“And they said it would never last.”
Welcome to the one month anniversary celebration of the official launch of JimHillMedia.com. (There will now be a slight pause for those of you who wish to mutter “Who cares?”). Nearly 10,000 of you have dropped by this quiet corner of the Web in the past four weeks. Which sounds kind of impressive …At least to me.
That said, Jon, Michelle and I still realize that this site has quite a ways to go. Which is why we’ve been tweaking a number of things over the past few weeks. Trying to improve the general look and layout of JimHillMedia.com (Some of you may have already noticed the snazzy new color scheme over on our discussion boards. Thank you, Jon.) We’ve also been trying to get a better sense of what you folks would really like to see at this site.
So far, you seem to be enjoying the selection of stories as well as our no-holds-barred discussion boards. Which is nice. But a number of you have also been asking- as Beth13 rather dramatically put it – “When are we going to hear from the Man?”
So who’s the “Man”? Supposedly me.
To be honest, I don’t know how exactly to feel about Beth13’s request. A part of me is really rather flattered. But there’s another part of me that’s actually kind of appalled.
Why for? Well, this site is already called JimHillMedia.com. Which seems enormously egoistical (at least to me). There’s something up here by me (Whether it’s an old item from the archives or a brand new feature) practically every day now. But that doesn’t seem to be enough for some of you nice folks. You appear to want even more access to my incessant yammerings.
To be specific, what a lot of you people seem to want is for me to make somewhat regular appearances on the JimHillMedia.com’s discussion boards. Which I’m not really sure is going to happen.
Why for? Well, it’s not because – as WallyBoag oh so colorfully put it – I’m afraid that someone’s going to rip me “a new one or two or three.” I mean, I enjoy debating Disney dweebs as much as the next weenie.
My real problem is time. Right now, I’m committed to writing at least two new stories each week for JimHillMedia.com. I’ve also got outstanding commitments to MuppetCentral.com (I.E., a 30-40 part series on the history of the Jim Henson Company circa 1986 to today), and Digital Media FX (Look for a series on this year’s Visual Effects Society event to get underway over at that site shortly) in addition to the stories that I currently owe IOACentral.com and Tower-of-Terror.com. I’ve also got a number of other webmasters who have recently come forward and expressed an interest in my creating new material for their sites as well.
All this – plus my never-built-Disney-theme-park-attractions book project. Plus the proposed feature length articles that I’ve got in the works for “Orlando Weekly” and “O.C. Weekly.”
So – as you can see – my dance card is kind of full these days, kids. And yet … Given that you folks were nice enough to regularly drop by my web site, I guess the least I can do is try to answer some of your questions on a semi-regular basis.
So, Michelle and I are now talking about whether or not we should fold an “Ask Jim” feature into the site. Some sort of Q & A thing that would run a fairly predictable basis at JimHillMedia.com. Fab is pushing for something that I could write up on a weekly basis. I – being the lazy b*st*rd that I am – am (of course) looking to turn this proposed new feature into something that would only be done on a monthly basis. We’ll let you know who eventually wins out in this editorial battle of wills.
So what would this proposed “Ask Jim” feature supposedly be like? Well, if it were done properly, it would allow me to revisit a lot of my earlier stories. Expand on earlier explanations. Fold in additional information.
Like – for example – check out this response to a comment WallyBoag made last week about my “Discoveryland U.S.A.” series. In a note that he posted on the JimHillMedia.com discussion boards, WallyBoag said:
Name change to save money on signs? I don’t think so. As far as I can tell… and I’ve spent a LOT of time in Tomorrowland (and I do mean a LOT) there are no signs in Tomorrowland that are leftover from before 1995… anything that says “Tomorrowland” on it was installed as part of the refurbishment …
Which is an excellent observation, Wally. I’d have to say that easily 90% of the signage in and around New Tomorrowland at WDW’s Magic Kingdom was changed out during the 1994 redo of that part of the park.
So where did this alleged savings supposedly kick in? Well, you have to start thinking outside the box, Wally. Or should I say “outside the park”? By keeping the name “Tomorrowland” in place rather than adopting “Discoveryland” as the new moniker for this radically revamped section of the park, the Mouse didn’t have to spend the thousands necessary to change out all of the other signs around property that featured the “Tomorrowland” name.
Think about it, Wally. How many hundreds of signs, posters and maps are there around Walt Disney World property that prominently feature the name “Tomorrowland”? And let’s not forget about all those WDW pamphlets, brochures and info books that would have had to have been reprinted to reflect the “Discoveryland” name change.
