17439: Getting Goofy On Disney Layoffs.

Adweek reported marketing restructuring at Disney prompted layoffs confirmed via a companywide memo from the CEO.

 

The CEO missed a perfect opportunity to open the announcement with, “Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s out of work you’ll go.”

 

Disney CEO Sends Memo Confirming Layoffs 

 

Disney is expected to lay off as many as 1,000 employees

 

By Bill Bradley

 

Following its marketing restructure, Disney is carrying out layoffs, its CEO confirmed.

 

Today, Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro sent a memo to employees confirming layoffs were being carried out this week, saying that impacted employees were being notified. As the company looks to streamline operations, it is expected to lay off up to 1,000 employees.

 

The layoffs follow Disney’s announcement in January that it was restructuring its marketing divisions under Asad Ayaz, the company’s first chief marketing and brand officer. The restructure was aimed at aligning the company’s marketing teams more closely across the business.

 

Beyond marketing, the company’s studios and TV businesses, ESPN, products and tech, and corporate functions will also be affected, according to reports.

 

“I know this is hard. Those that will be leaving us have done meaningful work here and care deeply about this company. These decisions are not a reflection of their contributions, or of the overall strength of the company,” D’Amaro said in the memo. “Rather, they reflect our continual evaluation of how to more effectively manage our resources and reinvest in our businesses.”

 

Despite the layoffs, D’Amaro said he remained “optimistic” about where the company is headed.

 

“I’m deeply grateful for all of your contributions and for the dedication, professionalism, and care you bring to your work each day. Even in challenging moments, you continue to demonstrate what makes Disney so special,” D’Amaro said.

 

This is the first large-scale layoff under D’Amaro. It also reflects an ongoing trend in the entertainment industry, with companies such as Sony and CBS recently announcing cuts.

 

See the full memo below:

 

Dear Fellow Employees & Cast Members,

 

We have experienced a great deal of change these last few years, both at the company and across our industries. Knowing firsthand how these moments can bring uncertainty, I want to be open about some difficult news that will be communicated this week. 

 

In January, we announced our unified enterprise marketing and brand organization, designed to serve consumers in an even more connected way. Over the past several months, we have looked at ways in which we can streamline our operations in various parts of the company to ensure we deliver the world-class creativity and innovation our fans value and expect from Disney. Given the fast-moving pace of our industries, this requires us to constantly assess how to foster a more agile and technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs. As a result, we will be eliminating roles in some parts of the company and have begun notifying impacted employees. 

 

I know this is hard. Those that will be leaving us have done meaningful work here and care deeply about this company. These decisions are not a reflection of their contributions, or of the overall strength of the company. Rather, they reflect our continual evaluation of how to more effectively manage our resources and reinvest in our businesses. 

 

Compassion and respect remain at the heart of our company. As we move forward through this transition, our priority is to support those impacted and help each person navigate what comes next with resources, guidance, and direct support. 

 

Despite these difficult decisions, I remain optimistic about where we’re headed as a company. I’m deeply grateful for all of your contributions and for the dedication, professionalism, and care you bring to your work each day. Even in challenging moments, you continue to demonstrate what makes Disney so special.

 

Josh 

17087: Hundreds Holler, “We’re NOT Going To Disneyland!”

 

Advertising Age republished a Bloomberg News report indicating Walt Disney Co. is cutting hundreds of employees from its film and TV divisions.

 

So, it’s the last time hundreds will be singing, “Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s home from work we go…”

 

Disney lays off hundreds in film, TV as industry woes linger

 

Walt Disney Co. is laying off several hundred employees across its film and TV businesses, cuts that underscore the tough times in Hollywood are far from over.

 

The staff reductions began Monday and are falling on employees in marketing, publicity, casting and development, along with corporate financial operations, according to the company.

