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2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007
1-20 of 169 items from 2013 « Prev | Next »
Pulled Down! Sexified Merida Vanishes From Disney Site!
15 May 2013 4:01 PM, PDT | Manny the Movie Guy | See recent Manny the Movie Guy news »
Last Monday, we told you about the brouhaha going on about Disney's sexy makeover of Merida, our heroine in "Brave." The studio has announced that Merida would be Disney's 11th princess. That was nice and all, but they had to give her more vivacious curves as well. The film's director (who was replaced in the middle of the making of "Brave" but was awarded an Oscar anyway), Brenda Chapman, wrote a passionate letter to her newspaper denouncing Disney's makeover decision.
Many folks are indeed passionate about this sexified Merida look that A Mighty Girl, a blog dedicated to empowering girls, created a Change.org petition and posted, yup, another impassioned letter to Bob Iger, Disney CEO. Right now, the petition has garnered more than 200,000 votes! Wow! You can sign if you want by clicking here.
So Disney's response to the controversy? Merida's sexified self disappeared from Disney's princess website! Vanished! »
- Manny
Clark Gregg Promises 'Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Will Be Great
15 May 2013 9:40 AM, PDT | MTV Splash Page | See recent MTV Splash Page news »
Get ready to see a whole new side to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." ABC premiered a trailer for the upcoming fall series during their New York upfronts, and the show looks like a fitting addition to the world Marvel has worked so hard to create. In fact, Deadline reports that the show owes it's entire existence to bonus footage from "Marvel's The Avengers," according to ABC Entertainment Group chief Paul Lee.
"Last spring, [Disney chairman] Bob Iger sent us some bonus footage from 'The Avengers' with a simple question, 'Is there a show here?'" said Lee during ABC's upfront.
One of the most exciting elements of the upcoming show is that it marks the return of Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson. Though he was thought to have died during the events of last summer's "Marvel's The Avengers," Coulson is back and better than ever for. »
- Terri Schwartz
Joss Whedon Presents Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
15 May 2013 4:34 AM, PDT | ComicBookMovie.com | See recent ComicBookMovie news »
“Last spring, [Disney top executive] Bob Iger sent us some bonus footage from The Avengers, with a simple question, ‘Is there a show here? said ABC president Paul Lee. Reports say, Iger saw the Marvel short Item 47 and the impression it left on Disney's CEO was the genesis for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Standing on stage before the media at the ABC Upfront Joss Whedon began, "I’ll be brief. I was born…," to a smattering of chuckles that then turned into widespread laughter when he quickly deadpanned, "I wasn’t born. I was grown in a lab… and fed on Marvel Comics — and that turned out Ok for me." Whedon kept the presentation moving, stating that "[The Avengers] worked because everyone felt included, " and said that he hopes to bring that same sense of inclusion to the new television show. On actor Clark Gregg, Whedon couldn't »
Disney Backlash As Brave’s Merida Gets “Sexy” Makeover
15 May 2013 1:58 AM, PDT | Obsessed with Film | See recent Obsessed with Film news »
On May 11, 2013, Disney crowned Merida from Disney/Pixar’s feature film “Brave” as the 11th official Disney princess, making her the first Pixar princess. The ceremony took place at Cinderella’s Castle in Disney’s Orlando theme park. Merida joins the likes of Snow White, Cinderella, Jasmine, Ariel, Belle, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Aurora from “Sleeping Beauty.” The woman that Disney has selected to be Merida in Orlando is impeccable (unless she can’t do a Scottish accent). Her resemblance to the Scottish princess is uncanny.
Merida has been praised by audiences and the media as an ideal Disney princess for little girls to admire and take many pages out of her book. But Disney’s makeover of the Scot undermines the admiration. So much so that a petition has been started to repeal the diminishment. In the petition, Merida is described as “strong, confident, and self-rescuing.” In the movie “Brave, »
- Matthew Curry
Pixar Is Making More Sequels -- Here Are the Ones We Want to See Most
14 May 2013 6:00 PM, PDT | Movies.com | See recent Movies.com news »
Generally speaking, investor calls are god-awful boring – even if you’re an actual investor in the company sponsoring the call – but every once in awhile an executive will reveal something cool or hint at some tantalizing thing for the future. Such was the case when Disney boss Bob Iger chatted with investors a few days back. While talking all things House of Mouse, Iger eventually got around to Pixar. Aside from offering praise for the beloved animation studio, he had this to say: “On the animation front, Pixar continues to create great value for our company too. We are very excited about Monsters University which opens next month. Pixar’s slate of films for the next five years includes fantastic original stories as well as some great...
