The Spirit Takes the Fifth ...

[ford91exploder]

Here's something to discuss. Let's say we lived in an alternate universe where Miramax is fully owned by Disney and still releasing movies. What if Miramax released "Blue is the Warmest Color" or "12 Years a Slave"?

There would be a brief media kerfuffle, after which the American public will take their dose of SOMA and forget all about it when the latest bit of Kardashian gossip comes out.

 

[RSoxNo1]

WRONG. As someone who actually worked in tobacco litigation, I assure you that children were targeted. I saw memo after memo about it. There was absolutely a concerted effort to target children at schools. This isn't something people just made up over time. These are facts that have been disclosed over the course of years of tobacco litigation.

Was there anything about Joe Camel looking more like male genitalia than a camel?

 

[Goofyernmost]

Was there anything about Joe Camel looking more like male genitalia than a camel?

Now there's a person with way more imagination then is necessary.

 

[WDW1974]

Just a thought, but have any of the bloggers and lifestylers reported in about seeing and talking with any of the literally hundreds of top WDC execs that have been and are at WDW this week for a retreat?

Anyone catch a glimpse of Bob Iger jogging at the Grand Flo early this evening? (He really was.)

Didn't think so.

You see for all the crap I take for pointing out the whoring that goes on in that subset of the Disney fan community, we all know it is true. Everyone is in it for what they can get, and no one is going to go off CP script by daring to approach an exec like an every day human being, let alone ask them a question.

They truly are trained better than Pavlov's pooches.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Just a thought, but have any of the bloggers and lifestylers reported in about seeing and talking with any of the literally hundreds of top WDC execs that have been and are at WDW this week for a retreat?

Anyone catch a glimpse of Bob Iger jogging at the Grand Flo early this evening? (He really was.)

Didn't think so.

You see for all the crap I take for pointing out the whoring that goes on in that subset of the Disney fan community, we all know it is true. Everyone is in it for what they can get, and no one is going to go off CP script by daring to approach an exec like an every day human being, let alone ask them a question.

They truly are trained better than Pavlov's pooches.

I can't wait for your report on the questions that you asked him. You knew he was there so you must have gotten in there and asked the tough questions didn't you?

 

[Mouse Detective]

Hmmm. I've heard that Comedy Warehouse shows are returning to DHS for the holidays again this December. And you can BET on that!

 

[JimboJones123]

Hmmm. I've heard that Comedy Warehouse shows are returning to DHS for the holidays again this December. And you can BET on that!

GOOD

 

[JimboJones123]

Hmmm. I've heard that Comedy Warehouse shows are returning to DHS for the holidays again this December. And you can BET on that!

I think this may be confirmation that the BET Dance Club is coming back too.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

Just a thought, but have any of the bloggers and lifestylers reported in about seeing and talking with any of the literally hundreds of top WDC execs that have been and are at WDW this week for a retreat?

Anyone catch a glimpse of Bob Iger jogging at the Grand Flo early this evening? (He really was.)

Didn't think so.

You see for all the crap I take for pointing out the whoring that goes on in that subset of the Disney fan community, we all know it is true. Everyone is in it for what they can get, and no one is going to go off CP script by daring to approach an exec like an every day human being, let alone ask them a question.

They truly are trained better than Pavlov's pooches.

Question

If bob Iger is jogging around the grand flo and trips and falls, do other execs and body guards come running with cameras at the ready, only to stop, say "hey now I'm gonna sue till I own this place", have a heartfelt giggle and the scene closes out, Family Guy style? I've always imagined that's how it would go down.


So, what is with the retreat to wdw and are they seriously looking at half...err, 3/4 of the parks there and going "what are ppl griping about these crapshoots are awesome"? ....and the most important question: did they leave AK and DHS after only a few hours? Inquiring minds wanna know...

 

[NoChesterHester]

Just a thought, but have any of the bloggers and lifestylers reported in about seeing and talking with any of the literally hundreds of top WDC execs that have been and are at WDW this week for a retreat?

