Spirited News and Observations and Opinions ...

[Bolna]

on the debate about who predicted what and how specifically, this was posted on November 16 in another thread:

I seem to recall that confab ... and the entire day quite vividly.

As far as what Tony said, he doesn't really care anymore what folks think. I know people who observed him and Eric interacting at IAAPA and it was pretty 'tense' at times. Tony has let people know that unless he gets his major project for the Festival Arena at DL and/or a reworking of Imagination approved and dumped in his lap that he'll be retiring in 2013 and his last project will sadly be that little reworking of Carnation Plaza Gardens into more of a meet-and-greet locale.

 

[Goofyernmost]

haha, well then, it's a classic win-win

There might even be a letter written "and leaked out" in there somewhere!

 

[WDW1974]

Simple... They are 'trackers' - not reporters or investigative journalists.

They are followers - not innovators. Think about it... What do any if them do that is unique or new?? Someone takes 'more pictures and more videos at better qualities'... Oh and scrambles to be the fastest. That's not creative or innovative, that's just trying to do what someone else did but do it 'better'. They follow in their idea...

You can still hate 'em - but at least mongo'gogo at least added something new to the universe with their crowd/line tracking.

The question you pose doesn't surprise me one bit. They don't have the 'seek it out' mindset. Since they are spoon fed most of the time, it further conditions them to be complacent and wait for the tip or story to be handed to them.

It doesn't take a innovator or journalistic hunger to photo document change in the theme parks - just raw capacity and tolerance for monotony.

Your question would make sense standing in a newsroom... But these are not and it shows

Oh, I know that. And I agree with it largely.

But I think it deserves to be pointed out. All week these execs have been at WDW. Major news affecting WDW's present and future has been on the table. And not one Tweet from one of them. You almost get the idea if they saw Iger or Staggs or Crofton that they'd pretend they didn't see them and head in the other direction.

Of course even alleged 'real journalists' sometimes have no confidence in themselves. You can't hand them say ... John Lasseter's personal phone numbers and they'd be afraid to dial.

 

[WDW1974]

We're doomed!!!! So tell me WDW1974 based on how you spell humor, are you British descent or Canadian?

Neither.

I am 100% All-American, Red, White & Blue Spirit.

I just have spent plenty of time doing business or just traveling in places that use British English and sometimes I tend to fall into it.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Of course even alleged 'real journalists' sometimes have no confidence in themselves. You can't hand them say ... John Lasseter's personal phone numbers and they'd be afraid to dial.

BUUUUUUURRRRRNNNNN!!!!!

 

[Bolna]

somehow @flynnibus 's post on picture takers in the parks made me think about paparazzi tracking celebrities... Of course for a building, ride or new toilette building it is less stressful to be subjected to that kind of followership.

 

[Bolna]

Neither.

I am 100% All-American, Red, White & Blue Spirit.

I just have spent plenty of time doing business or just traveling in places that use British English and sometimes I tend to fall into it.

well a 100% British spirit would be red white and blue as well, just as Dutch, Norwegian, Russian spirit - and many more.... ;-)

 

[flynnibus]

somehow @flynnibus 's post on picture takers in the parks made me think about paparazzi tracking celebrities... Of course for a building, ride or new toilette building it is less stressful to be subjected to that kind of followership.

Well.. I think the comparison breaks down when one looks at 'motivation' - but the kind of background one needs isn't much different. Willingness to throw yourself at it to the level of absurdity

But I am glad they (the theme park covering people) exist.. so I can live vicariously through them. I just don't like what it takes to get it

 

[WDW1974]

And I love this - "One highlight of our last Disney trip was when my son got spontaneously picked to have a sword-fighting lesson with Jack Sparrow outside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. That is a bit of magic for the kid -- and the parents. If my kid had been picked because he had the fancy-level bracelet, that would have been a lot less magical."

Yeah, I thought that part really drove it home.

There's real magic. And then there's contrived, fake, smarmy DISNEY MAGIC.

Unfortunately, Disney wants people to expect and accept the latter as the former ...

 

[DocMcHulk]

Neither.

I am 100% All-American, Red, White & Blue Spirit.

I just have spent plenty of time doing business or just traveling in places that use British English and sometimes I tend to fall into it.

I've never left the US (with the exception of Niagra Falls) and I occasionally drip in a "bloody hell", "spot on", or "bollocks". I blame the former British show Coupling for this. I LOVED that show.

 

[scpergj]

EMHs are being phased out entirely as part of MyMagic+.

No, it hasn't been officially announced beyond, but they have already started cutting them back and they intend on eliminating them entirely.

If this is indeed true (not that I have reason to doubt...just had to insert it as a caveat), the incentive for my family as AP types to stay on property has been pretty much eliminated. The resorts are overly-expensive and not as nice as off-property places that charge much less per night.

I'm liking this MyMagic+ less and less each time I read things about it...