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- Mike Bracken
Joss Whedon At ABC Upfront Brings Longer Trailer For ‘Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’
14 May 2013 3:45 PM, PDT | Deadline TV | See recent Deadline TV news »
“Last spring, Bob Iger sent us some bonus footage from The Avengers, with a simple question, ‘Is there a show here?’” said ABC Entertainment Group chief Paul Lee at the network’s upfront presentation today. Obviously the answer was yes, and next fall the ABC series Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. takes the Tuesday 8 Pm slot previously given to Dancing With The Stars which moves to Monday night for a 2-hour block. Joss Whedon was nervous and rambling as he faced TV media buyers and advertisers right before the end of the presentation. He appeared on stage with the entire cast of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge. Whedon at first tried to be funny. “I’ll be brief. I was born…” But then he grew serious. “I wasn’t born. I was grown in a lab… and fed on Marvel Comics »
- NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief
Joss Whedon At ABC Upfront Brings Longer Trailer For ‘Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’
14 May 2013 3:45 PM, PDT | Deadline Hollywood | See recent Deadline Hollywood news »
“Last spring, Bob Iger sent us some bonus footage from The Avengers, with a simple question, ‘Is there a show here?’” said ABC Entertainment Group chief Paul Lee at the network’s upfront presentation today. Obviously the answer was yes, and next fall the ABC series Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. takes the Tuesday 8 Pm slot previously given to Dancing With The Stars which moves to Monday night for a 2-hour block. Joss Whedon was nervous and rambling as he faced TV media buyers and advertisers right before the end of the presentation. He appeared on stage with the entire cast of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge. Whedon at first tried to be funny. “I’ll be brief. I was born…” But then he grew serious. “I wasn’t born. I was grown in a lab… and fed on Marvel Comics »
- NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief
Pixar Working on More Sequels, Is Toy Story 4 Happening?
14 May 2013 3:44 AM, PDT | WorstPreviews.com | See recent Worst Previews news »
A few days ago, Disney held a conference call with stockholders, revealing that Pixar is developing even more sequels to some of its films, outside of "Monsters, Inc" and "Finding Nemo," which have already been announced. Disney CEO Bob Iger said: "We are very excited about 'Monsters University,' which opens next month. Pixar's slate of films for the next five years includes fantastic original stories as well as some great sequels to their previous hits. And as we recently announced, we are in production on one of those sequels, 'Finding Dory,' featuring Ellen DeGeneres once again as the voice of Dory, one of the most beloved characters from 'Finding Nemo,' which was one of the most popular and profitable movies to date." Iger didn't say which films will be getting sequels, but it's safe to say that it won't be "The Incredibles." The obvious »
Barbara Walters to retire from Us TV - but she's not going just yet
13 May 2013 4:51 PM, PDT | The Guardian - TV News | See recent The Guardian - TV News news »
Famous host announces on The View that she'll leave in May 2014, but not before ABC airs a primetime Walters retrospective
Barbara Walters has never done things by half measures on television, and that will certainly be the case in her leaving of it. The grande dame of American TV journalism announced her retirement on Monday, with the proviso that her last day in front of camera will not be until May 2014.
Walters' long-expected confirmation that she is bowing out is in fact a harbinger of the exact opposite. Over the next 12 months, ABC, the network that has hosted her for the past 37 years, will be awash with Barbara Walters hagiography.
There will be the final interview with the Obamas (she has interviewed every sitting Us president since Richard Nixon), a series of final Barbara Walters specials and a primetime retrospective of her TV career spanning more than half a century. »
- Ed Pilkington
Which Sequel Is Pixar Planning to Develop?
