things you can't get elsewhere.

With that, can we all agree that water is wet and move on?

Oh I wasnt ganging up at all. I think its very reasonable to suspect that being critical of the chinese government online and their business dealings by someone whom has worked in that country just might attract some unwanted attention online and they might wonder whats going on in your computer.

I think its very plausable.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I wonder how long until this thread gets cleaned up lol.

Its not my fault. For once.

 

[WDW1974]

I come to spirited threads for much more than just propaganda stories about Shanghai.

Or at least I used to until you stopped giving parks news and just continued with the sensationalized propaganda...

The propaganda is what is emanating from Burbank. I think fans, cast and shareholders have a right to know. Don't you?

And I've already said I can't (or won't) make news up. There's nothing to report at WDW, then I won't be saying much. MAGICal Steve does a great job on all the official stuff and the small things like when Disney gives tours of new DVC or a new store opens at TSFKaDD.

You may have noticed that permits were filed today for work (i.e NEWS) that I broke on this very site about a year ago now.

That's the whole point of these threads: to talk about what is news throughout the company and if it is at WDW or has an effect than all the better ... but I am not the right Spirit that's going to spend 189 pages slogging thru pages doing Armchair Imagineering. I hate that stuff, unless I am speaking with actual Imagineers. No, Disney isn't moving Small World to EPCOT to free up space that they don't need anyway.

 

[ThemeParkTraveller]

No not the same. The picture you posted of Splash could ONLY be seen from backstage. Even though the picture you posted of EE was also a backstage picture you could see it from the parking lot from a guest area. Not a fair comparison at all. Sorry.

My point was that they have gone back and attempted to theme the visible part of Everest's show building from the parking lot (the top half of the picture I posted), despite the fact that it was a detail that only a tiny minority complained about.

The Splash Mountain picture wasn't included because it could be seen from outside backstage but to show that traditionally WDI does not theme the back side of most large attractions when they don't have to (when the back side is not visible inside the park itself). Being able to see the less attractive sections of a show building outside the actual park has traditionally not been a big concern for them.

The back side of Cars Land used to look like this, and this was visible from public roads that any guest could access:

http://mintcrocodile.smugmug.com/photos/i-cd3V84v/0/O/i-cd3V84v-O.jpg

And turned into this after an attempt to make it blend better.

http://www.miceshots.com/usr/67/07-15-13-IMG_5336.jpg

An improvement but still nowhere near as elaborate as the front. And arguably still immersion-breaking.

 

[WDW1974]

A Spirited Marvel Quickee:

For all the fanbois who think that Marvel will come to WDW or have a huge presence in Disney Parks worldwide going forward comes this tidbit of NEWS from someone fairly up the food chain. It's not about attractions per se, but attitude.

What I've been told is that folks at Marvel care about two things largely: films and comics. If there was a third, then it would be TV and then merchandise.

You see what's missing?

Most of the top Marvel leadership doesn't really give a damn about theme park attractions -- and that's whether they wind up in IOA or DCA or DSP ... they don't have any passion or understanding for the medium. Not everyone, but enough of the leadership.

In other words, no one at Marvel will be jumping over the table in the boardroom to convince anyone at either Disney or UNI about how there has to be an amazing 3D adventure with Wolverine.

 

[Phil12]

So what? I was wrong and admitted it. Do you think I hurt the feelings of a multi-billion dollar multi-national media goliath? Seriously, Phil, it's a little more than laughable when you compare me editing posts on a fan site message board to the head of Disney using his wife's position at a news org (and the HuffPo does sadly qualify) to silence someone writing an Op-Ed that was slightly critical of the company's ability to develop its BRAND in China.

Sorry, pal, but the standards for Bob Iger don't apply to me here ... and, FWIW, I am far more honorable and honest. But I don't want this discussion becoming the next 'Dear Leader is protecting peds' tangent. If you want to discuss it (or whatever else you have stuck up your rear end) with me, send me a PM.

There you go again. No evidence has been offered to support your accusations. It's rumor. And Gary Snyder seems to be incommunicado.

You seem to have something in common with Brain Williams. You conflated your computer problems with the assumption that TWDC was attempting to silence your thread entries. And you seem to sincerely think that TWDC is still attempting to silence you because you have stated that Willow Bay should be fired from her position at USC. I see a pattern.

 

[WDW1974]

You rang?

I certainly haven't forgotten Nick Franklin. While no one likes to see someone lose their job, since Mr. Franklin presented himself to the national media on NextGen Launch Day looking like a schleppy guy from Purchasing dropping off more toner cartridges for the printer, I'm not surprised he was the exec Burbank decided to can when the 1+ Billion Dollar NextGen Project launched and landed flat on its face.

