Disney extends CEO Iger's contract until the end of 2026

NEW YORK -- Disney announced Wednesday that it extended Bob Iger's contract through December 31, 2026, giving the long-running chief executive two more years to lead the entertainment giant.

Disney Chair Mark Parker said Iger -- who returned to the corner office in November 2022 -- had "once again set Disney on the right strategic path" and that the extra time would "allow ample time to position a new CEO for long-term success."

Iger, 72, won raves for his original tenure atop the California company from 2005 to 2020 before handing the reins to hand-picked successor Bob Chapek.

But Chapek suffered a number of stumbles as CEO, resulting in an abrupt shakeup late last year.

Under Iger's leadership, Disney acquired Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 21st Century Fox. It also opened its first theme park in China -- the Shanghai Disney Resort -- and launched the Disney+ and ESPN+ streaming services.

The extension comes amid intensifying pressures in the video streaming business. Disney's service, Disney Plus, has seen subscriptions fall for the last two quarters.

Other challenges include a protracted writers' strike in Hollywood that has halted major Disney productions.

The company has also been embroiled in a messy spat with Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis. In May, Disney canceled plans for a new employee campus in central Florida amid the fight, which stems from Disney's criticism of a DeSantis-backed law banning school lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Agence France-Presse

AT&T to merge WarnerMedia with Discovery: reports

WASHINGTON - US telecommunications giant AT&T could announce as soon as Monday a merger between its WarnerMedia unit -- which owns CNN and HBO -- and Discovery media, media reports said.

The new entity is expected to be owned by AT&T and Discovery, according to a CNBC report, but no details were immediately released. 

Bloomberg, citing people with knowledge of the matter, reported a deal "could be announced announced as soon as this week."

Contacted by AFP, neither AT&T, WarnerMedia, or Discovery had responded on Sunday evening.

The transaction could create a giant able to compete with Netflix and Disney+, which have seen their number of subscribers surge during the pandemic. 

A slowdown in the growth of the Disney empire's streaming platform between January and March, however, made investors fret and caused the group's shares to plunge last week. 

AT&T bought Time Warner in 2018 for $80 billion, then renamed it WarnerMedia, which owns HBO, Warner Bros. studios and cable channels such as CNN. 

Discovery has channels in 220 countries, according to its website. 

WarnerMedia had net sales of $30.4 billion in 2020, and Discovery -- which owns Eurosport -- of $10.7 billion.

Agence France-Presse

Jack Whitehall to play first openly gay Disney character

British comedian and actor Jack Whitehall will play a gay character in Disney’s next adventure film “Jungle Cruise”, to be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (“Non-Stop”, “Unknown”).

Inspired by the eponymous “Disney World” theme-park ride, the film will tell the tale of a jungle expedition to find a medicinal tree, which finds itself beset by all kinds of dangers.

Described as a turning point in the history of Disney, the film will see Whitehall, who plays the lead in the TV series “Fresh Meat”, Emily Blunt (“Edge Of Tomorrow”, “Sicaro”) and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (“Skyscraper”, “Jumanji”) embark on a wild adventure in the heart of the jungle.

The film will be set in the 19th century, a time when homosexuality was not very socially acceptable. Whitehall will play the brother of Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt), an amusing and effeminate man who shows no interest in the opposite sex.

The feature is due for release in October 2019. The cast of “Jungle Cruise” will also include Edgar Ramirez (“Point Break”) and Paul Giamatti, who played Freeman in the Oscar-winning “12 Years a Slave”. JB

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Google, Star Wars collaboration to ‘awaken the Force within’ apps

As the days leading to the opening of the latest Star Wars film seem like an eternity, Google gives fans a chance to fill that hunger with “Awaken the Force Within.”

“‘Awaken the Force Within’ is a global creative and technology collaboration between Google and Disney in celebration of the upcoming film set to open in theaters on Dec. 18th,” says a press statement by Google.


Choose your side

To get started, users need to first choose between the dark or light side through https://www.google.com/starwars/.

In a few minutes, users will see their skins or themes change as they log on to their apps.

Standard loading bars turn into a blue or red light saber for YouTube and Gmail, which also features a skin that shows stills from the movie. The same goes for the Chrome browser which opens with an image greeting in every new tab.

On Google Maps, the Pegman (for Google View) changes into “a new form as a First Order Stormtrooper or Resistance Pilot.” Users can navigate their destinations with “the help of a TIE fighter or X-wing.” The pin used to locate places also transforms into a light saber.

Key milestones

Google Calendar also keeps fans posted on “key movie milestones.” Android users will see a full transformation of Google Now where “cards automatically appear in your feed with ‘this day in Star Wars history’ fun facts.”

Other apps such as Waze and Translate will also get the Star Wars treatment.

In the coming weeks before “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” opens, Google and Disney will be rolling out more features on Cardboard, for a virtual reality experience, and Chrome Experiment. RC

source: technology.inquirer.net

Disney unveils Star Wars toys amid marketing blitz

NEW YORK — The release of the new Star Wars movie may still be months off, but Disney is unleashing its full marketing “Force” behind the launch of hundreds of toys and other items related to the film.

The massive marketing blitz, which Disney has named “Force Friday,” spans all kinds of media and included an 18-hour global “unboxing” streamed live on YouTube. Meanwhile, major toy retailers planned to be open and hold special events when the toys first became available just after midnight Friday.