Anyone catch a glimpse of Bob Iger jogging at the Grand Flo early this evening? (He really was.)

Didn't think so.

You see for all the crap I take for pointing out the whoring that goes on in that subset of the Disney fan community, we all know it is true. Everyone is in it for what they can get, and no one is going to go off CP script by daring to approach an exec like an every day human being, let alone ask them a question.

They truly are trained better than Pavlov's pooches.

Are the WDC execs forced to wear Magic Bands as some sort of team building exercise?

 

[vonpluto]

Are the WDC execs forced to wear Magic Bands as some sort of team building exercise?

No, they have implants....

 

[WDW1974]

Even then, here has been this relatively consistent notion that Disney could have shut this all down when the acquisition was finalized. We all know that is simply not true because we have read an actual Marvel licensing contract that Disney cannot dissolve.

I don't know where you get the notion that what you say above is the ''consistent notion'' in these MAGICal parts.

I well understand contracts and what you can or can't do (go watch ABC Family late nights and you'll see an example of a never-ending contract that Disney might have taken heed from when they bought Marvel knowing that they NEVER would be able to use the characters at WDW because their No. 1 competitor had those rights FOREVER ). This isn't about dissolving prior contracts, at least for me. It is about making new ones years after you were acquired by Disney when clearly the parent company knows what is happening and doesn't stop it.

 

[WDW1974]

I'll note, there is no gambling on the DCL line, and to many consumers that is a turn off (I personally know many people who say they won't do DCL because there is no gambling,for example).

Disney has decided that they won't include it as a perk since it's still seen as a marketing advantage publicly at this point in time, and rather they focus on service and experience. People who don't care for gambling, or cast aspersions upon what gambling means (rowdy people, drunks, low lifes), will spend through the nose to go on a DCL cruise. And those who wish to gamble, well, are not part of the business model (at this point).

However, talking numbers, at some point I suspect DCL will cave. I hope they don't, but I suspect eventually they will once the next generation of Harvard (or other schools) educated asshats takes control.

At some point, as DCL grows, they will look at their competition, and say...well, we can do just this one thing to allow some gambling...to attract part of their business. And then eventually they'll go full out and allow it.

Spirit knows what he is talking about when he says red vs blue seas. Right now, DCL is sitting in a Blue Sea market, so they do what they wish. That will change, as investors will still demand higher returns, etc.

Eventually, they'll join the Red Sea that is the cruise market as they become less of a footnote, and more of a competitor...and, I suspect management will react predictably.

They let booze into Magic Kingdom (not something that was a big deal to me personally, but it was a major change of a decades old policy). I don't expect the current management gives two flips anymore...sorry...

As we used to say at CEC...Profit is King.

DCL will never have gambling, anymore than WDW will have.

You'll have free in room at Disney resorts first.

 

[WDW1974]

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/MarvelFreshman/news/?a=89966

As I noted in Spirit Thread IV: A New Hope, Marvel/Disney introduced a more grad Marvel sweep before Thor and did not display a Disney sweep. At the end of the movie the credits simply said "WALT DISNEY MOTION PICTURES" but they seem to like keeping Marvel as it's own power brand and I like that.

Except they aren't. Disney is just afraid that its BRAND will harm Marvel's if there's the implication that this is Disney's Marvel, which of course is exactly what they now are.

If they wanted separartion, then you wouldn't have attractions in the parks they can place them in and you wouldn't have monorails and buses advertising their products and retail outlets selling their items.

Marvel isn't Disney, just like Pixar isn't and ESPN isn't and ABC isn't ...and the Muppets aren't (please don't tell that crazy poster that hates Kermit, Piggy and the gang).

That's not how the game is played. When Disney owns you ...

