Earlier today, we noticed a report over on That Video Game Blog that stated Black Rock's upcoming racer, Split/Second, would only be available on the PC as "a limited online release." Turns out, that isn't the case, as a Disney spokesperson has confirmed to Joystiq that the game will be available on the PC both via retail and digital distribution on May 18, alongside its console cousins. When questioned about which digital distribution services the game would release on, Disney couldn't say. So, as a peace offering, we were given a pair of new trailers: the first you can see above this chunk of text, while you'll need to click past the break for the other. We know, we push you guys too hard!

Continue reading Disney: Split/Second coming to PC retail and digital distribution (plus: new GDC trailers!)

Disney: Split/Second coming to PC retail and digital distribution (plus: new GDC trailers!) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AP - Encouraged by the reception of its Hindi animated movie, Disney is shooting a new adventure film in the southern Indian dialect of Telugu as it deepens its localization drive in the populous country.

AP - In a March 8 story about a TV broadcasting dispute, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Cablevision Systems Corp. dropped the ABC station in New York before Sunday's Oscars telecast. It was ABC's decision to drop the signal.

Reuters - Hollywood's dealmakers have a busy couple of weeks ahead of them.

This is why some people get so upset about big companies putting out projects for girls, or analyze their phrasing, or worry about what it means:

Disney Restyles Rapunzel to Appeal to Boys

After the less-than-fairy-tale results for its most recent animated release, “The Princess and the Frog,” executives at the Burbank studio believe they know why the acclaimed movie came up short at the box office. Brace yourself: Boys didn’t want to see a movie with “princess” in the title.

To make sure their next big animated movie is a hit, they have

• renamed Rapunzel to Tangled because it’s less gender-specific
• made sure that the “dashing Errol Flynn-styled male lead”, named Flynn Rider, gets more of the spotlight
• added more swashbuckling action
• changed the “demure princess” into a “feisty teen”

Said animation president Ed Catmull, “Some people might assume it’s a fairy tale for girls when it’s not. We make movies to be appreciated and loved by everybody.” Boys are needed in the audience to “make an expensive family film a success.” It seems that once again we’re stuck in the problem of girls being expected to see entertainment aimed at boys, but boys have to be catered to to get their attention. I guess there just isn’t enough entertainment out there aimed at them, what with them already having most of the market and all.

These changes seem to be because The Princess and the Frog made $200-some million instead of $700-some million, as Up did. Could it just be that people are tired of cookie-cutter movies? The Princess and the Frog, which I haven’t seen, looked like yet another in the Disney mold, without much to set it apart. I was going to watch it on DVD, coming out this month, but then they decided to cripple that format in favor of pushing Blu-Ray.

Disney wanted to label the movie as part of its princess line so they could expand the diversity of characters available for little girls under that branding. (Most of the existing characters are white girls.) Now they are upset that it was thought of as being aimed at those same little girls? You can’t get it both ways, guys.

Disney has also shelved plans for The Snow Queen because they thought they “had too many animated girl flicks in its lineup”. It would be the fourth in a row with a female lead. How many movies come out every year with male leads? Can we get concern over that? Of course not, that’s silly — everyone knows movies are for boys. Girl movies are so rare that they get labeled with their own derogative tag of “chick flick”.

On the bright side, the third film in that series of girl leads is The Bear and the Bow, which has Pixar’s first female director, Brenda Chapman, and stars Reese Witherspoon. Count me in for that! It’s about time Pixar puts out a female-focused film!

One last note: the Comic Critics strip beautifully captures the problems women have supporting media projects that highlight gender.