 

Hollywood has been in a cost-cutting mode for years, with production and employment in a downward spiral. Disney, based in Burbank, California, announced a retrenchment in February 2023, eliminating 7,000 jobs in a bid to cut expenses by $5.5 billion. The company later increased that target to $7.5 billion. Competitors have also laid off thousands of workers.

 

Disney’s latest reductions follow roughly 200 job cuts across Disney’s ABC and entertainment TV networks in March. In all, the company has eliminated more than 8,000 positions in recent years as it seeks to improve profitability.

 

Monday’s layoffs were first reported by the entertainment industry publication Deadline. Disney had about 233,000 employees at the end of its last fiscal year in September, including 76% full-time.

 

Shares of Disney were down less than 1% to $112.59 at 1:11 p.m. in New York.

 

—Bloomberg News

17035: Global Garbage From Smiling Scambags.

 

This Smyle Toothpaste Tablets campaign from Fitzroy in the Netherlands takes the plastic stuff kills wildlife clichés to a deeper level, further polluting the media landscape—as well as swimming into copyright and trademark infringement.

16386: Byron Allen Bids—And Bets On—Big Bucks…?

 

MediaPost reported Media Mogul Byron Allen made a $10-billion bid to acquire Walt Disney properties including the ABC TV network, the FX and National Geographic channels, and local TV stations. Hmmm, is Allen banking on acquiring an extra $10 billion soon?

 

Byron Allen Bids $10B For ABC, Other Disney Nets

 

By Karlene Lukovitz

 

Media entrepreneur Byron Allen has made a $10-billion bid to acquire the ABC TV network, the FX and National Geographic channels and local TV stations from Walt Disney, a spokesperson for Allen confirmed.

 

Allen’s Entertainment Studios owns 10 HD television networks, including The Weather Channel, Comedy.TV and several other verticals, and also produces and distributes shows, and sells advertising for 43 broadcast and cable TV programs.

 

Allen’s bid for the Disney assets is reportedly based on an eight-times multiple of estimated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for the Disney linear businesses.

 

Disney has also held exploratory discussions with regional TV power Nexstar Media Group, according to multiple reports.

 

Nexstar has not commented on those reports. However, on Wednesday, during a Bank of America Securities conference, Tom Carter, a former Nexstar president who now advises its CEO and board, confirmed that Nexstar is interested in acquisitions, and mentioned Disney as a potential seller. But he added that Nexstar doesn’t know “what Disney wants to do.”

 

Disney, which has reportedly also considered selling a stake in ESPN, did not comment on the reports about Allen or Nexstar specifically, stating instead that while it is “open to considering strategic options for its linear business,” it has not yet made a decision about selling any of those assets.

 

Disney CEO Bob Iger raised the possibility of Disney selling off some networks in a CNBC interview in July.

 

“There clearly is content that they create that is core to Disney, but the distribution model, the business model that forms the underpinning of that business — and that is delivering great profits over the years — is definitely broken, and we have to call it like it is,” he said.

 

“Given the low valuations attached to standalone linear networks, it isn’t clear that there is an accretive move to be made here,” senior research analyst and MoffettNathanson co-founder Michael Nathanson wrote in a note at the time. “Simply exiting bad businesses at any cost might be the price you pay to limit management and investor distractions in the long run.”

 

The stock prices of Nexstar, Tegna and E.W. Scripps, which had all declined since Iger’s remarks, rose on Thursday after the reports of sale discussions.

 

Disney acquired Capital Cities/ABC for $19 billion in 1995, when Michael Eisner was CEO.

 

In addition to its national network, ABC has eight owned and operated regional TV stations and 240 affiliate stations.

 

Nexstar owns 200 stations in 116 markets and the 24-hour cable news channel NewsNation, and would likely have to divest at least some properties in order to stay within federal TV ownership limits if it struck a deal to buy the Disney linear networks. Such a deal might also face opposition from Disney rivals that have affiliate station deals with Nexstar, including Comcast and Paramount.

10628: BHM 2023—Disney.

