"Reinventing" James Bond To What?

Above, the last James Bond movie for two years.

The killing of James Bond (Daniel Craig) in No Time To Die is controversial, so say the least. But what would be more controversial is if the next Bond movie doesn't pick up where No Time To Die left off.

Main characters have been killed off before (Sherlock Holmes comes immediately to mind) but were revived in a "cliffhanger" way. That should be the way the Bond movies ought to proceed.

However, Deadline posted the following yesterday:

EXCLUSIVE: James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has revealed that it will be “at least two years“ before the next 007 movie begins filming and that the task of finding an actor to replace Daniel Craig hasn’t begun “because it’s a reinvention of Bond.”

Speaking to us at a star-studded private event in central London to honor Broccoli and her brother Michael G. Wilson for their BFI Fellowships, Broccoli wouldn’t be drawn on who would play Bond next but did offer an update on the decision-making process.

“Nobody’s in the running,” she disclosed. “We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through. There isn’t a script and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because, really, it’s a reinvention of Bond. We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time. I’d say that filming is at least two years away.”

Just what in hell does she mean the plan is to make the next movie a "reinvention" of Bond? 

Reinventing him to what? A black person? A transgender? A woman? A gay male? Is the reinvention going to be more Hollywood woke bullshit? (They should be reminded that if they go woke, they'll go broke. Just ask the Walt Disney Company.)

If they stray too far, does the Ian Fleming estate have a say in it and can they veto it?

If it is something too radical (like incorporating any of the above), they will have lost me and many other 007 fans. 

They next two years will be interesting to see what happens.

Bill Introduced To Strip Disney of Self-Governing Power

The mousetrap in Florida that the Walt Disney Company fell into is getting tighter.

A special legislative session called by Gov. Ron DeSantis will include eliminating self-governing privileges that the company has enjoyed since 1967.

According to Fox News:

Florida State Rep. Randy Fine announced Tuesday that he has filed a bill that would eliminate special privileges The Walt Disney Company has in the state of Florida.

The move comes after Disney came out in opposition to Florida's parental rights bill. Gov. Ron DeSantis called on state lawmakers to take action that would dismantle certain protections for Disney during an ongoing special session of the legislature

"Disney is a guest in Florida. Today, we remind them," Fine tweeted. "@GovDeSantis just expanded the Special Session so I could file HB3C which eliminates Reedy Creek Improvement District, a 50 yr-old special statute that makes Disney to exempt from laws faced by regular Floridians." 

 WESH reported:

“I was shocked to see some of the stuff that’s in there. They can do their own nuclear power plant. Is there any other private company in the state that can just build a nuclear power plant on their own?” he [DeSantis] said. “They’re able to do certain things that nobody else is able to do. So I think they’re right to be looking at this and reevaluating and having an even playing field for everybody, I think is much better than basically to allow one company to be a law onto itself.”

Disney’s independence has been under the microscope in the wake of the company denouncing Florida’s new "Parental Rights in Education" law, or the "Don’t Say Gay" law.

In a tweet, state Rep. Spencer Roach, who represents the North Fort Myers area, wrote that lawmakers have already met twice to talk about repealing the Reedy Creek Improvement Act.

"If Disney wants to embrace 'woke' ideology, it seems fitting that they should be regulated by Orange County," Roach said.

Good!  

Protest Held At Disney H.Q. In Burbank

Protesters gathered at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank last evening to protest the company's woke stance on the Parental Rights in Education law in Florida.

Fox News 11 Los Angeles reported:

BURBANK, Calif. - Conservative groups are boycotting all things Disney over what they claim is the entertainment titan leaning too far left.

Hundreds protested outside of front gates of Walt Disney Studios in Burbank Wednesday evening.

The demonstration was organized by a group, Hold The Line.

The protest was tied to Disney’s response to Florida’s Parental Right’s Education Bill which is also known as the "Don’t Say Gay" bill by its critics.

The bill which became a law in March prohibits teachers from addressing gender identity and sexual orientation in certain classrooms.

To read more, go here. 

Disney "Stepped In Quicksand" In Florida Feud

The feud between the state of Florida and the Walt Disney Company is escalating.

According to one Florida state representative, the company has stepped into quicksand by getting itself involved in opposing the "Parental Rights in Education" law that was recently enacted.