Similar Posts: The Princess and the Frog Coming to Blu-Ray in March § Superhero Comics Aren’t for Girls § Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition § Sleeping Beauty § Summer Movies: John Tucker Must Die

Selena Gomez is quickly turning into a Kelly Clarkson-esque cover queen. The pint-sized TV star has tackled everyone from the likes of Katy Perry to well, Selena, and now she’s returning to her Disney roots by recording a track on Disneymania 7 (out tomorrow). On the compilation of tunes where singers put a fresh, contemporary spin on songs from past Disney classics, Selena lends some mature vocals for a cover of “Trust In Me,” from the 1967 animated movie The Jungle Book. Who did it better, Selena Gomez or an animated snake? Listen to it below.

Selena Gomez – “Trust In Me”

Selena and her producers were given a lot of creative room for reinterpretation—the original song was barely a song at all, but a few verses of talk-singing by a male voiceover artist. Although we think Selena’s seductive cooing is a bit too sensual for a 17-year old (and a Disney album aimed at pre-teens), we’re really digging the seductive arrangement, and Selena pulls off a creamy vocal performance better than she does mimicking Ke$ha’s dance moves. We’d feel better making this song our new sex jam if only Selena was a year older.

“Trust In Me” sounds like it could be the theme to a James Bond Jr. film, but it actually reminds us of Suzanne Vega’s slow, dreamy tune “Caramel” (which was featured in the trailer for the Mike Nichols film Closer). Listen to it below and see if you can spot the similarities between both tracks.

Suzanne Vega – “Caramel”

[Via Celebuzz]

Walt Disney Pictures has decided to remake the 1989 hit comedy movie Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, according to an Australian website. The original

Walt Disney Co.’s WABC-TV service is no more available on Cablevision Systems Corp. after two parties failing to solve a dispute over payments. More

A showdown between Disney, the parent company of ABC, and New York-area cable provider Cablevision went nuclear today, as the Mouse pulled the Alphabet from the—um, the cable-TV company—just before its biggest broadcast of the year, the Academy Awards. If you're like me, the details of these contretemps make your eyes glaze over, but the gist [...]

At approximately 12:01 AM on Sunday March 7, many New York Cablevision subscribers watched as the ABC show "Lost" went dark and the screen turned "fuchsia-colored" as one viewer described on Twitter.The Walt Disney Co. made good on their threat to pull ABC from the Cablevision system in New York affecting more than three million people.Minutes later, Cablevision released the following statement from Executive Vice President of Communications, Charles Schueler:"It is now painfully clear to millions of New York area households that Disney CEO Bob Iger will hold his own ABC viewers hostage in order to extract $40 million in new fees from Cablevision. We call on Bob Iger to immediately return ABC to Cablevision customers while we continue to work to reach a fair agreement."Rebecca Campbell, President and General Manager, at WABC-TV then released her own statement:"It's an insult to Cablevision customers that, with literally hours to go before losing access to ABC7, Cablevision is personally attacking Disney executives. Does Cablevision have such little regard for its subscribers' intelligence to think that they don't know a negotiation takes two parties? The inconvenient truth is that ABC7 has been prepared to reach a fair agreement for two years and Cablevision has refused to do its part. If Cablevision CEO James Dolan and the Dolan Family Dynasty have any regard at all for the millions of customers who pay hard earned dollars for their service, they will order their troops to stop slinging mud and start cutting a deal."The two companies have been waging a PR war all week as Disney's deadline approached.Disney suggested alternative providers to Cablevision subscribers, such as via satellite. Cablevision countered by urging its customers not to switch providers if ABC's programming gets pulled. Instead, they suggested that subscribers watch the network's programming online at ABC.com or Hulu.It would seem that Cablevision might have the upper hand as tomorrow's Oscar telecast approaches. The loss of so many possible New York viewers could drastically lower the award show's ratings and thus further affect ABC's advertising bottom line.According to Cablevision, Disney wants an extra $40 million a year in new fees. The cable provider claims they currently pay more than $200 million a year to Disney.Disney says Cablevision already charges its subscribers $18 a month for basic broadcast signals and they haven't received a cut of that fee. The company has extended its agreement with Cablevision monthly for the past two years before Disney finally pulled the ABC network earlier this morning.Who do you think will back down first: Disney or Cablevision?FollowZap2it on Twitter, @RealJethro on Twitter, andZap2it on Facebookfor all your movies, TV and celebrity news.Related:Disney's deadline for Cablevision approaches; 3.1 million New Yorkers may lose ABC [Updated]Cablevision subscribers may miss Oscars if ABC goes dark [Updated]Charlize Theron, Barbra Streisand, Robert Downey Jr. join Oscar presenters lineup'Dancing With the Stars' 2010 lineup: Chad Ochocinco, Pamela Anderson and morePhoto credit: ABC; Cablevision