Okay, it’s technically not a BHM-related topic, but Adweek reported on Disney’s decision to lay off 7,000 employees. For some reason, the trade publication illustrated the story with a photo from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever—as if Queen Ramonda decreed the dismissals.

14833: Frozen II Is Hotter Than Ever.

Not convinced Sonny’s is staging an official Disney promotion.

14510: BHM 2019—Disneyland And Disney World Pale In Comparison To Wakanda.

Disney presents a Black Panther Black History Month with a $1.5 million UNCF donation and free movie tickets. Wakanda forever! Or at least through February.

12542: BHM 2015—Disney.

Okay, this is probably not a BHM ad—but the concept incorporates celebration and Princess Tiana.

12449: Move Over, Dora The Explorer.

From The New York Daily News…

Disney’s first Latina princess is coming to ‘Sofia the First’

Princess Elena of Avalor will debut on the Disney Junior ‘toon next year and later get her own series

By Don Kaplan

Disney unveiled its first Latina princess Thursday.

Princess Elena of Avalor will star in an episode of “Sofia the First,” a hit Disney Junior show for preschoolers, in 2016, and will later get her own spinoff series.

Elena is “a confident and compassionate teenager in an enchanted fairy-tale kingdom inspired by diverse Latin cultures and folklore,” the network said in a statement.

Aimee Carrero from ABC Family’s “Young & Hungry” will provide the voice of Elena, whose backstory is connected to the magical amulet Sofia wears.

Sofia’s stepfather, the king of Enchancia, gave it to her in the series’ first episode and told her never to take it off.

The amulet summons other Disney princesses — like Cinderella and Ariel the mermaid — when Sofia is in trouble and also allows her to talk to animals.

In the episode featuring Elena, Sofia learns that the girl was imprisoned in the amulet decades ago by an evil sorceress while trying to protect her little sister.

Sofia “discovers the truth … and sets out to restore Elena to her human form and help her return to the kingdom of Avalor,” says Disney.

12243: Pooh-Poohing A Hermaphrodite.

From USA TODAY…

Polish town rejects Winnie the Pooh for being ‘hermaphrodite’

By Timothy McGrath, GlobalPost

BREAKING: Winnie the Pooh is a hermaphrodite, exposes himself in public and has no business being around children — at least according to a Polish town council.

Officials in the Polish town of Tuszyn (87 miles southwest of Warsaw) were deciding on a mascot for the town playground, when the classic children’s character was suggested as a candidate. They decided to rule Winnie out, because he’s an “inappropriately dressed” bear of “dubious sexuality.”

Sure, Winnie is a honey junkie who spends most of his time with a chronically depressed donkey and a suspiciously energetic tiger, and if you don’t want your kids hanging with that sort of crew, then fine. But if you don’t want Winnie at playgrounds because he doesn’t wear pants and has no external genitalia, you’re living in the past, my friend.

According to the Croatian Times, members of the Tuszyn town council were having this totally reasonable conversation about Winnie’s biological sex and choice of outerwear when one of them decided it was worth recording and leaking to media. We all owe this person a debt of gratitude. Because now we know the following things about the members of the Tuszyn town council.

Resident and councilor Ryszard Cichy apparently believes this about Winnie: “The problem with that bear is it doesn’t have a complete wardrobe. It is half naked which is wholly inappropriate for children.”

An unnamed official apparently knows why: “It doesn’t wear underpants because it doesn’t have a sex. It’s a hermaphrodite.”

And another resident, councilor, and human who lives on this Earth, Hanna Jachimska, apparently blames Winnie’s creator, Alan Alexander Milne: “This is very disturbing but can you imagine! The author was over 60 and cut his (Pooh’s) testicles off with a razor blade because he had a problem with his identity.”

We also learned that some members of the Tuszyn town council are biased against intersex individuals. So there’s that.

