Thursday, August 13, 2009

Disney Channel Stars Backstage at the Teen Choice Awards . . . And Not a Stripper Pole in Sight


Miley Cyrus may have gotten most of the buzz, for good or for ill, at the Teen Choice Awards last Monday night in L.A., but a few other Disney Channel stars kept busy going backstage at the Gibson Amphitheatre to autograph toys for the City of Hope, one of the top ranked cancer centers in the U.S.


The stuffed critters were animatronic Wowwee Alive Baby Animals that snuggle and move to the touch. Want one? They retail for about fifty bucks and are available on Wowwee's website.


Reportedly, one of Britney Spears' kids went nuts over the white tiger cub. What are the chances you think he got one?


www.disneynewsarchive.com

Disney to Package Blu-ray/DVD Combos Through 2010, But Will it Matter?

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) announced this week they will continue combining Blu-ray and DVD versions of their premium titles in the same boxes for home video release through the end of 2010. Citing popular demand by consumers, Bob Chapek, President of WDSHE, said, "The Disney Blu-ray Combo Pack is the perfect marriage of value, quality and versatility all wrapped-up in a single package."

That may be true Bob, but you failed to mention that Blu-ray hasn't exactly taken off in the hearts and minds of the public. A year and a half has passed since Blu-ray won the format war against HD DVD, and standard DVD is still the leader in sales and rentals. You can blame the higher cost of Blu-ray, especially in a sour economy, but I think it has more to do with Blu-ray simply not being the game changer DVD was over VHS. There are plenty of people who are perfectly content with their existing DVD collection and see no reason to upgrade to Blu-ray (I count myself among them).

There are some positive signs, however, as Toshiba, the last HD DVD holdout, recently announced they will release a line of Blu-ray players later this year. There's also a rumor (albeit a shaky one) that Apple will offer Blu-ray support on the next major release of iTunes.

Still, I think Blu-ray is destined to become a niche format for videophiles only, because the real future of home video is not in shrink wrapped Blu-rays or DVD's, but in on-demand content from the cloud.

Read between the lines of Disney's announcement and it's really not about consumer value. It's about Blu-ray not selling as a stand-alone format.

Upcoming Combo Pack releases from Disney:

8/18/09 - Hannah Montana: The Movie
10/6/09 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
10/27/09 - Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure
11/10/09 - Up
11/10/09 - Monsters, Inc.
11/24/09 - Santa Buddies


www.disneynewsarchive.com

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

This Week's Most Awkward Google Search

Miley Cyrus Pole Dancing

In a related(?) story, Miley/Hannah has launched a new clothing line at Walmart, which will no doubt reflect her unique fashion style.
It'll be a huge seller.