13 May 2013 1:23 PM, PDT | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »
Pixar took some big chances from 2007-2009. Ratatouille starred a rat (not a cuddly animal), Wall-e spent its first act in a quiet and abandoned Earth, and Up had a geriatric as an adventure hero. They're all great movies, and none of them came close to matching the $1 billion worldwide pulled in from Toy Story 3 (it's worth noting that of the 2007-2009 movies, only Up was in 3D). And while Cars 2 grossed only $559 million worldwide, its merchandising sales were probably through the roof. These movies and have hopefully put enough into the company's coffers that they can have the creative freedom to pursue the original features The Good Dinosaur, Inside Out, and the Untitled Dia de Los Muertos movie. The sequels will begin again in November 2015 with Finding Dory, and it looks like a sequel to another Pixar movie might be in the works. Hit the jump for more. »
- Matt Goldberg
'Brave' Creator Is Not Happy About Merida's Makeover
13 May 2013 10:37 AM, PDT | Huffington Post | See recent Huffington Post news »
Don't mess with Merida.
That's the message more than 114,000 fans have already sent to Disney through a petition launched by A Mighty Girl since complaints about the "Brave" heroine's "makeover" -- an image revamp that seemed to leave her slimmer, sexier and sparklier than ever before -- went viral.
Among the parents who are up in arms about the makeover is Brenda Chapman -- not just any mom, but the creator and co-director of "Brave" who based Merida on her own daughter, Emma.
Chapman won an Animated Feature Film Oscar for her work on the Pixar movie despite being fired before the film was completed. And she didn't mince words in telling the Marin Independent Journal that she found Merida's makeover irresponsible, "atrocious," "blatantly sexist" and mercenary.
"Merida was created ... to give young girls a better, stronger role model, a more attainable role model, something of substance, not just a »
- Emma Mustich
Barbara Walters Retirement Official: Video
13 May 2013 9:52 AM, PDT | Deadline TV | See recent Deadline TV news »
Updated: This is one our Nellie Andreeva told you was going to happen back in March. It became official this morning on The View, the show Barbara Walters co-created. “In the summer of 2014, a year from now, I plan to retire from appearing on television at all”, she said after showing a clip montage of her 52 years in the business. “It has been an absolutely joyful, rewarding, challenging, fascinating and occasionally bumpy ride. And I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m perfectly healthy. This is my decision. I’ve been thinking about it a long time. This is what I want to do”. She added: “I will come back, I’m not going into the sunset.” Walters said she will continue as executive producer of The View with Bill Geddie. (Continued below) Disney’s Bob Iger was one of several Disney and ABC brass on hand for the announcement. »
- THE DEADLINE TEAM
Barbara Walters announces retirement in summer 2014 on 'The View' -- Video
13 May 2013 9:41 AM, PDT | EW.com - PopWatch | See recent EW.com - PopWatch news »
Receiving a standing ovation during today’s episode of The View, Barbara Walters announced she would retire from television next summer.
“I have been on television continuously for over 50 years,” Walters joked with false shock (“I was very young, Joy!”) “But in the summer of 2014, a year from now, I plan to retire from appearing on television at all. It has been an absolutely joyful, rewarding, challenging, fascinating, and occasionally bumpy ride and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m perfectly healthy. This is my decision. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time and this is what I want to do. »
- Sarah Caldwell
Disney criticised for 'sexing up Brave princess Merida'
13 May 2013 7:46 AM, PDT | Digital Spy | See recent Digital Spy - Movie News news »
Disney has come under fire after claims that the studio 'sexualised' Brave's Princess Merida.
On May 11, Merida was added to the Disney Princess lineup as the 11th Princess and is the first Pixar character to be included.
As part of her induction, Disney unveiled a brand new look for Princess Merida, who now appears older and slimmer while also wearing a seemingly tighter dress - something the character (voiced by Kelly Macdonald in the 2012 movie) expressed hatred of in the film.
A petition against the studio launched on the Change.org website has so far gathered over 112,500 supporters, including the film's former director Brenda Chapman. She told her local newspaper, the Marin Independent Journal: "I think it's atrocious what they have done to Merida.
"When little girls say they like it because it's more sparkly, that's all fine and good but, subconsciously, they are soaking in the sexy 'come »
Brave director criticises Disney's 'sexualised' Princess Merida redesign
13 May 2013 5:37 AM, PDT | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »
The character's creator says Disney's new version of her hero 'send[s] a message that the original, realistic girl is inferior'
Disney has been fiercely criticised for creating a "glammed-up" version of Princess Merida from the Pixar fantasy fairytale Brave for a new toy line.