Winnie’s out of the running for playground mascot, but as the councilors move forward with the decision-making process, they should consider that their no-pants rule excludes nearly every cartoon character ever invented, except for Goofy, who rocks an orange turtleneck sweater, charcoal vest, blue slacks and laceless brown shoes. Classy.

10980: Disneyland Discrimination…?

From The New York Daily News…

Second California family hits Disneyland with discrimination claims

A Los Angeles woman claims someone in a Donald Duck costume ignored her children, who are black, and played with white children instead during a Disneyland trip in December. Her lawyer says several families have reached out to him alleging discrimination at Disneyland.

By Philip Caulfield / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

The lawyer for a black San Diego family that claimed they were discriminated against by a Disney character during a trip to Disneyland said he’s received dozens of calls from people alleging the same thing.

“I’ve gotten many emails and voicemails that I’m looking into. What this tells me is this isn’t an isolated incident,” attorney Dan Gilleon told San Diego’s ABC 10 News.

“It doesn’t mean Disneyland is racist, but they have some people in the company who aren’t playing by the rules and are being discriminatory.”

On Thursday, a second family came forward to say their two children were ignored by someone playing Donald Duck during a trip to the Magic Kingdom in December.

Nastasia White, who is black, told 10 News the person in the duck suit ignored two requests to take a photo with her children, Razzi, 5, and Ryder, 2, and played with white children instead.

“[Razzi] was sitting there with his arms open, saying, ‘Donald, Donald!’” White, of Los Angeles, said.

White told the station she wasn’t overreacting because the character’s brush-off “was done in a blatant and ugly way.”

The White family has hired Gilleon to pursue their case.

Disney has not responded to the Daily News’ request for comment. Earlier this week, the company said they carefully review all claims from guests at their parks and hotels.

Earlier this week, Jason and Annelia Black, of San Diego, claimed their children and cousins were ignored by someone dressed as the White Rabbit character from “Alice in Wonderland” in August.

The Blacks, who are black, claimed the costumed character turned away from them to play with some white and Asian families.

Gilleon told the Daily News that Disney officials tried to duck the family’s complaint by offering VIP passes worth $500 in exchange for a signed statement clearing the Magic Kingdom of any wrongdoing.

The Black family was suing Disney for violating California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, which outlaws discrimination based on race, sex and other qualities, Gilleon said.

Gilleon claimed the snub was caught on security video, and he plans to subpoena Disney for it.

Violation of the Unruh act carries a penalty of $25,000.

The Blacks planned to claim anywhere from three to ten violations — based on the number of children present during the alleged snub — and also plans to also seek attorney’s fees and damages, including the cost of the trip, Gilleon said.

10861: Mickey Mouse’s Multicultural Move.

From USA TODAY…

Disney celebrates Hispanic heritage on Three Kings Day

By Beth J. Harpaz, Associated Press

NEW YORK—Disneyland is marking Three Kings Day in a big way this season, another milestone in the mainstreaming of a holiday that is beloved in Latin America and other cultures around the world.

The Christian holiday - also known as Twelfth Night or Feast of the Epiphany - takes place Jan. 6, ending the 12 days of Christmas. Many Hispanic communities in the U.S. celebrate Three Kings Day with parades and performances depicting the Biblical story of three kings following a star to find the baby Jesus, bringing gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh.

Disneyland spokeswoman Michele Himmelberg said the theme park in Anaheim, Calif., “launched the Three Kings Day celebration last year as a test. It was a big success, particularly with the Hispanic community, and we’re expanding it this year to a larger area.”

The park will host Three Kings Day on Jan. 4 to 6 at the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree in Disneyland’s Frontierland. There will be Mexican folklorico dancing, mariachi musicians, photo ops with Disney characters and bilingual hosts offering face painting, crown making and other children’s activities. Food carts will serve sweet corn tamales, chimichangas, Mexican hot chocolate and king cake, which is a round, sweet, doughy cake called rosca de reyes (king’s ring).

