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It's now considered one of the great PR disasters of 2010. The way that NBC totally mismanaged its Jay Leno / Conan O'Brien situation. Which ultimately resulted in Conan bolting for TBS , a significantly battered & bruised Jay resuming his duties as host of " The Tonight Show "...

If you read my March 16 th non-review of that Showest screening of “ Toy Story 3 ,” then you already know that I’m a huge fan of this Lee Unkrich film. But you know what truly impressed me about this Pixar production? That in the months leading up to the release of this acclaimed animated feature, no...

When discussing a new summer blockbuster like Disney’s “ Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time ,” it’s hard not to get caught up in all the details. Like those 1,200 visual effects shots that you’ll find in this Jerry Bruckheimer production. Or the action sequences that Mike Newell chose to stage 8,200...

Do you recall – just a few weeks back – how quick industry analysts were to write off “ How to Train Your Dragon ”? That – because this Chris Sanders & Dean DeBlois film “only” earned $43.3 million over its opening weekend (as opposed to the $59.3 million that DreamWorks Animation ’s “ Monsters vs...

Is it just me or does Nathan Fillion seem to be everywhere these days? I mean, the guy reprised his role as Captain Hammer in that “ Dr. Horrible ” sketch on the Emmys back on September 20th. The second season of Fillion’s latest show, “ Castle ,” debuted on the 21 st , while the DVD version of the first...

In response to last week's review of Jeff Kurtti 's newest book , " Walt Disney's Imagineering Legends and the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park ," I got the following e-mail: Not everyone who reads JimHillMedia is interested in the Disney theme parks. Some of us come to your site because we want to learn...

"There can be only one ..." And -- no -- I'm not channeling for the Highlander here. I'm talking about the real budgetary challenge that many consumers are facing this holiday season. Where -- instead of heaving multiple presents at friends & family as they have in years past -- they can now afford...

A word of warning before you head home for Thanksgiving: Be careful what you place in your mouth this holiday season. For that hors d'oeuvre might just be an author. Don't believe me? Okay. Then let us consider Pepe the King Prawn . With the help of Jim Lewis , this Muppet just turned out his first tome;...

There are many things that you expect to find at the World of Disney at WDW's Downtown Disney . Mountains of Plush. Shelves piled high with Pirates of the Caribbean stuff. Way too much Disney Princess Merchandise. But Pulitzer Prize -winning authors? And yet this was where Dave Barry spent yesterday...

When it comes to putting together a good "Art of" book, especially one that covers the creation of a new animated feature ... Well, it's a lot harder than it looks. Sometimes the authors of these over-sized coffee table books take themselves a bit too seriously. Which is why they then make the mistake...

How many of you have fond memories of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess" ? You know, those syndicated action-adventure shows that were shot on location in New Zealand back in the 1990s? Well, the folks at ABC Studios are hoping that there's an awful lot of you out there who...

If you're a Disney trivia buff, I'm sure that you can already name the father & mother dog in " 101 Dalmatians ." But can you name all 15 of the puppies that Perdita had? Copyright 2008 Disney. All Rights Reserved Okay. I know. That's kind of a trick question. Given that -- in the original 1961 film...

Are you confused about where animation is going these days? If so, join the club. What with the rise of performance capture, the revival of hand-drawn animation over at Disney, not to mention CG going 3D, animation students aren't sure what they should be doing these days in order to properly prepare...

This past weekend, I found myself 90 miles from home in Hingham, MA. Photo by Jim Hill Why had I driven down to the South Shore ? Because I was trying to find a theater here in New England that was screening " Morning Light ." Which went into extremely limited release this past Friday. Photo by Jim Hill...

Evidently that book review of Carol de Giere 's " Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked " that this site ran two week back really struck a chord with JHM readers as we've received a number of Stephen Schwartz -related questions since then. First up, Gayle B...

As I watched last night's debate, I was reminded of that old joke : "People who like sausage and appreciate politics shouldn't watch either one being made." Mind you, those of us who have been following " Bolt " 's production have sometimes wondered if -- just like with politics & sausage -- it might...

When we left Finn, Willa, Philby, Charlene and Terry at the end of " The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark " (Disney Editions, September 2005), these five plucky teenagers had just defeated the Overtakers -- that mysterious group of characters led by Maleficent herself who were out to destroy WDW's...

Forget about " When Harry Met Sally ." You want to talk about a truly magical movie moment? Then let's discuss when Mary met Alice. To be specific, when Mary Blair was assigned to work on Disney's animated adaptation of " Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ." Ever since May of 1938, when the Studio had...

Well, it's September now and the kids are headed back to class. Which means that it's time to start stocking up on those essential school supplies: Pencils. Erasers. Lined paper. Copyright 2008 Silman-James Press. All Rights Reserved And if you've got a son or daughter who's heading off to Cal Arts ...

It's something of a show business tradition to get your act together and then take it on the road. But for primary-school-teacher-turned-author Eoin Colfer , who's been toodling around the United States for more than a week now aboard a bus emblazoned with the words "Fairies, Fiends and Flatulence,"...