 

More than three million New Yorkers stand to lose ABC at midnight tonight (Sat. March 6) if Disney's deadline for a retransmission agreement with Cablevision doesn't come through, reports AP.Both companies have waged a PR war over the past week as they've tried to place the other as the villain in their ongoing battle over Cablevision's transmission of the ABC signal.ABC has trotted out some of its biggest daytime personalities to talk about the battle on their talk shows, including Barbara Walters, Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa. Some have viewed their opinions as swinging toward their corporate bosses.Cablevision has been running on-air promos, created a website with their views and called out Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger as the person who's really holding the puppet strings in these negotiations.According to Cablevision, Disney wants an extra $40 million a year in new fees. The cable provider claims they currently pay more than $200 million a year to Disney.Disney says Cablevision already charges its subscribers $18 a month for basic broadcast signals and they haven't received a cut of that fee. D.C. lawmakers have suggested that the FCC get involved in the squabble.

What's at stake for the 3.1 New York Cablevision subscribers?

Immediately, they won't be able to view Sunday's Oscars (unless they have an antenna and digital converter box). In the long run, Cablevision says that the new retransmission rates for ABC would be passed on to its subscribers in their monthly cable bills.How do you feel about Disney wanting to be paid for the ABC network?FollowZap2it on Twitter, @TheRealJethro on Twitter, andZap2it on Facebookfor all your movies, TV and celebrity news.Related:Cablevision subscribers may miss Oscars if ABC goes dark [Updated]Charlize Theron, Barbra Streisand, Robert Downey Jr. join Oscar presenters lineup'Dancing With the Stars' 2010 lineup: Chad Ochocinco, Pamela Anderson and more'Nip/Tuck' stars move on in pilotsPhoto credit: ABC; Cablevision

Reuters - The Los Angeles Times' critic may have panned the film, but that didn't stop Disney from paying top dollar to turn the newspaper's front page into a special advertisement on Friday for the new movie, "Alice in Wonderland."