 

[WDW1974]

I don't think anyone is suggesting they try to ambush the execs or put them on the spot (we've talked about this in the past in these threads). But when they are in town, given the timing and proximity, wouldn't that be the opportune time to challenge the company to make them available? Given the things unfolding, wouldn't that be the opportune time to push for access to ask these pertinent questions?

That's what reporters really covering the story and beat would be pressing for.. to get new info, push for it.. not just wait for what can be found by being passive and just waiting for the next PR item.

Yep. Pretty much all of the above.

You have to ask yourself 'do I want to cover WDW and the O-Town theme park scene or do I just want the perks of someone who spews forth PR spin?'

I think it's pretty obvious which it is with this crowd. But it is a bit amazing that say Ricky Brigante got a gig with FOX that he could clearly translate into something bigger if he actually broke a story ... imagine if he got Tom Staggs one on one in a resort lobby and got the man to admit that things aren't going smoothly with MyMagic+ or simply something like 'we could have explained the program better ... it might have been smarter to launch it all at once instead of putting it out one little piece at a time while being secretive about what's to follow'.

But, again, I know nothing about media, PR and entertainment. Nothing. At. All.

Oh I certainly appreciate the tracking of change in the parks - it provides a view I can not get myself being far away with Disney only being a personal interest, not a job But that tracking shouldn't be confused with actual journalism. And that's what ties back to @WDW1974 's complaints about how they are handled by the company as if they were covering media... vs say... how theme parks treat groups like.. coaster groups. They give them access, but more like 'fan appreciation' stuff.. not replacing journalism.

My issue is just that. Don't act or pass yourself off as media when you're really a Lifestyler. Don't say you cover WDW because you take daily photo updates of theme park restrooms or the construction of a kiddie coaster. Just admit you have a hobby that you're trying to turn into a business and don't want to step on Mickey's feet.

If you 'cover' WDW and find out there was a shooting at their offices in Celebration, then you go over there to find out what happened. I will bet you NOT ONE person went over there when it happened. Not one. ... but construction walls at the GF DVC are worth attention.

 

[DocMcHulk]

But, again, I know nothing about media, PR and entertainment. Nothing. At. All.

The PR/Media tango is an ugly dance. Just ask media who have written negatively about an Apple product or broken an "unwritten" rule at a media event... they haven't been to an Apple event since.

 

[WDW1974]

Rumors of Baxter 'leaving soon' have been going on for ages.. fueled mostly by our local spirit. It's always been a question of 'when' and under what terms.

Because they've been true. And I reported it was going to happen very soon after Tony's visit to O-Town last fall.

Guess what? #Spiritwasrightasusual.

As to the terms ... well, I want to wait to see how this is being spun before I say more. But in the big picture, Tony never wanted to leave. He did want to actually work on projects of meaning and substance, however.

 

[OFTeric]

And while I don't like to dwell on truly tragic news, I did get a confirmation that the suicide at CP was a longtime Disney Institute CM who was married and had kids and had been very unhappy (obviously) with the company and his job. I'm still sorta amazed that was buried in the media. Suicides aren't routinely covered, but more prominent ones or ones in the workplace certainly are.

I can't find anything anywhere. do you know if anyone has covered this?

 

[WDW1974]

Pfft.. you know it was a far more specific claim then that.

There is a difference between saying 'Bill is on life support and has months to live' vs 'Bill will die eventually'. We all die eventually (akin to your comment) - but claiming Bill is terminally ill is vastly different than pointing out the obvious that humans are mortal.

The tidbits shared previously were more about Tony's position, his morale, his future with the company, and where ultimately that was leading to (a seperation). This has been seen in Tony's comments over the last year as well.

While timing has been of question (I even called @WDW1974 to the mat about this previously).. the fact we are even discussing this as it it were 'stating the obvious' or 'inevitable' is getting ridiculous.

I called him on it last summer - see the thread (with some quotes) here - http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...ects-on-that-scale.839906/page-3#post-5008117

Because he was originally calling for this to happen two years ago. Read the posts.

But my challenge in those posts was nothing like saying 'duh, well it was always gonna happen sometime' or other claims being made here.. which are pretty sad criticisms.

I think Tony would have stayed at WDI for another decade if circumstances were different. They aren't.

My timing may not always be right, but my info generally is. ... And since November it has been a foregone conclusion that Tony would be leaving around his birthday.

Oh, and he isn't the last either ...

 

[the.dreamfinder]

So I guess Tony's Oz/Lone Ranger project went bust in the last couple weeks?

 

[WDW1974]

There is a better than even chance that his suicide was not job related, they usually aren't. They stem from much deeper routes and not something that is widely distributed to the public.

I am going by info provided to me. I'm not going to speculate further and I don't think it's wise for you as well.

But if you don't think working for Disney could drive someone to do this, then you're mistaken.

 

[BlueSkyDriveBy]

Oh, and he isn't the last either ...

Sounds like a major cleansing is in the works in Glendale. Time to eliminate the remainder of the old school Imagineers, once and for all.

Do you know of any suspects being rumored about?

 

[the.dreamfinder]

How do Bruce and his flying monkeys stay alive??
Someone should find the REBOOT button