So – given the expense involved here – is it any wonder that Disney officials still approach these sorts of name changes with extreme trepidation? After all, there are still reportedly some Mouse House execs who continue to foam at the mouth whenever anyone reminds them about all the money that was spent in changing “Mickey’s Birthdayland”‘s name from “Mickey’s Starland” to (finally) “Mickey’s Toontown Fair.”
So, technically, WallyBoag is right. There was no real cost savings within WDW’s Tomorrowland itself when that area’s old, original name was kept in place. Where the money was actually saved was outside of new Tomorrowland – from all the other signs & posters that DIDN’T have to get changed out in and around the Magic Kingdom as well as elsewhere on WDW property.
Some other readers also found fault in my “Pirates Under Attack” piece. For example, Matt McLean – in addition to saying “bad reporting Jim… bad” – attempted to set the record straight by pointing out ….
Haunted Mansion corrections… I think. Pluto Nash has been sitting on the rack finished for close to two years. Warner Brothers hated… everyone hated it… it was doomed from the moment it was green lit. And this in no way effects Mr. Murphy’s commend at the Box Office for family movies. Look at Dr. Dolittle 2. Mr. Murphy seems to have great luck with more family fare.
Yes, Matt, Eddie Murphy has had a pretty amazing run of hits when it comes to family friendly films. “Nutty Professor,” “Nutty Professor II,” “Dr. Dolittle,” “Dr. Dolittle II.” Not to mention his voicework for “Mulan” and “Shrek.”
So Disney execs – in spite of “Pluto Nash”‘s spectacular tanking at the box office this summer – still seem confident that Eddie will be able to pull in the kiddies (as well as their parents) when the “Haunted Mansion” movie finally hits the big screen next October.
Yep, you heard right. In spite of my earlier report that Disney Studio officials were giving semi-serious thought to postponing “The Haunted Mansion” (perhaps pushing back the start of production by as much as a year), it now appears that all systems are ghost … er .. I mean “Go” for the HM movie at the Mouse House. Sets for the film are already reportedly under construction over at Barwick Studios in Glendale, CA. If the current scuttlebutt proves to be true, production of Disney’s “Mansion” movie could get underway as early as the middle of next month.
So why the sudden change of heart by execs inside the Team Disney Burbank building? Well, while it is true that studio personnel are still smarting from the public’s less-than-enthusiastic response to the company’s first based-on-a-theme-park-attraction feature film (“The Country Bears.” Which – to date – has earned less than $16 million during its domestic release), Disney still have somewhat high hopes that their Murphy-in-the-“Mansion” movie might make some moola.
Why for? Well, part of the company’s confidence in the project comes from “Mansion” ‘s well crafted script. Screenwriter David Berenbaum has supposedly put together a story that actually makes fairly clever use of a lot of the more colorful characters and settings found in this venerable old Disney theme park attraction. In addition to having a good story that allegedly builds on the Haunted Mansion’s mythology, Berenbaum’s script also supposedly still gives Eddie (who reportedly plays a less-than-reputable realtor in the film) plenty of opportunities to cut loose comedically.
Given director Rob Minkoff’s extensive CG experience (I.E, helming “Stuart Little I ” & “II”), we should expect to see a ton of first rate FX work in this film. Which is why it now appears that all the necessary ingredients are already in place for Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” movie to become a fairly entertaining family flick …
Of course – this time last year – Mouse House execs were saying the same thing about “The Country Bears.” That’s why the pressure is really on “Mansion” producer Don Hahn right now – to make sure that his HM movie avoids the “Country Bears”‘s grizzly box office fate.
This is actually going to be a lot harder for Hahn to do than one might realize. How so? Well, though Don has been the strong hand behind many of Disney’s most successful animated films for the past decade, “The Haunted Mansion” will be Hahn’s first ever live action feature for the Mouse House. Which is why Don isn’t all that eager to screw this assignment up.
And why exactly is that? Well, provided that Hahn can actually deliver the goods with Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” movie, Mickey’s already got another live action feature that the company would like Don to do. And what’s that? Would you believe … a live action version of the company’s 1991 animated hit, “Beauty and the Beast”?
Strange but true, kids. I know that – just on the face of things – a live action version of this much beloved animated feature sounds pretty bizarre. But anyone who’s ever seen “Beauty and the Beast” on Broadway (or any of the show’s many touring companies for that matter) already knows what a powerful punch this story still packs even when it’s live actors who are performing the parts of Belle, Gaston et al. So is it really so much of a stretch to imagine that Disney’s highly successful stage version of “B & B” could eventually be adapted to the big screen?