The Epoch Times reported:

As the battle between Florida and Disney escalates following Gov. Ron DeSantis signing the “Parental Rights in Education” bill into law, one Sunshine State lawmaker says Disney “stepped in quicksand and made a drastic unforced error.”

As The Epoch Times reported April 1, DeSantis floated the possibility at a March 31 press conference in Ponte Vedra Beach that lawmakers in the Sunshine State might repeal the 1967 Reedy Creek Improvement Act in response to Disney’s ongoing opposition to the recently signed “Parental Rights in Education” law, dubbed by liberal opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. State Rep. Spencer Roach, a Republican, revealed through social media that lawmakers had already met twice to discuss the idea, saying “if Disney wants to embrace woke ideology, it seems fitting that they should be regulated by Orange County.”

The announcement came as part of the ongoing feud between Disney and the state of Florida since the governor signed the bill into law. Previously silent about the bill until he faced backlash from a minority of Disney’s LGBT employees, Disney CEO Bob Chapek issued a statement on March 11, apologizing to them for not being a “stronger ally.” In a show of action, Chapek also announced Disney would put an immediate stop to all political donations in Florida. In a subsequent demonstration of solidarity, Disney Corporation issued a statement vowing that its new goal was to have “this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts” and to support organizations working to make that happen. DeSantis quickly reminded Disney that Florida “is governed by the interests of the people of the state of Florida—it is not based on the demands of California corporate executives.”

There are rumblings of Disney shareholder discontent over the company's woke actions. One shareholder publicly suggested:

It’s a sentiment shared by DisneyBizJournal.com editor and Disney shareholder Ray Keating.

“Here’s a suggestion for Disney CEO Bob Chapek: Get back to business, that is, excellence in storytelling, and stop wasting shareholders’ money on political crusades that have nothing to do with Disney’s business,” Keating told Fox News Digital. “We all have the right to have our voices heard on issues, but not on the shareholders’ dime.”

To read the full article, go here. 

Going "Woke" Puts Disney Company In Deep Do-Do

Walt Disney would be spinning in his grave if he knew what a mess the company that bears his name has become.

It is speculated that far-left employees have successfully pressured Walt Disney Company executives into caving in to their "woke" positions in opposing the Parental Rights In Education bill that was recently signed into Florida law by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The blowback against Disney has been loud and intense. It may even cost them governing privileges they've enjoyed for over 50 years. 

Fox News reported:

Some families across the country are reconsidering their previously Disney-friendly stance in their homes or their lives — including the movies, the streaming service, the theme parks and other offerings from the entertainment and media conglomerate. 

That's partly because Disney's CEO, Bob Chapek, has opposed a new bill signed into law this week by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; it's known as the Parental Rights in Education bill.

The law prohibits Florida teachers from instructing very young students — those in kindergarten through third grade — about gender identity and sexual orientation. Initially, Chapek had not taken a public stance on it, but some people believe he ultimately caved to a minority of far-left "wokers" who are upset about the new law.

To read more, go here. 

The New York Post reported:

During an appearance on Fox News’ morning show Fox & Friends on Friday, DeSantis accused Disney of trying to “impose a woke ideology” on his state.

He said that Disney should be stopped because if left “unabated” it would “destroy” the country.

In 1967, Florida created the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a semi-private, independent governing entity controlled by Disney. It gave the company the power to approve construction projects for its theme parks as well as build and manage the necessary infrastructure to support its operations.

The district was also empowered to levy its own taxes and then use the revenue to build public services and maintain roadways and bridges.

If the GOP-led state government repeals the law, Disney World and all of its properties would be regulated by Orange and Osceola counties in central Florida.

The Disney company may be the latest to find that "go woke, go broke" also applies to them.

To read more, go here. 

Disney Leadership Cowers Before Leftist Radicals

This is something that everyone, especially parents should watch. Pass this on!

From Ben Shapiro/Daily Wire:

At a company-wide meeting with staffers, Disney leadership announced that it is planning to “take action” against Texas for the state’s order to investigate trans medical procedures on children as child abuse. Shapiro weighs in.

 Ep. 1458 - The LGBT Takeover Of Disney

Disney Buys Godzilla and Related Characters

Above, Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

Following in the footsteps of George Lucas, who sold the rights to Star Wars, the Walt Disney Company announced a $6 million deal with Toho Co., Ltd. for the purchase of Godzilla and related kaiju characters.

The deal was inked today at the Disney Co. offices in Burbank, California with the company's Executive Chairman, Robert A. Iger and CEO Bob Chapek.

