October, 2012

So when exactly did Bob Iger let George Lucas now that he was interested in acquiring Lucasfilm Ltd. ? It wasn't " ... a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." But -- rather -- last May in Orlando, when both Iger & Lucas were at Disney's Hollywood Studios to take part in an elaborate opening ceremony for " Star Tours: The Adventures Continue ." Bob Iger and George Lucas (center) pose for photographs as the opening ceremony for "Star Tours: The Adventures Continue"...

They say that a man's home is his castle. Well, tonight, my castle is under siege. The wind field associated with Hurricane Sandy has already made its way up to New Hampshire, sending wind gusts of 50 - 55 MPH whistling through the trees. Which means that Nancy and I have already experienced a number of brown-outs & power glitches over the course of the day. Which is why -- with the hope that I'll actually be able to post this piece on JHM before the power at our place finally officially...

Mike Larsen has spent much of the past 20 years toiling in sitcom land. Writing for and/or executive producing popular programs like " The Drew Carey Show ," " Reba ," " Ellen " and " Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place ." "And don't get me wrong. I am extremely proud of the work that I've done on shows like ' Real Time with Bill Maher ,' " Larsen admitted during a recent interview. "The only problem is that a lot of the shows...

Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been? My apologies for JHM basically being on hold these past few days. But I've been out in Southern California since Saturday morning working. Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you do there? Copyright DreamWorks Animation LLC. All rights reserved Len Testa and I recorded 12 brand-new Unofficial Guide Disney Dish podcasts for iTunes earlier this week. We did three shows about Disney California Adventure theme park on Monday (one that dealt with all the behind...

Susan Egan was living every actor's dream. She had played the lead in three different Broadway shows. Her television career seemed primed for take-off in prime time. Susan had even voiced memorable characters in acclaimed animation features like Disney's " Hercules " and Hayao Miyazaki 's " Spirited Away ." "The only problem was - at that point in my career -- my own personal dream had changed. I was a 34 year-old woman who was still playing the 21 year-old ingénue...

Make-up master Greg Nicotero helps make AMC's "The Walking Dead" a gory must-see Let's face it: Nobody likes going through security at the airport. But for Greg Nicotero, the Emmy-winning makeup effects artist and co-executive producer of AMC 's hit series The Walking Dead , that whole take-off-your-shoes-so-that-they-can-then-be-sent-through-the-X-ray-machine bit can sometimes get extra exciting. Greg Nicotero surveys some of the concept art, zombie masks and costumes that...

For those who doubted last week's piece on those Tim Burton Weekends that are supposedly being considered as Disney's Hollywood Studios ' seasonal alternative to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom , did you catch this morning's announcement of Disney Parks & Resorts' "Limited Time Magic" program ? Using a three story-tall, 45,000 pound fairytale castle made of ice that they'd built overnight in Times Square as a visual metaphor for...

Director Rob Reiner told this great story earlier this month at the 50th New York Film Festival about how he didn't want " The Princess Bride " to wind up like " The Wizard of Oz ." "And why exactly would he say something like that?," you ask. Given how popular that fantasy film is today, few people realize that "Oz" wasn't exactly considered a hit when it originally opened in theaters back in August of 1939. Sure, it won two Academy Awards and got...

Tim Burton's deep, dark secret? He's actually a pretty normal guy For the better part of 30 years now, Hollywood has been harboring a secret. Something that threatens the prevailing public perception of one of the town's more talented filmmakers. "People always mistake Tim Burton for the characters who appear in his movies. They figure that Tim has to be this dark, twisted guy who's socially awkward. But that couldn't be further from the truth," said Catherine O'Hara...

Troy P. writes in to ask: Hi Jim! Love your website. I was in Minneapolis this weekend and I attended the annual nighttime Halloween festival at ValleyFair, a local theme park here in the Twin Cities. " ValleyScare " was a fun event with creepy theming, chilling music, tons of fog machines, and about 8-10 walk-thru haunted houses. Combine that with ValleyFair's great collection of thrill rides, and it made for a great night. Copyright 2012 CFEC. Cedar Fair Parks. All rights reserved...

The cast of "The Princess Bride" reunites at the New York Film Festival 25 years ago, the very idea that there might actually be an audience out there for " The Princess Bride " was -- for executives at 20th Century Fox , anyway -- inconceivable. "Fox just couldn't figure out how to market the thing. Was it a comedy? A love story? An action-adventure? A spoof?," director Rob Reiner recalled earlier this week at the New York Film Festival . "Which is why -- a...

As a child growing up in Massachusetts, I vividly remember these family road trips that we'd take in the Fall. Where -- as we'd zoom along the highway, headed for the Bay State's South Shore for some family function -- I'd occasionally catch a glimpse of a cranberry bog. Now you have to understand that -- when Autumn comes to New England and you have a pond filled with bright red berries that's then surrounded by a forest where the leaves have turned ... ... you don't need...

The moon was shining bright this past Saturday night ... Photo by Jim Hill ... as more than 10,000 runners lined up at the toll plaza for Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park ... Photo by Jim Hill ... eager to take part in the inaugural run of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler race. Mind you, these folks had to wait a wee bit before they then allowed to take part in this nighttime road race. But runDisney kept everyone energized & entertained at the starting line with the help of...