For the last few idiots left who look to Lynne Spears for parenting advice, consider this: The woman just leaked some of the "shocking" revelations from her new tell-all disguised as a celebrity parenting how-to in an effort to garner some publicity. The revelations include stories about Britney's sex life and drug and alcohol abuse, which would be surprising if the wise Road Kill Willie hadn't already spilled the beans.
Apparently Lynne claims that Britney began drinking alcohol at the age of 13, when she joined the Mickey Mouse Club. By 14, she had lost her virginity to an 18-year-old football player from her hometown, and by 15 she was taking drugs. Lynne details "the horror when Britney, just 16, was caught with cocaine and cannabis on a private jet."
Seinfeld bus? Check.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles bus? Er, check.
Pushing Daisies, ABC's love after death rom-com, gearing up for it's second season, bus? You betcha.
"The Walt Disney network is promoting the show by bringing a version of its central setting, The Pie Hole restaurant, to ten major U.S. cities. An Airstream trailer made to look like the eatery will make its way from downtown Disneyland to Times Square. Visitors will be able to eat free pie and enjoy décor from the show's set — not to mention an "outgoing" restaurant staff."
Someone please explain the promotional bus idea. Is it because television networks that aren't HBO can't afford things like mile-high premieres for their fall season lineups? Or maybe the stations are trying to cash in on a little election fever, hoping that potential viewers will run outside their houses hoping to catch a glimpse of the Straight Talk Express, and instead find only a decorated trailer serving cherry pie in promotion for a show they haven't heard of.
'Film credits from the 1920s revealed imprecision in copyright claims that some experts say could invalidate Disney's long-held copyright, though a Disney lawyer dismissed that idea as "frivolous." Although studio executives are not yet hurling themselves from the parapets of Sleeping Beauty's castle, the unexpected discovery raises an intriguing question: Is it possible that Mickey Mouse now belongs to the world — and that his likeness is usable by anybody for anything?" [LAT]
The dearth of diversity in television and movies is a constant topic of discussion, but one genre might not be getting the props it deserves for its casting practices. Perhaps prime-time network television should take its cues from youth programming on Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel, both of which have a history of casting kids of all hues and ethnicities. Take the red carpet for the premiere of the latest Cheetah Girls movie, for instance:
Have a friend that's done you wrong? Disney is now providing you with an unintentional revenge opportunity: a five a.m. wake-up call from their controversial tween money-machine Miley Cyrus.
The back-to-school site Hannah Montana Calls is a Wall-Mart campaign purportedly for parents trying to woo their kids out of bed in the morning with a semi-personalized phone call from the singer.
But since you can type in any phone number into the website, it has a great potential for misuse. Like sex predators hounding their prey. CONTINUED »
"Richard Roeper said in a statement late Sunday that he will leave television's "At the Movies With Ebert & Roeper" next month after eight years, having failed to reach agreement with Disney-ABC Domestic Television on a new contract." [Chi-Tri]
Miley Cyrus‘ Good Morning America performance today in Bryant Park further cemented the theory that she is a miniature Britney Spears in the making. The choreographed dance moves, the giggly interviews — she’s a pro at the ripe age of 15, which means she’s due for a rehab stint within the next three years.
"A small but growing number of YouTube videos depict people reacting in horror to the jubilant trailer. One woman, sitting with her Yorkshire terrier on her lap, pretends to gag, then protectively covers her dog’s eyes. In another video, two men look at each other in disgust and then one slips a noose over his head." This has been the reaction to a YouTube video that Disney posted to hype Wall E, its new live action blockbuster about what happens when humans binge to the point of retardation. The clip, titled "Beverly Hills Chihuahuas," "depicts several dozen computer-generated chihuahuas performing a Las Vegas-style showstopper, dancing in formation and wearing elaborate headdresses. 'We’re the real hot dogs,' they sing. 'Yo! Hold the bun.'" It is less an exercise in the risk factor of embracing Web 2.0 marketing and more so what happens when marketing execs reach the point of retardation. CONTINUED »
Having just wrapped the third edition of High School Musical, stars Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Monique Coleman, Corbin Bleu, and Lucas Grabeel will not return for the fourth installment of the Disney blockbuster. Neither will their faux-mances. [USA Today]
To drum up buzz for her single "7 Things" and its Brett Ratner-directed music video release, Disney starlet Miley Cyrus claims the song is about an ex-boyfriend who she wants "to be upset. That was my point. Maybe after my video we'll hear from somebody, because it's pretty honest." Naturally, the finger pointing lands squarely on Jonas Brothers star Nick Jonas, as the two were said to have dated last year — but let's not play pretend: the whole scenario was very likely a Mickey Mouse orchestrated set up to drive interest in their brands. And now that the two have "split" (just in time to promote the tour)? The perfect time for a "boys suck!" anthem!
Know what it's also perfect time for? Speculating on another break up … between Miley an Disney. CONTINUED »
Hannah Montana's ratings are down, she's growing up, and Disney needs new paper to print its tween cash on. That's why they've already found Miley Cryus' successor in 15-year-old Texas Demi Lovato. They're going to ease Lovato onto the scene with the move Camp Rock — and then the floodgates will be unleashed. Or, as Disney Channel president Gary Marsh says, "Once we find someone, we go all in." So then will come the music album, an opening act on the Jonas Brothers tour, and endless marketing to make sure she's a brand name by the time the new school year starts. Disney execs will also be issuing a restraining order against Annie Liebowitz. And while Disney insists it's not just a chopshop for tween talent, you'd be silly to think otherwise. Lovato's rise to stardom follows the tried-and-true path of child stars: guest spots that slowly turn into solo vehicles that eventually end up as market behemoths. Oh, and Lovato has one other Miley Cyrus factor: the dad-ager. Her stepfather Eddie De La Garza quit his job at a Ford dealership to become her co-manager (joining the Jonas Bros.' father Kevin Jonas Sr. to become, along with an agent and a publicist Lovato's "team"). Before long, he'll be posing with Lovato's head in his lap. [WSJ]
Hmmm, maybe we were wrong in our sarcastic declaration that the Miley Cyrus-Vanity Fair scandal is not, in fact, a worthwhile news story. If it were such a tabloid item, how could it be included in this three-party storyline connecting Barack Obama and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright? [SF Chron]
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Picking up where Slate left behind in the racy Disney marketing photos – newsworthy thanks to Miley Cyrus! – TMZ.com Googles "Shanghai Zhenxin Garments Co. Ltd.," the Chinese company behind the ads, and puts together a whole gallery of tweens prancing around in naughty lingerie.
Already the Miley Cyrus-Vanity Fair "scandal" has been defused by certain rational arguments, such as, "We see kids younger than Cyrus appear on film wearing fewer clothes and in more sexually compromising situations, and nobody is crying foul there." But nothing helps combat the idea that Cyrus's photo shoot is a non-issue like another still photograph — this one also of a Disney brand.
A Disney underwear brand. In China. That can be described as nothing more than a pedophile pinup.
How did something much more scandalous than a photograph of Cyrus' back get plastered on a billboard? For starters, the age of consent in California might be 18, but in China, where this billboard appeared, it's a mere 14. CONTINUED »
• Miley Cyrus and her parents saw an opportunity to boost her profile with a Vanity Fair photo shoot that portrayed her as more than an innocent little girl.
• Vanity Fair saw an opportunity to sell magazines by shooting America's tween sweetheart as more than an innocent little girl.
They both exploited each other. Neither should apologize. Except for one little thing: that the the photos are, uh, actually quite terrible.
Editorial Director