Above, the Godzilla statue at Toho Studios main entrance. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

"We are very pleased with this deal with Toho," said Chapek. "We hope to do for Godzilla and the other monsters what we did for Star Wars. We will be developing movies after the current contract with Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. ends. Eventually, there will be Godzilla attractions at our theme parks, including Disneyland in Anaheim and Walt Disney World in Orlando."

Maybe there will be a Godzilla figure looming over Disneyland that will tower over the Matterhorn.

To read more, go here.

Prince Charming Is A Sexual Predator!

The Looney Left Report

Let's see. The only way Sleeping Beauty could be woken up from her sleep, she has to be kissed by a prince. Okay, gotcha!

But, in today's climate, the bitch has to remain in slumber for eternity!

Fox News reported:

Prince Charming may not be so charming after all. 

Disney’s fairytale princes are sexual predators, according to a Japanese gender studies and sociology professor. 

Kazue Muta, an Osaka University professor and author of “Sir, That Love is Sexual Harassment!” a book on workplace sexual harassment, argued in December that princes from “Snow White” and “Sleeping Beauty” portray “quasi-compulsive obscene sexual acts on an unconscious partner.”

Feminazis and liberals are progressively (pun intended) cutting off the balls of men. There's going to be an awful lot of barren women in the future if this nonsense continues.

To read more, go here.

"Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens"

Above, the official poster.

Today was the day for me to go out to see the J. J. Abrams Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens.

Denise and I decided to see it today as there would likely be fewer crowds to fight on top of the traffic jams at the local malls for the final few days of Christmas shopping.

We began the day with breakfast at Coco's up in the Chatsworth area. Following that, we headed over to the Pacific Winnetka Theaters for the movie.

The auditorium was about one-half to three-quarters empty, so we had no difficulty to find seats that suited us.

Following the fifteen minutes of coming attractions trailers, the movie began. It struck me odd that the only studio logo card before the usual start of the Star Wars movie was for Lucasfilm, Ltd. There was no Disney logo card (or even Touchstone Pictures). I was wondering how they were going to handle that. I missed the 20th Century Fox logo card and fanfare.

Getting into the movie, the story begins 30 or so years after the events of Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi. A new bunch of baddies, the First Order, are trying to pick up the fallen baton of the former Empire. It is kind of like Vladimir Putin's efforts to rebuild the Soviet Empire. The Rebellion has been replaced by the Resistance. Same thing, different name.

Much of the first half of the movie is introducing new characters to the saga, which, in my opinion, made the film drag. It was at least about 40 minutes or so before we get to see the first familiar characters from the first trilogy, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew).

Rather than go into the story and spoil it for everyone, I'll just give my initial impressions.

First, the movie was beautifully photographed. I am happy that J. J. Abrams did not go overboard with his "glare" lighting effects as he does with the Star Trek movies. There were none of those here. The special effects were excellent.

Second, it was good to see Ford, Mayhew, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill back. Seeing them as they are now is a bit of a shock since it seems like only yesterday (actually about 31 years since their last appearance together) they were battling Jabba The Hutt and the Empire. Alas, time marches on and we all can't stay forever young, can we?

Third, I liked this movie more than the "prequel" trilogy as a whole, although I enjoyed the Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) very much (has it really been ten years since that one was released?). There is much more suspense here as we don't know where the series is headed, whereas, we pretty much knew ahead of time were the prequel trilogy was headed. That's my main beef with prequels.

Fourth, there were no cute teddy bears (Ewoks) or annoying Jar Jar Binks characters to mar the movie. It played pretty straight.

Fifth, of the new characters introduced, I liked scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) the best. The others, meh.

Overall, I don't see this movie deserving of the raves that some of my friends gave it. It was okay. It doesn't top Star Wars (1977) or Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (Empire is my personal favorite). I found the two recent Abrams Star Trek reboot movies more satisfying. This almost seemed like a pale remake of the original Star Wars.

My grade: B+. I would have given it an A- had the first half didn't drag so much.

"Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens": So What?

Okay, Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens is out. I don't get how people have gone orgasmic over it.

Sure, it reunites Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker from the original trilogy, but since creator George Lucas had no role in the making of the movie, not even as an advisor, it is almost like an "independent production" like the Sean Connery James Bond movie, Never Say Never Again.

Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise to Walt Disney Pictures and it is their ballgame now. There's no 20th Century Fox fanfare at the beginning.

It is strange that the poster leaves out "VII" in the title.

I'll go see the movie, but without George Lucas's involvement, it is just not the same.

Robin Williams

It is sad news to hear of the passing of someone with so much talent, but that is what the world heard yesterday with the passing of comedian/actor Robin Williams.

I first thought the news was someone's sick joke when I saw it posted on Facebook. Unfortunately, it wasn't.

For me, Williams's brand of comedy was a "hit or miss" affair. Sometimes I found him hilarious, and at other times not so. My favorite work of Williams was his voice work as the Genie in Disney's Aladdin back in the early 1990s and The Birdcage (1996).

I read on the CBS Las Vegas website that fire department scanner audio indicated that Williams took his life by hanging. A terrible way to go.

Despite his talents, Williams apparently had inner demons of cocaine and alcohol addictions that he fought for years and suffered from depression. This seems to be somewhat common with entertainers with huge amounts of talent. Could it be that while these demons push them to great success, and at the same time also destroy them? Who knows?

Williams was only three years older than me and celebrated his birthday just three weeks ago. He posted the above photo and message on Instagram three weeks ago. This may be the last photo taken of Robin Williams (some news outlets say so).

Rest in peace.

Walt Disney Must Be Spinning In His Grave

Above, 1958 Disneyland ticket book backs.  Note the prices.

If Walt Disney saw what is being charged for admission to either Disneyland in California or Walt Disney World in Florida, he'd be spinning in his grave.

MyFoxNY.com reported:

When you wish upon a star, be sure to bring your wallet. Disneyland and Disney World have raised their ticket prices. 

Disney said in a statement that starting Sunday, a one-day adult ticket to one park at Disneyland will cost $92, a $5 increase. Kids' tickets also jumped $5, to $87. 

The prices apply to either Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park. Buyers of annual passes will see similar increases.

Walt Disney once said:

"What this country really needs is an amusement park that families can take their children to. They've gotten so honky tonk with a lot of questionable characters running around, and they're not to safe. They're not well kept. I want to have a place that's as clean as anything could ever be, and all the people in it [his park] are first-class citizens, and treated like guests."

It looks like people would have to be rich in order to take their families to either park or get a co-signer. I remember the days when $8.00 (in the 1960s) would get you a day's admission with the various tickets at different levels (the 'E' ticket would get you on the more popular (and better) rides.

Now, the cost for a family of four would be $355, and that's just to get in.  Add to that food and souvenirs, the price would likely be over $500 (you can almost fly to Japan for that amount).

Yep, ol' Walt would be spinning in his grave if he saw how the Walt Disney Company is gouging people.

To read more, go here.

Disney Buys Lucasfilm For $4.05 Billion

The big fish are swallowing the small(er) fish.

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that the Walt Disney Company has purchased Lucasfilm, Ltd.:

The Walt Disney Company has acquired Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion in cash and stock, and announced a new Star Wars movie to be released in 2015.

To read the full story, go here. 

Barbershop Talk

Living in or near Tinseltown (i.e., Hollywood) does have its advantages. Sometimes one gets to hear industry scuttlebutt (possibly) before it hits the newspapers.

This morning, my long-delayed visit to the barbershop finally came to pass (I couldn't stand it anymore) this morning. While getting myself a haircut, another customer came in and was seated at the chair next to mine.

He works in some capacity in the movie industry (I think he said he's a sculptor) and said that he has to scramble around for work. Then he dropped a bombshell.

He said that the Walt Disney Company is about to lay off 300 to 500 workers!

Ouch! That's a lot of people who will be out of work. I did see a June 6 news item about Disney laying off 250 workers globally, but what I heard this morning was local.

It seems that hope & change is not exactly working out for those in an industry who are predominantly liberal and are Democrat/Obama supporters.

Instead of "spreading the wealth," they're going so see "spreading the misery."

Get "Godzilla vs. Biollante" On Region 1 DVD

A fan-generated effort is now underway to get Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment to release the 1989 feature, Godzilla vs. Biollante on DVD.

Godzilla vs. Biollante was the follow-up movie to 1984's Return of Godzilla (Godzilla 1985) in which Godzilla is released from the crater of Mt. Mihara on Oshima Island.

It is available on Regions 2 and 3, but not here in the United States (Region 1).