The marketing push behind “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens,” is unique because it’s so far ahead of the movie’s US release, 116 days to be exact. But analysts say it can work because Star Wars is such a popular franchise.

Leaked images of action figures of characters that have not even hit the big screen — like Sarco Plank, some kind of alien desert nomad that has only been glimpsed in a Vanity Fair on-set shoot — are only likely to fuel consumer demand, says Steve Pasierb, CEO of the Toy Industry Association.

“It’s pretty rare, but in the age of social media, you can get those characters out and create buzz around these things in ways that you couldn’t in the past,” Pasierb says. “There’s something easy to tap into, which is the Star Wars mystique which is some 30 years old.”

Industry analysts at PiperJaffrey say they expect some $3 billion worth of Star Wars merchandise will be sold this year and that sales next year could be even larger.

Even in a non-movie year, Star Wars merchandise has consistently sold well — $2 billion annually around the world, according to Pasierb. So it’s not so far-fetched that Disney will exceed that in the publicity-blitz filled weeks ahead of premiere of the first Star Wars movie since Episode III in 2005.

Walt Disney Co. is fanning the flames of its Lucasfilm unit by making special use of the network of YouTube talent that it acquired when it bought Maker Studios for upwards of $500 million last year. It arranged for 14 Maker stars around the globe to open new merchandise in live Web videos starting Wednesday afternoon. The event included a splashy special appearance Thursday morning on “Good Morning America,” the variety news program of Disney-owned ABC.

While it isn’t paying the stars — other than travel and expenses — it’s hardly a non-partisan group of reviewers. The finale in San Francisco was hosted by Chris Pirillo, a self-described super fan who named his daughter Jedi.

Toy makers both big and small are gearing up for a big rush on Friday, then another wave of sales as the holiday shopping season gets going and the movie’s Dec. 18 release date draws closer.

Hasbro Inc., which has been making Star Wars toys for more than 30 years, planned to unveil more than 100 different items Friday.

“There’s a new generation of boys and girls who are going to be brought in who may not even be aware of Star Wars yet,” says Joe Ninivaggi, Hasbro’s senior brand manager for Star Wars.

The Pawtucket, Rhode Island-based toy maker’s offerings include Furbacca, a Chewbacca version of its Furby toy. It’s also selling several different versions of lightsabers that feature the glowing daggers noticeable in the movie’s previews.

Sphero, a Boulder, Colorado-based robot maker and one of the first members of Disney’s Techstars program for startups, created a $150 mini version of the BB-8 droid featured in the new movie.

In the movie, the BB-8 is kind of like an updated version of R2-D2. It’s a giant rolling sphere, with a traditional droid head that somehow manages to stay on top. The mini version created by Sphero moves much the same way.

Developing and producing its BB-8 used up the majority of Sphero’s resources for this year. But the company, which has received funding from Disney, expects that investment to pay off for years to come.

Other toys coming out include Toronto-based Spin Master Corp.’s “Legendary Yoda,” a 16-inch version of the Jedi Master that boasts lifelike movements and voice recognition. It’s yours for $180.

Fuhu, which makes the nabi tablet computer for kids, has created $170 Star Wars-themed accessory bundles that include a new 7-inch table. They come with sound effects, themed wallpapers and stickers designed to let kids customize their tablets.

While most of the people buying Friday will be the die-hard collectors who have to have the hot items first, sales momentum will continue into the holiday shopping season as nostalgic parents introduce a new generation of kids to Star Wars, says Rob Maigret, Sphero’s chief creative officer.

“There’s just this evangelism that exists for the movie, because this movie is part of our lives, because we all have some sort of connection to it,” Maigret says.

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Araneta Center parade of lights kicks off today

MANILA, Philippines - Christmas continues to shine brightly at the Araneta Center with the launch of the weekly Magical Parade of Lights starting today, Nov. 26.

A spinoff from the electric parade of lights held during the Capiztahan feast in Roxas City, the Magical Parade of Lights features several floats depicting creatures of the sea lit up by thousands of flickering light bulbs in a grand spectacle that will snake through the major streets of the Araneta Center.

This shimmering pageant of lights will beam a Christmas glow around the center and holiday shoppers will be regaled by drumbeaters and street dancing Christmas characters that accompany the visual explosion of electric lights. The Magical Parade of Lights is also reminiscent of the Main Street Electrical Parade, famous for its long run at Disneyland until 1996. Just like its Disney counterpart, the parade features floats covered in thousands of electronically controlled lights blinking in sync to music.

The Magical Parade of Lights is just one part of the menu of Christmas activities lined up at the Araneta Center this season. After last week’s traditional Christmas tree lighting, be serenaded by the different chorale groups as they sing your favorite Christmas carols every day until December 31 at Farmers’ Plaza, Ali Mall, and Gateway Mall. Marvel at the weekly fireworks display. Also, be sure to watch Disney on Ice “Let’s Celebrate” which will be shown from December 25 to January 3 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum. For ticket inquiries, call 911-555The Magical Parade of Lights at the Araneta Center is co-sponsored by the Meralco and the Araneta Group. It is scheduled on Nov. 26, Dec. 3, 10 and 17. Parade starts at 5 p.m. from the giant Christmas tree parking lot.

Source: philstar.com