“I love the fact that Disney is doing this,” said Evette Rios, a correspondent with ABC’s “The Chew,” who grew up celebrating Three Kings Day with her Puerto Rican parents in Brooklyn, N.Y. “It means a lot. This is the changing face of America. We are becoming more open to different holidays and traditions. I don’t have a homogenous view of what America is and I’m glad Disney doesn’t either.”

As a child, Rios said, she’d leave a dish of water under her bed for the three kings’ camels — “actually for the horses because there were no camels in Puerto Rico” — along with grass to represent hay. The next morning, she’d find small toys hidden in her shoes, gifts left by the kings.

Rios still celebrates the holiday by attending a parade in East Harlem in Manhattan organized by El Museo del Barrio, a museum devoted to Latin American and Caribbean culture. The colorful parade, in its 36th year, includes costumed actors, floats, bands and real camels. It’s always held on a weekday - this year Jan. 4 - so schools can participate.

In Miami, three kings of basketball — Heat superstars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh — are grand marshals of the 43rd annual Three Kings parade in the Cuban-American neighborhood of Little Havana. The parade is scheduled for Jan. 20 along Southwest Eighth Street.

The holiday has a French accent in New Orleans, where Twelfth Night kicks off carnival season, culminating in Mardi Gras. Each Jan. 6, the mayor and leaders of top Mardi Gras krewes — organizations that host carnival parades and balls — meet at historic Gallier Hall to serve king cake, which in New Orleans is called galette des rois and is iced in purple, green and gold, the colors of Mardi Gras.

Both the French and Mexican cakes have a toy baby representing the Christ child baked inside, but Mexican king cakes are usually topped in Christmas colors of red and green, colors also found in the Mexican flag.

Ricardo Cervantes, co-owner of La Monarca bakeries in Southern California, says they sell thousands of king cakes from their stores in East Los Angeles and the largely Hispanic city of Huntington Park. But surprisingly, sales are also strong at a Santa Monica location “in more of an Anglo neighborhood. People who are not Mexican, they are intrigued,” he said. “We also get a lot of people now bringing a cake into the office.” A new La Monarca opening this month in Pasadena will also carry king cake.

Huntington Park hosts a large Three Kings celebration, as does Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles, a block-long historic attraction showcasing Mexican culture where a candlelight procession takes place each year.

Other Three Kings Day celebrations around the country include a parade in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago; a bilingual performance of the Biblical story that’s been staged for more than three decades at the GALA Theatre in Washington D.C., and festivities at the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas and The Children’s Museum of Houston. Schools in Hartford, Conn., which has a large Hispanic population, close when the holiday falls on a weekday.

New Mexico’s tribal communities, called pueblos, host ceremonial dances on Three Kings Day in a tradition that dates back centuries to the influence of Catholic missionaries in the Spanish colonial era. Jan. 6 is also when new tribal officials are installed in a ceremony called the blessing of canes or transfer of canes. In Santa Fe, N.M., a play about the three kings has been performed annually for more than 50 years by the Caballeros de Vargas, a Catholic service organization.

In Tarpon Springs, Fla., home to a large Greek-American population, the Feast of the Epiphany is marked with a Jan. 6 event called the Cross Dive, where teenage boys dive into a bayou to retrieve a wooden cross. At Disney World near Orlando, Fla., actors portray the three kings at Epcot Center’s Mexico Pavilion as part of the theme park’s “Holidays Around the World” event through Dec. 30.

Cervantes, the bakery owner, says that traditionally, the person who gets the cake slice with the toy baby must throw a party — “tamales and hot chocolate” for all. La Monarca puts two babies in a medium size cake, three in a large, so the cost of the party isn’t borne by one person.

In New Orleans, the burden is a little lighter: Get the slice with the baby, you buy the next king cake.

10416: Mickey Mouse & Muslims.