If he'd only worn at least a sport coat to the Media Day, he might have kept his job.

And if you and your lady friend are headed to Anaheim for the Diamond Celebration @WDW1974, then a round of Carthay Manhattans (or a Pimm's Punch for the lady?) are on me!

That would be good old Nick. Just amazed that no one jumped to sign him up to an exec level position! (not really)

And we will be there sometime in August (I'll PM you details when we get closer) and I never forget an offer for free food or beverages! But we'd want to meet you regardless! And I do love Carthay ... went to 1901 with friends on last visit and I really enjoyed that as well. Great drinks and food.

 

[WDW1974]

There you go again. No evidence has been offered to support your accusations. It's rumor. And Gary Snyder seems to be incommunicado.

And there you go again. Do you have an alert that comes on whenever I post? Seriously, it's a little odd how fast you come running.

My evidence is not something I am going to place out here any more than I ever reveal sources or put artwork/plans up. You can either believe me or not. I'm not at all sure whether you don't believe (which is fine) or are simply here to stir things up (which is not).

If you think I'm damaging Disney or Willow, why not contact them with your accusations? I'm sure they'll give a damn what you have to say ... so go ahead. And I'm sorry, but I don't speak for Mr. Snyder. But I'd also caution one to believe that just because we haven't heard anything from him or Disney that means nothing is going on in places we don't have access to.

You'd have to be a fool to believe that. And while we may disagree on things, I don't think you're a fool ... yet.

You seem to have something in common with Brain Williams. You conflated your computer problems with the assumption that TWDC was attempting to silence your thread entries. And you seem to sincerely think that TWDC is still attempting to silence you because you have stated that Willow Bay should be fired from her position at USC. I see a pattern.

Phil, if you want to talk about Willow or censorship or TWDC, I'm all for it. But this is the last post I'm reading from you making a big deal about my tech issues before I report the posts. I've already explained what went down and said it was my mistake. I'm not repeating it ad nauseum.

Fortune 500 companies have the ability to gain access to the tech of people they view as threats. That's a fact. But, no, Disney (to my knowledge) isn't in my computers, tablets etc. And I don't believe Disney is trying to silence me.

Again, though, if you feel I'm sitting here making things up for fun (and for the PML bois to have fodder in the a.m.) then I'd suggest you not waste your time here. You must have better things to do.

 

[PhotoDave219]

A Spirited Marvel Quickee:

For all the fanbois who think that Marvel will come to WDW or have a huge presence in Disney Parks worldwide going forward comes this tidbit of NEWS from someone fairly up the food chain. It's not about attractions per se, but attitude.

What I've been told is that folks at Marvel care about two things largely: films and comics. If there was a third, then it would be TV and then merchandise.

You see what's missing?

Most of the top Marvel leadership doesn't really give a damn about theme park attractions -- and that's whether they wind up in IOA or DCA or DSP ... they don't have any passion or understanding for the medium. Not everyone, but enough of the leadership.

In other words, no one at Marvel will be jumping over the table in the boardroom to convince anyone at either Disney or UNI about how there has to be an amazing 3D adventure with Wolverine.

Marvel already has theme park attractions and are making money off them...... There's no need to make that capital investment.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Marvel already has theme park attractions and are making money off them...... There's no need to make that capital investment.

Plus Marvel's making theme park rides into comic books. That Big Thunder Mountain book that started today actually comes off as more movie-friendly then the previous two, if only because its basically a Disney Princess movie set in the old west starring a character that's basically "Merida: Frontierland Edition".

 

[WDW1974]

Chinese tailors in HK are AMAZING!

Amy in Beijing is quite good as well!

 

[WDW1974]

Interesting thing is they basically want what anyone else would want: a unique, affordable, aesthetically pleasing and clean escape from the regular world.

The question I am trying to find an answer for is will the Chinese-owned park make that a reality? Or, will the jointly owned park, where Disney appears to be calling the shots but apparently is not, be able to make this happen for the average Chinese citizen?

One quick note: the reality of a non-crowded themepark in such a highly populated country will never come to fruition, IMO.

It can happen. I've been to both HKDL and Ocean Park when they've been very uncrowded. Very.

 

[flynnibus]

And there you go again. Do you have an alert that comes on whenever I post? Seriously, it's a little odd how fast you come running

Well technically.. yes.. when you quote his posts

 

[WDW1974]

I also wonder about the survey being in English. If the survey was delivered in English, the results would be skewed towards the above average Chinese national. A follow up would be a survey in Mandarin that would include a larger demographic. I hypothesize (to those who do not understand the scientific method, hypothesis is the first step in enlightenment) that the percentage of those that identify Disney would drop significantly.

