Michael Eisner and the World of Tomorrow

[LivingDeadGirl]

Monsters Inc. is great, you should def. watch it. I count it as one of my favorite movies of all time. You should also watch Ice Age. That one is great. VERY funny & also can make you cry. (Ok, well it made ME cry...)

[ZapRowsdower]

You're right, both movies ARE great.

But last I checked, Ice Age ISN'T Disney.

[Heineken Skywalker]

I think LDG was recommending animated movies in general, not just DISNEY. I would also recommend ICE AGE. Pretty funny stuff. And Bart definitely don't limit yourself to just the DISNEY stuff. There's some good films out there by other studios. But you already know this, right?

[LivingDeadGirl]

Yes, I was suggesting animated in general.
I would also suggest Beauty and the Beast, another one of my faves.

[Bartwald]

Bartwald said:

I'm not too fond of cartoons usually, by the way: except for Finding Nemo I haven't seen ANY of the films you mentioned here!

I forgot about one title Smitty mentioned before - The Lion King; yeah, I saw this one. The shocking news is... I didn't like it too much! Filed it under 'Fun - but just for kids'.

Ice Age I saw - and this one was very good!

[ZapRowsdower]

Really? I thought the Shakespearean/Biblical story elements turned the Lion King into a major epic. Definitely one of my favorite films of all time, not just Disney.

[Bartwald]

Really. It just didn't work for me.

[LivingDeadGirl]

Speaking of the Lion King....

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African lawyers are suing U.S. entertainment giant Walt Disney Co for infringement of copyright on "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," the most popular song to emerge from Africa, the lawyers said on Friday.



If Disney loses, South African proceeds from its trademarks -- including Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck -- could be seized by the courts, lawyers representing relatives of the song's composer said.


The lilting song, initially called "Mbube," earned an estimated $15 million in royalties since it was written by Zulu migrant worker Solomon Linda in 1939, and featured in Walt Disney's "Lion King" movies.


However, Linda's impoverished family have only received about $15,000, the lawyers said.


Disney executives in South Africa were not immediately available for comment.


Linda sold the worldwide copyright for "Mbube" to a local firm, but under British laws in effect at the time, those rights should have reverted to his heirs 25 years after his death in 1962, copyright lawyer Owen Dean said.


This means Linda's surviving three daughters and 10 grandchildren were entitled to a share of royalties from the song, which has since been recorded by at least 150 musicians.


"We are claiming ten million rand ($1.6 million) in damages from Disney at the moment," Dean told reporters. "The court attached use of Disney trademarks in South Africa to the case last week. We believe our legal position is very sound."


The court will issue a summons to Walt Disney in Los Angeles early next week.


If the case is successful, legal action may also be launched against Disney and other companies in the United Kingdom or Australia, where British copyright laws would have applied, Dean added.


It would also have widespread implications for other South African musicians, authors and artists who may have sold their rights without being aware of their entitlements. "The family are entitled to royalties. There has also been a misappropriation of South African culture -- the song is thought to be American," Dean said.


Linda's grandson Zathele Madonsela, 16, told reporters the case was very important for his family, who live in poverty in the Johannesburg township of Soweto.


"Life is difficult, we are really struggling," he said.


Executors of the family's estate are also seeking a further 6 million rand damages from three local companies who have benefited from income either from the "Lion King" films or the song.


The Mbube song was adapted by U.S. folk singer Pete Seeger, who called it "Wimoweh" as he misheard its Zulu lyrics. U.S. songwriter George David Weiss rewrote the song as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."

[ZapRowsdower]

Ugh. Lawsuit-happy freaks. This is what's wrong with America today,

BUT...

It's nice to see Disney receive a taste of its own medicine. Michael Eisner, don't look now, but I think you just got served.

[Heineken Skywalker]

Report: Eisner to Leave Disney in 2006

NEW YORK (AP) - Walt Disney Co.'s chief executive Michael Eisner will leave the giant entertainment company in 2006 when his contract expires, a newspaper reported Friday. Eisner's departure, expected to be announced Friday, would end a two-decade relationship with the media giant, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
Given the company's resurgence after its stock price wallowed, it seemed to him that ``this was the time to give the board two years notice, so that there will be a comfortable period of succession,'' Eisner told the newspaper.
The newspaper also reported for its story in Friday editions that it wasn't known whether Eisner would have been offered a new contract by the Disney board.
Over the past year, Eisner's leadership abilities have been questioned by former Disney board members Roy E. Disney and Stanley Gold, who have led a campaign against Disney through their Web site, SaveDisney.com. The former board members said Eisner was responsible for turning the company in the wrong direction.
Eisner also has lost confidence among investors, namely leaders of state pension funds in six states that have urged Disney to become more independent and be more aggressive in finding a successor for Eisner.

While the pension funds together represent less than 2 percent of Disney's outstanding shares, they wield tremendous influence over corporate boards and led an effort that resulted in Disney shareholders withholding 45 percent of votes cast for the re-election of Eisner to the board at a March 3 annual shareholders meeting. Disney then separated the duties of chairman and chief executive officer, a key demand of the pension funds.

Eisner recently told Walt Disney directors that company president Robert Iger would be a good successor, the Los Angeles Times reported. Iger, whose contract expires in September 2005, has recently met with investors and executives and told the Times he would like the top job.

Eisner was named Disney's CEO in 1984 and helped rebuild the company by reviving Disney's storied animation unit, expanded its theme parks and created a strong lineup of TV properties including ABC, ESPN and the Disney Channel. Eisner has helped move the company from a capitalization of $2.8 billion to $58.4 billion in the last 20 years.

But Disney has faltered in recent years as the performance of its animated films, ABC broadcast network and theme parks declined. Disney's stock traded as high as $28 in February during what turned out to be a failed takeover bid by Comcast. It closed Thursday at $22.86 on the New York Stock Exchange.

[ZapRowsdower]

THANK YOU GOD! THANK YOU!