So is there an official timetable in place yet for production of this proposed live action movie version of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”? Not really. Not yet, anyway. So far, all that Don has done is chaired a few development meetings for the project. But – to date – that’s really it.
So will this project actually ever go forward? A lot depends on whether Eisner remains enthusiastic about the idea of Disney doing a live action movie version of “B & B.” The success of Hahn’s “Haunted Mansion” movie (and – to a less extent – “Pirates of the Caribbean”) will also factor into the decision as well.
And – just for the record, kids – Disney officials ARE continuing to put pressure on Hahn as well as Jerry Bruckheimer (the producer of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie) to keep production costs down on both “Mansion” and “Pirates.” (Though – to be fair – Don & Jerry aren’t under nearly as much pressure as the guys who are producing “The Alamo” for Disney. Those folks are being asked to shave as much as $70 million off of the price tag for this proposed live action epic.)
And – finally – on a more personal note, here’s an answer to Brian8871’s query to the JimHillMedia.com discussion boards:
Does Jim still write columns for the Orlando Weekly? I haven’t seen one of those in a while. If he does, when can we expect the next one?
Sadly, no, Brian8871. I no longer do a regular column for the “Orlando Weekly.” My last regularly scheduled “Eye Drive” piece ran back on August 15th.
So why did I give up such a great gig? The short answer is: I didn’t. At least not voluntarily.
You see, the editor that initially hired me to work at that paper – Jeff Truesdell – ended up getting fired from OW earlier this spring. In Jeff’s place, “Orlando Weekly”‘s publisher hired Bob Whitby, a newspaper editor who hails from the Broward County – Palm Beach section of Southern Florida.
Once Bob came on board at “OW” back in late July, he decided that he really wanted to shake things up at the paper. So, the process of “shaking things up,” Whitby pulled the plug on my “Eye Drive” column (reportedly the most popular feature at OW’s website) as well as stage managing the “retirement” of “Orlando Weekly”‘s signature columnist, Liz Langley (AKA Juice).
So – yeah – that’s kind of sad news. Much more so for Liz (Who had labored at OW for 10 years now) than for me (I’d only worked for the paper since June 2000). But these things happen all the time in the publishing world. New management comes in … and old writers quickly get kicked to the curb.
Am I angry? Hurt? Nah. More philosophical, really. So I lost a relatively steady, moderately well paying writing gig. Don’t worry, kids. I’ll find another one. I feel that the best thing to do – at least in a situation like this – is just to pick yourself up and quickly move on to the next project.
Which (Now here’s the funny part) might actually involve writing more stuff for the “Orlando Weekly.” How so? Well, immediately after he’d taken away my weekly column, Bob then asked if I’d be interested in contributing an occasional feature to “OW.” So I’ve been knocking around a few ideas (Perhaps an overview of the history of Walt Disney Imagineering, which officially celebrates its 50th anniversary this December) that I might pitch to Whitby in a few weeks or so. (Right after I’ve finished pouting, that is).
Anyway … If you really liked my “Eye Drive” columns, then I suggest that you make a trip over to the “Orlando Weekly”‘s website ASAP and give that stuff one final read. By that I mean: All of those old stories are still readily available for anyone who visits the OW site … But who knows how long things will remain like that?
I mean, this is the Web we’re talking about, people. A place where things can disappear overnight without warning. (And – no – that’s NOT a DCACentral.com slam.)
ANYWHO …. This extremely rambling piece is sort of a dry run for that “Ask Jim” column that Michelle and I were talking about me doing for JimHillMedia.com on a semi-regular basis. Would something like this work for you guys? If so, let us know..
Beyond that … Thanks again for all the praise and support that you nice folks have heaped on us over the past four weeks. Michelle, Jon and I genuinely appreciate all of the kind words that you’ve tossed our way. That said, we’ll still continue to work hard over the next few months to make sure that this site remains entertaining, informative and fun for our regular readers.
So – you’ve got any suggestions as to what we can do to improve JimHillMedia.com – feel free to lob them our way.
That’s it for now, gang. Sorry to be so short here today. But I gotta get back to work on tomorrow’s column for this site. What’s that story going to be about? To be honest, I have no idea … yet. But I’m sure that – whatever this article turns out to be – that it will semi-pseudo-sort-of fun to read. (I hope)
See you tomorrow.