The idea is to saturate (as much as possible) the suits at Disney (who bought out Miramax and their film library) with cards and letters to get them to release Godzilla vs. Biollante on DVD. The movie was released on VHS video tape back in the 1990s, but it has not been released on DVD here. It is about like trying to listen to your favorite rock album on 8-track tape today.

So send your cards and letters to:

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521

Please be polite and business-like when writing. You will catch more flies by using honey instead of vinegar!

Kirby Kin Seeking To Regain Copyrights

The New York Times reported Sunday that the kin of the late comic book artist Jack Kirby has filed notices to regain copyrights following the announcement of the sale of Marvel Comics to the Walt Disney Co.

The article stated:

Heirs to the comic book artist Jack Kirby, a creator of characters and stories behind Marvel mainstays like “X-Men” and “Fantastic Four,” last week sent 45 notices of copyright termination to Marvel and Disney, as well as Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures, and other companies that have been using the characters.

The notices expressed an intent to regain copyrights to some of Mr. Kirby’s creations as early as 2014, according to a statement disclosed on Sunday by Toberoff & Associates, a law firm in Los Angeles that helped win a court ruling last year returning a share of the copyright in Superman to heirs of one of the character’s creators, Jerome Siegel.

The sale of Marvel to Disney isn't final until it comes to an approval vote by Marvel's shareholders.

To read the full article, go here.

Traci Lords In "Princess of Mars"

Above, Traci Lords is set to play Dejah in new movie by The Asylum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Edgar Rice Burroughs, who was the creator of Tarzan (and who had a ranch near where I live), will have his Princess of Mars novel come to life by The Asylum.

In the story, a US soldier, John Carter, finds himself inexplicably transported to Mars in the midst of a war between two alien races.

The movie was written and directed by Mark Atkins and stars Antonio Sabato, Jr. as John Carter.

Dejah Thoris will be played by ex-porn star and genre scream queen Traci Lords. So far, no images of Lords as Dejah are available.

The Burroughs novel apparently fell into public domain, so besides The Asylum's version, there will also be a Disney version coming out. This should get interesting!

Princess of Mars is scheduled to be released December 29.

Disney Bids To Acquire Marvel Entertainment

The Walt Disney Co. has made a bid to acquire Marvel Entertainment, the owners of Spiderman, Captain Marvel, X-Men and others.

FT.com reports:

Walt Disney made the first move in what is expected to be a wave of consolidation in Hollywood on Monday with a surprise $4bn (£2.4bn) bid for Marvel Entertainment in a deal that will unite Iron Man and Spider-Man with Mickey Mouse and Hannah Montana.

The deal, which will earn more than $1.4bn for Ike Perlmutter, Marvel’s chief executive and largest shareholder, raised the prospect of other transactions at a time when the entertainment industry is in flux.

To read the full article, go here.

Rare Disneyland Photos

The Adventures Continue website pointed to a blog devoted to Disneyland, from opening day to the years thereafter. It is called Stuff From The Park.

One interesting photo is one of Adventures of Superman star George Reeves from the 1955 Opening Day (at top). I've seen one other photo of George at Disneyland, but this is a new one to me.

To see all of the photos, go to http://matterhorn1959.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html

Great stuff!

Pink Godzilla Games Forced To Make Name Change

It was inevitable, so it should come as no surprise the Seattle's retro and import video game retailer Pink Godzilla Games is now in the process changing their name.

It had been reported earlier this year that Godzilla's parent company, Toho Co., Ltd. went to court to put the kibosh on the retailer's name through their attorneys claiming that it infringes on Toho's Godzilla trademark and copyright. The case is titled Toho Co., Ltd. v. Pink Gozilla LLC, CV 09-0830 FMC (C.D. Cal. 2009), and was filed in Federal District Court in Los Angeles.

It is actually amazing that the name has lasted as long as it has or that the owners dared to even use that name. I recall a sushi bar in the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles used either Godzilla or Gojira (can't remember which) in the restaurant's name, but Toho clamped down on them too.

I can't blame Toho, for Godzilla is their property. I also find it amazing that many day care businesses dare to use images of Micky Mouse, Donald Duck, etc. at their places of business. The Walt Disney Company also guards the use of their trademarked/copyrighted characters. They have been known to send out Cease and Desist letters to these businesses and, if necessary, take them to court.

Anyone who uses trademarked/copyrighted characters has to be stupid for doing so and are only asking for trouble.