A Spirited Perfect Ten

[Cosmic Commando]

My mistake @WDW1974 , my article was apparently written by a real journalist for the main university website.

https://news.usc.edu/76279/media-managers-muse-on-the-digital-age/

 

[PhotoDave219]

Is it too late to get Steve Martin or Martin Short or virtually anyone else to host the Oscars?

YOu're really asking for God to smite us, arent you.

I cant think of a worse combination than Steve Martin and Martin Short unless it involved Chevy Chase.

 

[TalkingHead]

YOu're really asking for God to smite us, arent you.

I cant think of a worse combination than Steve Martin and Martin Short unless it involved Chevy Chase.

I'd definitely take the Three Amigos over this.

God, this show is more boring than last year's ... we didn't even get a shot of Bob Iger (who wasn't thanked) when Big Hero 6 won.

This is one of the worst shows in recent memory. (And I say that as an abashed annual onlooker of the Oscars.) The writing is awful. Maybe NPH doesn't have much to work with, but I'd bet he'll never be asked back after this performance. Of course, Oscar hosts rarely are asked back nowadays...

 

[WDW1974]

From there, "quality will out"... as will Disney's name as a respected brand who has made a name for itself in mainland China.

China isn't a free market, and the rules for success are going to be very different. So far, it looks like Disney is playing on the right side of those rules.

Will come back to the rest of this post when I catch up later in the week as I don't want to look at a screen any longer. I do congratulate you for being as rich as @WDWFigment though. I'm a Faux Top One Percenter and there's no way I visit more than three resorts in a good year.

But I REALLY need to correct a little misstatement. And that is what you wrote in the first sentence above. One of the points of the now infamous HuffPo column (which still hilariously comes up high on almost any search you do ... great work at censorship, Iger!) and one I know to be true from living and working over there is that Disney is virtually unknown in much of the mainland. The name, the man, the mouse and the BRAND. They don't have a clue or the majority does not. So, there is no respect because none has been built up. I don't think many people truly get how foreign China is and how different it is from every market Disney has ever gone into.

I also don't know how you come to the conclusion that Disney is playing cleanly over there at all. Maybe you have sources in Shendi like some of us?

 

[PhotoDave219]

I'd definitely take the Three Amigos over this.



This is one of the worst shows in recent memory. (And I say that as an abashed annual onlooker of the Oscars.) The writing is awful. Maybe NPH doesn't have much to work with, but I'd bet he'll never be asked back after this performance. Of course, Oscar hosts rarely are asked back nowadays...

Its not that bad. Remember David Letterman?

 

[RSoxNo1]

Its not that bad. Remember David Letterman?

Uma. Oprah. Oprah. Uma.

 

[tirian]

Hong Kong is not mainland China; and the Chinese government's presentation of America is more important than the conspicuous consumption (good book, btw) that exists within the Chinese country.

You know...if this were 15-20 years ago, we wouldn't even be talking about the lack of emotional connection being an issue. Disney being Disney (then) would have been enough to forge such a connection through a high quality, highly engaging park. I mean, IP has always helped Disney parks succeed, but I think there was a time when Disney didn't need IP as a crutch. Now, I'm not sure leadership has the same confidence to venture beyond established IP.

It seems that in Shanghai, they will have to. I still think Disney can do it, but I'm just not sure those making the decisions at present can.

Personally...I think Shanghai was a good idea. In hindsight, it's sounding like some of the ways they went about the project weren't the best, but that doesn't mean the project itself was a bad idea. Just that the means to the end were.

As for the "Western Capitalism and Excess" remark, I've encountered enough mainlanders (our last visit to HK fell over a national holiday with HUGE tour groups visiting) to know that conspicuous consumption is just as much a thing in China as it is in the United States.



We've spent a total of about 10 days in and around Hong Kong (outside of the parks), with about 3 of those days outside tourist spots. My most illuminating experience in Hong Kong was heading to Civic Square for a few hours during the Umbrella Movement on our last trip, and talking to some of the students. It was really, really fascinating, and I certainly heard and saw a lot of things that simply were not being reported in the media, either in HK or in the US.

Probably not the smartest idea in hindsight (we left just a few hours before the triads started getting violent with the demonstrators for the first time), but it felt like a rare opportunity to see a pivotal moment in a major city's evolution, and we couldn't pass it up.

Plus, during the daytime, it was pretty quiet most of the time we were there, so it wasn't exactly dangerous or anything:
https://instagram.com/p/twGDleiwPA/?modal=true

EDIT: I can't get the photo to embed, but the link is above...