That is a very key point. If the survey is in English, then you are far, far, far more likely to find people who actually know Disney. ... It's almost like having a DPB meet up that only has Lifestylers ... oh yeah, nevermind.

 

[WDW1974]

Well technically.. yes.. when you quote his posts

Well, one would have to be logged into the site for that. I don't know about you, but I am most definitely not tuned in here 24/7 ... whether people quote me, tag me, PM me, call me nasty names etc.

I really should be in a better mood anyway ... since Angie booked us on another Disney Cruise today!

 

[WDW1974]

I can tell you that I have a good inside track at CBS News and Redstone isn't much of an issue nor has he been for some time, rather it's entertainment king Les Moonves. CBS hasn't put the editorial skids on as much stuff as most of the other news organizations and it took some time for Leslie to see that the news isn't an entertainment division. He is the one and only reason that the disaster that was Katie Couric became the anchor of the 'CBS Evening News.' Internally, Scott Pelley was the clear choice and favorite, but Les overrode the news division, which when it comes to true journalism and content, it should have never happened.

She brought "her" people, which were basically retreads with an attitude from NBC, and isolated them all from the CBS News team. The nicest thing that I can say about her time there was the news set was a cool place to sit and visit. Why CBS is actually producing a news program in the morning that actually does hard news (as much hard news that a domestic can seemingly produce today) is because of the Couric debacle as the hard news team won out over the entertainment wing. CBS News has had their own issues of journalistic missteps and retractions over the past few years.

People shouldn't expect things to get better as news divisions are now major profit centers for networks whereas they historically were instituted for the public good and giant margins weren't of concern. As with Disney, all of these corporations are beholden to maximizing their returns to h--- with exposing truths to society.

As for the Bay issue, look at your favorite Barnes at the NYT. His general fawning could make dimmest bulb in the lot question whether he is on Disney corporate PR payroll.

I want to talk to you in private about some of the above, so I'll drop a note over the weekend.

But as for the last comment, I didn't go to Brooksey at the Times although I know a few people who did. I'm quite sure that as soon as BB got the first report of the story that he called to Iger's office to ask how to handle the situation. He's just a total joke, a literal and figurative tool. And everyone in the business knows he's in the pockets of every company that he covers.

 

[WDW1974]

Whats the likelihood that Hollywood Studios gets Marvel characters along with Star Wars and Pixar for the makeover? Screamscape said that Disney and Universal are going to be talking about renegotiating the contract that lets Universal use Marvel characters in their parks in Florida probably in 2017/2018. Except this time, Disney tries to make it so they can use the characters along with Universal for attractions.
http://screamscape.com/html/wdw_-_hollywood_studios.htm#NewName

None. Never. Ever. Ever. Ever ...

 

[WDW1974]

Maybe we need to look at WDW as a resort as one giant park and not magic kingdom and 3 other parks.

No. That's the kind of thinking that got WDW into the shape it is in.

EPCOT, for example, needs to be treated as its own entity as if every Guest was only visiting that park, that day.

 

[Tony Perkis]

I wonder how long until this thread gets cleaned up lol.

Totally worth it.

 

[WDW1974]

Just want to add that no profit based company would ever delay a capital intensive project like this unless they couldn't get it completed. They wouldn't delay it to 'plus' it because they can do that after they begin to recoup their original investment.

As for The Disney Channel in China, I would love to know what is and has been road blocking that deal. Nickelodeon has been there for almost ten years now with success, as has MTV. Maybe Sumner is better at negotiating? It has to be possible to get but at what cost?

Of course not. Disney wants this open ASAP. HKDL wound up opening a good 6-8 months early (cutting 60% off the planning menu helped, no doubt).

From everything I have heard (both here and in China), the Central Government flat out never wavered on not allowing a Disney Channel. They don't want that type of penetration by an American propaganda factory would be the best way of putting it. They certainly don't care if people are eating KFC or Papa John's (soooo good in China!) or drinking Starbucks. Having Disney programming in people's homes 24/7 is another matter entirely.

Oh, and see you did hit on a key point: Sumner is beloved over there (I'm guessing his cousin, the censored one, is liked plenty as well!) They love American characters (likely why I've been successful over there). They value business acumen, but they also value personality. Michael Eisner was very well-liked as well there (and still clearly is as seen by his VIP tour of SDL!) ... Bob has no discernible personality. He's a robot ... and, no, that doesn't play well. Tom Staggs is very much the same. believe it or not, they like Jay Rasulo BY FAR the best of the high level Disney execs they have dealt with because he can joke, he can be crass (actually he is!), he comes off as real. I'm really not sure the deal, as bad as it is, would have happened without JR.