Michelle DelamorandHaeley Vaughnsaw their "American Idol" careers end Thursday, March 4. Find out what they thought of the journey.Michelle DelamorOn her polished stage presence:I think it's just because I've been singing on stage since I was about five years old. Mostly at church, though ... just practicing on stage at church. And doing gigs, I do a lot of gigs back home.On Kara rescinding the comments about her "Arms Wide Open": It was a little bit disappointing but knowing myself, I'm really a perfectionist and I know that I didn't do my best. I know Wednesday was not close to my best performance. I understood where she was coming from. I was disappointed she had those things to say, but I couldn't' say that she was wrong for it because it wasn't my best performance. When she actually said that it was my best performance ever, I was really shocked because I didn't feel that that was my best performance at all. When she took it back, I wasn't too surprised.On her Creed song choice:I really did question it. As a matter of fact, I think part of what messed me up a little bit is I questioned it before I got on that stage. When you're not sure of the song you're performing, it's going to be noticed. People can feel that. I definitely would've done my next song, I would've reversed it. I wanted to do "Come Together" by the Beatles but Michael Jackson style. I thought it would be so much fun to perform that for everyone.On her lack of screen time:I saw that they didn't really show me too much, but I figured they know what they're doing. I don't really have like a story-story, I kind of have a normal lifestyle back at home, not so much tragedy. I don't think that makes for good TV, so I understood.On moving forward after "Idol":I'm actually staying in L.A. I'm going to try to make something big out of this ... I'm so grateful and so blessed. You guys will see me on the Grammys sometime soon, I promise!Haeley VaughnOn her nerves performing for "American Idol":The first week was really tough, we were all super nervous ... just freaking out, trying to pick the right songs. Nerves are always going to play a huge factor in what we do on the show. I think the nerves kind of settled down in week two but they were definitely still there, for me anyway. I think as the weeks went on, my nerves would've kind of gone away because I would've gotten more use to it. But they'll always be there.Did she think there was conflicting advice from the judges?No, not really. I thought the judges had really good comments and feedback to give me and I'll definitely learn from it and work on the stuff they told me to work on.On Kara's advice that her voice needed to mature:I kind of agreed with her. I think that more experience and more time working on my vocals would be good. Experience is always better, especially since I'm only 16 and this is the only big thing I've ever done. I've never performed in front of millions of people, I've never even performed in front of 100!On what she wants to do moving forward:I'm definitely going to keep working on my career. I'm going to keep singing and hopefully doors will open up for me. I'm a really big fan of Disney and the Disney channel, so hopefully there's something there I can work on ... if I was given a chance to work with Disney, I would love it. Miley Cyrus is one of my ... oh my gosh, I love her ... My favorite show is "Hannah Montana" just because I love Miley Cyrus so much. That's a really big inspiration for me. Being on Disney would be awesome.FollowZap2it Andrea on Twitterand followZap2it on Twitterand Facebook for the latest movies, TV and celebrity newsRelated'American Idol' Top 20 week in review: Teen girl dreams and ethnic cleansingAdam Lambert performs on 'SYTYCD' AustraliaDanny Gokey returns to the 'American Idol' stageZap2it welcomes guest 'Idol' blogger Kevin CovaisPhoto credit: FOX

Reuters - Disney Channel is developing a "Tron" animated series to follow the upcoming theatrical release of "Tron: Legacy."

Disney has big plans for 'Tron'. Fans awaiting 'Tron Legacy', the upcoming 3D sequel to the 1982 cult flick, have already gotten a taste of the studio's elaborate viral marketing campaign for the film. Thanks to positive fan reaction to the campaign and the movie's teaser trailer, Disney is prepping a big merchandising push and new theme park attractions for the (surprisingly) hot 28-year-old sci-fi franchise. So what's next for 'Tron'? A TV show, of course. Blue Sky Digital is reporting that a computer-animated TV series set in the world of 'Tron Legacy' is in the works. According to the site, the show will serve as a "placeholder" to tide fans over between big screen 'Tron' projects.

Continue reading Disney Prepping Animated 'Tron' TV Show

 

Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Industry, Animation, Reality-Free

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Another media outlet and cable company are feuding again. Only this time, some serious collateral damage hangs in the balance. ABC Disney and Cablevision are in another programming feud with one side threatening to yank the plug out of the wall for the local New York City affiliate WABC. This time, it's over (spins the "Wheel of Media Conglomerate Feud Causes") licensing fees! Man, the wheel keeps landing on that one for some reason. I swear that one of these days, it's going to land on "custody of Jon and/or Kate." Cablevision executive vice president Charles Schueler said ABC Disney wants an additional $40 million on top of the $200 million they have already forked over to the Mouse House. The veep released a harsh statement against the media giant that said "It is not fair to force Cablevision customers to pay a new TV tax for programming ABC Disney gives away free, both over-the-air and on the Internet. In tough economic times, it is shameful that ABC Disney would hold viewers hostage by threatening to pull the plug, and we urge them to work with us to reach a fair agreement."

 

Filed under: Industry, Cable/Satellite, Reality-Free

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Reuters - Cablevision Systems Corp Chief Executive Jim Dolan blasted Walt Disney Co's "bullying" threat to pull ABC from its cable systems over a contract dispute, calling the move senseless and one that invites questions from U.S. regulators.