 

[TalkingHead]

Its not that bad. Remember David Letterman?

Beg to differ. The production has been choppy. The writing has been lazy and subpar. The show feels like it's running a little long. And, once again, the major awards are going to be rushed into the final 15-20 minutes.

Having said that, nice to see Travolta can laugh at his faux pas from last year.

This year's ceremony seems really embarrassed for not having nominated Selma for more awards. Personally, I think The Lego Movie was a more egregious snub.

 

[Tony Perkis]

Beg to differ. The production has been choppy. The writing has been lazy and subpar. The show feels like it's running a little long. And, once again, the major awards are going to be rushed into the final 15-20 minutes.

Having said that, nice to see Travolta can laugh at his faux pas from last year.

This year's ceremony seems really embarrassed for not having nominated Selma for more awards. Personally, I think The Lego Movie was a more egregious snub.

This show has been mostly awful. But this year's issues stem all the way back to the day the nominations were announced.

 

[OSUgirl77]

Beg to differ. The production has been choppy. The writing has been lazy and subpar. The show feels like it's running a little long. And, once again, the major awards are going to be rushed into the final 15-20 minutes.

Having said that, nice to see Travolta can laugh at his faux pas from last year.

This year's ceremony seems really embarrassed for not having nominated Selma for more awards. Personally, I think The Lego Movie was a more egregious snub.

Lady Gaga is killing her Sound of Music performance though. Highlight of the night in my opinion.

Edit: Until Julie Andrews walked out that is.

 

[WDW1974]

OK, I lied. I'm back. Back because I truly feel that something huge is going down as Bob and Willow sit at the Dolby listening to Mary Poppins.

Two stories. Two puff PR pieces designed to counter the HuffPo piece and make SDL seem like it is going to be huge and the best thing next to sliced bread:

http://www.fool.com/investing/gener...n-little-to-disneys-earnings-this-segmen.aspx

Why? Why two stories on the same subject? Why two stories on the same subject in 48 turmoil filled hours that read like propaganda?

Oh, and the author is someone who clearly carries the weight of a Redstone who advises clients in China on western media/culture. What does he really do for a living? He's an acrobat (albeit with an MBA) for a Macau casino.

I swear this story just keeps getting more bizarre. Maybe Disney will make a movie? Oh yeah, they only do $200 million tentpoles that are franchises.

 

[TalkingHead]

Lady Gaga is killing her Sound of Music performance though. Highlight of the night in my opinion.

Edit: Until Julie Andrews walked out that is.

Easily the highlight. I love when the shows hearken back to the classics.

Now, we have Best Original Screenplay, Adapted Screenplay, Actor, Actress, Director, and Picture...and it's 11:30. But it's a tradition to rush through the major awards. Why does anyone think this show's format is broken?

 

[PhotoDave219]

Beg to differ. The production has been choppy. The writing has been lazy and subpar. The show feels like it's running a little long. And, once again, the major awards are going to be rushed into the final 15-20 minutes.

Having said that, nice to see Travolta can laugh at his faux pas from last year.

This year's ceremony seems really embarrassed for not having nominated Selma for more awards. Personally, I think The Lego Movie was a more egregious snub.

Travolta was gosh darn creepy. Like Bill Cosby Creepy.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Is it too late to get Steve Martin or Martin Short or virtually anyone else to host the Oscars?

Seriously. NPH was terrible. Why does this guy get gigs like this? Man, I hope he doesn't mess up the Disneyland celebration.

 

[Tony Perkis]

Rooting pretty hard for Keaton to win Best Actor at this point.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Travolta was gosh darn creepy. Like Bill Cosby Creepy.

He looks slightly less realistic than the Gary Sinise animatronic at Mission: SPACE.

 

[RSoxNo1]

That is why I love Lady Gaga. Easily the single best performance of her career

She has a great voice. She needs to learn that her voice is strong enough to lead her career. The sideshow is nothing more than distraction.

 

[Tony Perkis]

Rooting pretty hard for Keaton to win Best Actor at this point.

Well that didn't happen.

4 of the 5 nominations were based on real people. The 1 wholly original performance should have won.

 

[TalkingHead]

Rooting pretty hard for Keaton to win Best Actor at this point.

So much for that. Once again, Oscar completely screws up. You gotta embrace it. It's part of the tradition.

 

[Tony Perkis]

So much for that. Once again, Oscar completely screws up. You gotta embrace it. It's part of the tradition.

I could see the argument for Redmayne. Still a great performance.