From The Los Angeles Times…

Muslim employee’s suit accuses Disney of bias over head scarf

Imane Boudlal charges that she was harassed after she began wearing a hijab in 2010 while working as a cafe hostess.

By Kate Mather, Los Angeles Times

Imane Boudlal got a job two weeks after moving to California, a hostess position at a Disneyland Resort cafe.

She didn’t log many hours at first — it was April, the slow season — but as the summer of 2008 progressed, the 24-year-old worked more frequently as the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa’s Storyteller’s Cafe drew more tourists.

It was also, Boudlal alleges in a lawsuit filed Monday, when her co-workers began taunting her, calling the Moroccan-born Muslim a “terrorist,” a “camel” and someone who learned how to make bombs at her mosque. She complained to her managers verbally and in writing, she said, with no results.

Now, Boudlal is suing Walt Disney Corp. in federal court, saying that she was discriminated against and harassed for her religious beliefs. She also alleges that she unfairly lost her job in 2010 after refusing to remove her head scarf at work.

“It’s been hard,” Boudlal said in an interview. “I thought it was just a matter of complaining and a few days, and it wouldn’t affect my life, but it turns out … nothing has been done.”

The lawsuit charges that Boudlal, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, decided to wear her hijab full time in 2010, about eight months after she began wearing it publicly. She contacted her supervisors at Disneyland to request an exemption to the company’s “look” policy — general appearance guidelines that, according to a Disney website, touch on items ranging from contact lens color and visible tattoos to personal hygiene.

After weeks of discussions with company officials, the lawsuit says, Boudlal received initial approval to wear a Disney-designed scarf, but she was told it would need corporate approval before she could wear it to work. Not wanting to wait to mark Ramadan, Boudlal wore her own hijab to work Aug. 15, 2010, when she says she was told she could either remove the scarf, cover it with a hat or work in a job out of public sight.

She refused and, after a few additional meetings with Disney, filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The agency awarded Boudlal a notice of right to sue earlier this month, opening the door for litigation.

Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown said the company tried to accommodate Boudlal’s needs — as it has with religious requests from other employees from various faiths.

:We presented Ms. Boudlal with multiple options to accommodate her religious beliefs, as well as offered her several roles that would have allowed her to wear her own hijab,” Brown said. “Unfortunately, she rejected all of our efforts and has since refused to come to work.”

Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney from the ACLU of Southern California who is representing Boudlal, said his client has not been scheduled to work at the cafe since Aug. 21, 2010. He said Boudlal was suffering from “one of the byproducts” of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“I think her experience is not unlike that of many Muslims,” he said. “America was invented based on our commitment to religious freedom and that got lost or shredded after 9/11.” The lawsuit, he said, “is an attempt to recapture this.”

“If you’re a Muslim,” he said of Disneyland, “It’s not the happiest place on Earth.”

Shortly after Boudlal’s dispute with Disney went public in 2010, another Muslim employee said she was also told that she would have to work out of sight if she chose to wear a hijab. Disney officials said they were able to reach a compromise with Noor Abdallah, then a 22-year-old intern from Chicago, and allowed her to wear a fitted blue scarf topped by a beret-style hat.

The lawsuit seeks damages for Boudlal, as well as harassment and discrimination training for Disney employees. It also asks the court to order Disney to allow Muslim employees to wear hijabs in public roles without a hat or other cover.

Boudlal has a degree in hotel management, an industry that she thought would allow her to travel the world and meet people. Now, after a quick Google search turns up news of her dispute with Disney, she doesn’t think she will be hired. She said she is taking classes at Cal State Fullerton in hopes of finding a new career path.

“I just want to pick something that will get me a job,” she said.

10181: Mickey Mouse Maneuver.

Reuters reported Disney will stop some junk-food advertising on children’s TV shows and websites. “Some” is the critical word here. Disney, of course, will not stop using its characters in promotional and licensing tie-ins with junk-food manufacturers. Hell, the corporation would introduce Mickey Mouse Malt Liquor® if there were a possibility of profit.