 

[WDW1974]

I'm sorry, that's not true. Not even close. Research was done for years and documents from R.J. Reynolds were leaked from the company that showed that Joe Camel was created to appeal to young kids to brand and appeal to them and they were laser focused on then capturing them when they were "legal" to smoke with the target demo of 18-20 years old. The concept was to introduce this "cool" character to kids and make them want the product as soon as they could obtain them. (That includes at any age, "legal" or not, as they wanted to hook the consumer.) The sales of underaged Camel sales went up 4x once the Joe Camel character was introduced. I did a research paper on this in college a decade and a half ago and remember the subject matter quite well. It's incredibly well documented and the basis of the lawsuits in the early 90s, WHO health findings, you name it. Facts matter.

Thank you. Seriously. I was trying to find a nice way to dismiss that post due to it being so out of touch with reality. But I couldn't come up with one and I like the poster so just thanks for putting it accurately and succinctly without emotion.

 

[WDW1974]

Is it presumptuous to assume that Epcot's Soarin' will receive upgrades in a similar time frame? Will that go digital before the Soarin' Over the World upgrade, or no?

To assume anything good will ever happen to EPCOT is sadly presumptuous.

If you don't get my drift, then use your IMAGINATION.

 

[PeterAlt]

What exactly is the new gambling law in Florida? Is it that it's legal now in big casino resorts, like the ones under construction in Miami?

If this is all true, Universal could open a Marvel themed gambling resort at USO at IOA. Is there anything in their Marvel contract preventing this? They can say it's an expansion of the theme park that just also happen to have hotel rooms and Marvel gambling machines. Heck, throw a Marvel ride or two inside the resort to really blur the line between it and a theme park...

 

[WDW1974]

This is my feeling. "Disney" is a family brand and it would be wrong for them to slap Mickey Mouse or Snow White onto slot machines. But Marvel, given its target demo, should be fair game for gambling. In fact, I would argue that having diverse properties that would be appropriate for more "adult" things is a prime reason why Disney acquired Marvel -- to diversify their interests. It's sill IMHO to have properties that can be used in different ways and then not use them because everything has to comform to the ideals of one branch of the company.

Is it wrong that ESPN puts betting lines up during broadcasts? I don't see how it is at all, but some on here might argue that it is a problem since that is a division of Disney and apparently all divisions much conform to the family friendly rep of the main Disney division. (furthermore, wasn't there an ESPN bar in New York, New York in Vegas right next to a sports book?)

I feel like this point is just flying over many heads.

But Disney as a company is anti -gambling. Period. In totality. They bought Marvel because Iger had no faith that the company could ever appeal to straight 12-25 year-old males with its own IP. The characters were coveted for many reasons, popularity on casino floors wasn't one.

ESPN reports betting lines because it is a sports NEWS network and betting is a large part of American sports. Just like ABC News reports on mass murder, rapes of children, warfare and countless non-Disney things. One has nothing to do with the other.

Much like having shows, stores and, at one time, a sports bar in Las Vegas doesn't equate with support of gaming.

 

[Darth Sidious]

Except they aren't. Disney is just afraid that its BRAND will harm Marvel's if there's the implication that this is Disney's Marvel, which of course is exactly what they now are.

If they wanted separartion, then you wouldn't have attractions in the parks they can place them in and you wouldn't have monorails and buses advertising their products and retail outlets selling their items.

Marvel isn't Disney, just like Pixar isn't and ESPN isn't and ABC isn't ...and the Muppets aren't (please don't tell that crazy poster that hates Kermit, Piggy and the gang).

That's not how the game is played. When Disney owns you ....

No doubt about it, I just find it interesting how they crazily are obsessed with branding. You, fellow members and myself know how they truly operate but to the normal public it works. It is actually surprising how few people know Disney has those mouse hands all over Marvel.

 

[nytimez]

When Disney owns you ...you have a white glove with four fingers holding your balls in it and giving a tight squeeze whenever you step out if line.

A few folks 'round here seem to have this notion that Disney will pay billions of dollars to acquire something and then leave it be... or that the company means it when they use words like "independence" in the various press releases.

All I can say is you summed it up perfectly:

That's not how the game is played.