Bow-slinging Merida has been given a makeover in advance of her official induction into The Disney Princess Collection. She now appears slimmer, older and somewhat sexualised, in comparison to the teenage tomboy from last year's Oscar-winning animation.
A petition launched on the Change.org website calling on the studio to return the character to her more realistic origins has reached more than 100,000 signatures in just over a week and gained the support of Merida's creator Brenda Chapman.
Addressed to Disney chairman Bob Iger, the petition reads: "Merida was the princess that countless girls and their parents were waiting for – a strong, confident, self-rescuing princess ready to »
- Ben Child
Barbara Walters: 'I Plan to Retire' in the Summer of 2014
13 May 2013 3:20 AM, PDT | PEOPLE.com | See recent PEOPLE.com news »
After more than five decades, Barbara Walters is hanging up her microphone. The veteran ABC News anchor, 83, said Monday morning on The View - the show she started in 1997 - that she will retire from TV journalism next summer. "Let me just say I have been on television continuously for over 50 years. But in the summer of '14 I plan to retire from appearing on television at all. ... I'm perfectly healthy. This is my decision. This is what I want to do," Walters told her audience, which in the studio included Disney CEO (and therefore head of ABC) Bob Iger »
- Stephen M. Silverman
Disney hints at Star Wars Land
9 May 2013 2:31 PM, PDT | Filmonic.com | See recent Filmonic news »
At this point everyone knows that Disney owns the rights to Star Wars and are developing a new trilogy of films. Of course Disney is just as famous for their theme parks as their films so it may not come as a surprise that Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, hinted that they will be looking into [...]
Read Disney hints at Star Wars Land on Filmonic. »
- Derick McDuff
Star Wars Theme Park!?
8 May 2013 1:12 PM, PDT | Huffington Post | See recent Huffington Post news »
Disney appears one step closer to opening a Star Wars theme park, if we can trust that recent comments from Disney CEO Bob Iger aren't just a Jedi mind trick. After acquiring Lucasfilm last October for more than $4 billion, a theme park might compliment Disney's big plans for the franchise.
"In addition to the Star Wars feature films that we’ve already talked about, we’re also working on opportunities for television and our parks," Iger said during an earnings call Tuesday. "It’s still very early in the process. We’ll announce details as these developments evolve."
Disney's existing parks have performed exceptionally well as of late, with their operating income jumping 73 percent from a year ago, the Los Angeles Times reports. The company benefited from new areas at both its California and Florida park locations, according to The New York Times.
Disney World already announced plans for Star Wars-themed weekends, »
- The Huffington Post
Downey vs. Disney: Will Rdj be back for future Marvel films?
8 May 2013 11:13 AM, PDT | Cinelinx | See recent Cinelinx news »
Reports say that Robert Downey Jr. and Disney are “far apart” regarding the negotiations for Downey’s continued participation in Marvel films. Will he be back for Avengers 2 and Iron Man 4?
Robert Downey Jr. is currently in battle against the forces of Marvel and Disney over his film contract. If the two sides don't reach a new agreement regarding his salary and participation for future Marvel films, it could mean the loss of the anchorman for Marvel’s two highest grossing superhero franchises. Representatives for the various parties involved have declined to comment about where the situation currently stands. However, rumors say that no deal is in place for Downey to reprise his role as Tony Stark in future films.
Regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, Disney plans to continue making Iron Man films, with or without Downey. Both Batman and James Bond have survived the replacement of the original series star. »
- feeds@cinelinx.com (Rob Young)
Bob Iger on ABC: We Want More Homegrown Hits
7 May 2013 5:23 PM, PDT | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
With the upfronts looming next week and ABC in last place among the coveted 18-49 demo, Disney chief Bob Iger has one request for network: “We could use a few more new hits and hits that we own.”
Iger made the statement during a call with analysts to discuss the company’s robust second quarter results on Tuesday, in which he said the network and ABC stations “have had a tough run during the last few months.”
During the most recent second quarter, which wrapped March 30, Disney’s broadcast division, led by ABC, saw revenue decline 2% to $1.5 billion on lower ratings, although profits rose 40% to $138 million.
“There’s no real secret to it,” he said of ABC’s needs. “On the network front, we’d like a stronger primetime schedule, particularly with programming that we own.”
ABC’s president of entertainment Paul Lee ordered two dozen pilots (plus a presentation »
- Marc Graser
2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007
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