In what was regarded as a largely symbolic gesture, the Walt Disney Co. on Wednesday said that depictions of smoking would be barred in all films released under the Disney brand and discouraged in those released by its Touchstone and Miramax brands. (Film buffs could only recall one leading character, Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians, ever smoking in a Disney film.) The company also said that anti-smoking public service announcements would be included on DVDs of future films in which cigarette smoking is shown. The pledge was included in a letter sent by Disney CEO Robert Iger to Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey, chairman of the House Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee, who conducted hearings last month into the effects on children of movie scenes in which the stars smoke. In his response, Markey called Disney's decision "groundbreaking," and added, "Now it's time for other media companies to similarly kick the habit and follow Disney's lead."

Twentieth Century Fox's elaborate marketing campaign for its forthcoming The Simpsons Movie appears to be achieving the desired impact. Hitwise, a research firm that tracks Internet usage, said Wednesday that the Simpsons website was the second-most-visited broadcast TV website for the week ended July 21, accounting for 8.23 percent of the traffic. (No. 1 was NBC's America's Got Talent with 12.52 percent of the traffic.) Furthermore, today's (Thursday) Los Angeles Times reported that 7-Eleven stores that were converted into Kwik-E-Marts for the month have been doing land-office business. Swarn Sahni, who owns the 7-Eleven franchise in Burbank, CA that now displays the Kwik-E-Mart signage, told the newspaper, "The Simpsons fans are spending money like crazy. ... I usually sell 800 hot dogs a week. Now I'm selling about 3,000 a week." He also said that the store had sold 57,510 "Sprinklicious" doughnuts since the campaign began. Moreover, an appearance by the Simpsons characters on the Tonight show Wednesday created a stir as Homer led off by asserting that NBC stands for Never Been Crappier and that owner GE "fill the air with more dangerous hydrocarbon emissions than Rosie O'Donnell." Meanwhile, a website set up by promotional partner Burger King in which users can turn themselves into Simpsons-like characters has drawn so many web surfers that the company is reportedly having to deal with a backlash from angered customers who have been unable to access it.

In what amounts to a reverse product placement, a fictional wine depicted in the animated Disney/Pixar movie Ratatouille is scheduled to go on sale at Costco stores in 18 states next week. The chardonnay, 2004 Ratatouille, was produced from grapes from the Chateau de Messey in the Burgundy region of France. Reporting on the deal, Bloomberg News commented, "This licensed bottling ushers in what may be a whole new trend for wine and the movies." The wire service observed that the 2004 movie Sideways is credited with doubling sales of California pinot noir.

Sony, which once saw retailers shunning its Betamax video recorders, received a welcome surprise Wednesday when Target Stores announced that it will not be selling HD DVD players during the holiday season this year and will focus exclusively on Sony's Blu-ray high-definition DVD players. Target also said that it will expand its inventory of movies available in the Blu-ray format. "I think what you're seeing is that retailers are deciding [between Blu-ray and HD DVD]," Sony home entertainment president David Bishop told Home Media magazine. "This is the beginning of a trend." He indicated that carrying both types of high-definition players has confused customers. "We think this is a big step in clarifying the decision to the consumer," he said. But Ken Graffeo of Universal Studios Home Entertainment, which releases high-definition movies exclusively in the HD DVD format, told the trade publication, "The question I ask is, knowing that HD DVD is the most affordable high-definition format, it will be very interesting to see how the Sony player will appeal to Target guests."

Budgetary cutbacks imposed by Thailand's new military regime on the Bangkok Film Festival appear to be having a devastating effect, placing the future of the festival in doubt, according to several festival attendees. Limited in their ability to advertise and promote films screening in and out of competition at the festival, organizers have seen relatively sparse attendance when compared with earlier years, according to the attendees. Moreover, Daily Variety noted today (Thursday) that the Bangkok Film Market, which is held in conjunction with the festival, also produced disappointing results -- as sellers heavily outnumbered buyers. The BFF has also been hindered by monsoon weather conditions and a violent clash between police and "anti-dictatorship" demonstrators earlier in the week.

In a verbal assault rarely -- if ever -- unleashed by a top executive of one network against another, ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson blasted the decision by NBC's top brass to replace NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly with Ben Silverman, then declare that Reilly was "not fired." McPherson and Reilly are regarded as longtime friends, dating back to college days, something that McPherson himself alluded to during his eruption while meeting with a group of members of the Television Critics Association in Beverly Hills on Wednesday. "When someone stabs your best friend in the back, you don't buy it," McPherson remarked. He criticized reporters for failing to challenge Silverman's refusal to comment on Reilly's ouster. "I just got here, Silverman had said when asked whether it was good corporate policy to fire Reilly just weeks after signing him to a new deal. The idea you would be able to say 'I just got here?' Be a man," McPherson said. "He didn't know what went on? Was he living in a cave?" Silverman's admitted decision to talk to Isaiah Washington about appearing in Bionic Woman while he was still under contract to appear in Grey's Anatomy showed that Silverman is "either clueless or stupid," McPherson continued, then laid into the press for failing to challenge Silverman on that decision. "You guys let him off the hook, but that's your prerogative," he said icily. Earlier, McPherson announced that Harold Perrineau will be returning to the cast of Lost and that the planned sitcom Cavemen, based on the Geico TV commercials, is being overhauled.

ABC's newsmagazine 20/20, a fixture in the 10:00 p.m. hour on Fridays for 20 years, will be moving to 8:00 p.m. in the fall, the network announced Wednesday. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, executive producer David Sloan expressed no qualms about the decision to move the show into the earlier time slot. "The network recognizes and acknowledges that 20/20 has been the top-rated show on ABC -- and sometimes on all networks -- on Friday," Sloan said. Moving into the 10:00 p.m. slot will be the drama Men in Trees.

Former ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff, who was critically wounded while covering the war in Iraq last year, said Wednesday that he was "shocked" and felt "a little uncomfortable" when President George W. Bush mentioned his name Wednesday as one of the persons who had been treated for serious injuries during the war. Writing on the ABC World News blog, Woodruff said that he had gone to the news conference with the intention of asking the president whether the government is working fast enough to help injured soldiers receive the help they need and "doing everything it can to make sure these soldiers get what they deserve." He said that he was unable to raise the issue. "He told me he wouldn't take questions! But after the press conference we had the chance to talk for a few minutes, and he was very kind." Woodruff did not indicate whether the issue he wanted to confront the president with ever came up.

Britain's commercial ITV network plans to broadcast a documentary about an Alzheimer's disease sufferer that will include his final moments of life as he succumbs in his wife's arms, the London Times reported today (Thursday). The documentary, set to air on the network on August 8, concerns Malcolm Pointon, a onetime music lecturer at Cambridge University. As he breathes his final breath, his wife Barbara tells him, "You can let go. Death isn't the end because love goes on." The Times reported that some "pressure groups" have criticized the showing of the film as inappropriate. John Beyer, director of Mediawatch-UK, told the newspaper: "There is a certain dignity in death that is not appropriate for people to gawp at on television."

CNN has clarified its claim on Tuesday that the YouTube Democratic presidential debate delivered more 18-34-year-old viewers than any previous debate in cable news history. The network said that it was referring only to debates that have taken place during the period of the primary elections.