Disney to stop some junk-food ads on kids’ TV, websites

Reuters

Walt Disney Co., owner of the ABC broadcast network and a suite of cable channels, will stop accepting some junk-food ads on TV programs, radio shows and websites aimed at children, according to sources with knowledge of the plan.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger and first lady Michelle Obama plan to make an announcement on Tuesday in Washington, the sources said.

The United States faces an obesity epidemic. Nearly one-third of U.S. children are overweight or obese, and a 2006 Institute of Medicine report said junk food marketing contributed to childhood obesity.

The Disney move follows New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s announcement last week of a plan to ban sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces (about half a liter) in most restaurants, theaters, delis and vending carts throughout the city.

The ban, also aimed at fighting obesity, would affect drinks equivalent to what McDonald’s Corp calls small and has incensed food and beverage makers, many of which have agreed to voluntary nutritional measures.

Disney plans to cut advertising during children’s programming on its networks such as ABC and Disney XD or its kid-focused websites for foods that fail to meet minimum nutrition requirements, the sources said.

A Disney spokeswoman declined to comment on Tuesday’s announcement.

The media and entertainment conglomerate introduced voluntary guidelines in 2006 that prohibited licensing of Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters for foods that fail to meet minimum nutrition the requirements.

The guidelines set limits on the amount of calories, fat and added sugar for main and side dishes and snacks.

Last year, top U.S. food and drink makers including Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola and Kellogg Co agreed to voluntary nutrition criteria for products advertised to children.

10058: Disney Auditions With Diversity.

Disney holds diverse auditions for people who resemble the popular cartoon characters. Which means there are actually fewer positions available for minority princesses—but a huge number of openings for dwarfs.

9921: Ad Council Is A Sellout.

Why are the Ad Council and Library of Congress doing tie-ins with Disney? Then again, it may be a public service to recommend reading John Carter books versus seeing the movie.

9860: Princesses & Prejudices.

For Valentine’s Day, Disney presented culture- and color-coordinated candy: White Sleeping Beauty is Vanilla while Black Tiana is Watermelon.

From Sociological Images.

8818: News & Nonsense.

Entertaining stupidity in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Disney opted to drop its SEAL TEAM 6 trademark application after the U.S. Navy filed an application as well. News sources indicated Disney withdrew its application “out of deference to the Navy.” Plus, Disney probably realized it was not smart to mess with the guys who put a bullet in Osama Bin Laden’s head.

• Former NFL player Tiki Barber compared himself to Holocaust victim Anne Frank in a Sports Illustrated article. Barber was discussing moving with his girlfriend into the attic of his agent’s home. “[My agent is] Jewish,” said Barber, “and it was like a reverse Anne Frank thing.” The major difference being Frank’s diary has been read worldwide, while Barber’s literary efforts usually head straight to the bookstore remainder bin.

• MSNBC personality Ed Schultz was suspended for one week without pay for calling conservative radio host Laura Ingraham a slut. “I used vile and inappropriate language,” said Schultz. “I am deeply sorry, and I apologize. It was wrong, uncalled for, and I recognize the severity of what I said. … I have embarrassed my family, I have embarrassed this company… I have been in this business since 1978 and I’ve made a lot of mistakes. This is the lowest of low for me.” The man is such a media and attention whore.

8788: Mickey Mouse Joins The Navy.

SEALing the news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Disney trademarked “SEAL TEAM 6”—the name of the elite U.S. Navy SEAL unit that assassinated Osama Bin Laden. Look forward to an Abbottabad Death Ride at theme parks and animated feature film in 3D.

• Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there—with health and insurance benefits for employees in same-sex relationships. The company is poised to offer the benefits to its eligible workers when civil unions will be recognized in Illinois on June 1. Like a gay neighbor…

8693: Mouse In Da House.

Stuff White People Rodents Like.