Disney Chief Announces New 'Star Wars' Theme Parks

Disney's Bob Iger announced "Star Wars"-themed lands in Disney's Orlando and Anaheim Parks at D23 Expo in Anaheim.

"We're building a 14-acre Star Wars land at Disneyland," Iger told the crowd.

Iger said the new land will be "occupied by many inhabitants; humanoids, aliens and droids ... the attraction, the entertainment, everything we create will be part of our storytelling. Nothing will be out of character or stray from the mythology."

There will be a cantina where fans can "run into all the droids and roaming beasts 'Star Wars is known for," including characters from the "Star Wars" saga and "The Force Awakens."

According to Iger, the land will have two signature attractions, including a ride where fans can take the controls of the Millennium Falcon "on a customized secret mission," and an experience that drops attendees into "a climactic battle between the First Order and the resistance."

One themed land will be located at Disneyworld's Orlando-based "Hollywood Studios" theme park, and the other at Disneyland in Anaheim.

"We are creating a jaw dropping new world that represents our largest single theme land expansion ever. We knew it needed to be big. We knew it needed to be great and we knew it needed to be every bit as thrilling as the films will be."

Every store and restaurant will be operated by local inhabitants. Nothing in the land nothing will be out of character."

He noted that they are "currently casting for roles" to staff the new attractions.

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Director J.J. Abrams was also on hand with "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" cast members Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o and Harrison Ford, who received a standing ovation from the 7,500-strong crowd on Saturday afternoon.

"It's a great thrill to be here with you, who made this whole thing happen, I couldn't be happier, thank you so much," Ford said.

On picking Abrams to direct, Iger quipped: "We knew we needed someone who was great. We new we needed someone we could trust. We knew we needed someone who had great casting sense. Unfortunately, that director wasn't available."

"You will have chance to run into drioids and fantastic roaming beasts that Star Wars is known for," Iger said, as a picture of a shaggy white, tusked creature was projected on the screen behind him.

Via: Newsmax

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Immigrants do jobs Americans won't do. Except at Disney.

Disney is firing tech employees and replacing them with (legal) foreigners.

[A]bout 250 Disney employees were told in late October that they would be laid off. Many of their jobs were transferred to immigrants on temporary visas for highly skilled technical workers, who were brought in by an outsourcing firm based in India. Over the next three months, some Disney employees were required to train their replacements to do the jobs they had lost.

But the layoffs at Disney and at other companies, including the Southern California Edison power utility, are raising new questions about how businesses and outsourcing companies are using the temporary visas, known as H-1B, to place immigrants in technology jobs in the United States.

According to federal guidelines, the visas are intended for foreigners with advanced science or computer skills to fill discrete positions when American workers with those skills cannot be found. Their use, the guidelines say, should not “adversely affect the wages and working conditions” of Americans. Because of legal loopholes, however, in practice, companies do not have to recruit American workers first or guarantee that Americans will not be displaced

As you can see, illegal aliens are not the only problem we face.  But rather than getting into a debate about legal immigration, I want to touch on a different point.

Big business wants amnesty, and the reason it wants amnesty is because it wants a cheap labor force.

Everyone wonders why the Republicans have been so timid about challenging Obama's illegal massive amnesty.  After all, the Republican House and the Republican Senate fully funded Obama's Department of Homeland Security (now named ironically), with no restrictions on their ability to legalize aliens en masse.

Via: American Thinker

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Darth Vader is for girls, too: the young fan who forced Disney to change toy labels

Star Wars fan Izzy Cornthwaite wanted a Darth Vader costume and lightsaber for her eighth birthday. But, upon exploring the UK Disney Store’s website with her mum, Rebecca, she was devastated to see that the outfit was listed as a “boys’ costume”. “Her face fell,” says Rebecca. Her eyes “filled with tears and she said ‘I can’t have it, it says they’re only for boys.’”

But Izzy decided not to take it lying down and, following a quick chat with her mother about gender stereotypes, she wrote to Disney to explain her sadness about how the costume was labelled.

About a week later, she received a reply: “The description for this costume has now been amended as we understand that all our little Jedis enjoy Star Wars.” Izzy went online to check for herself, and was delighted to find that it wasn’t only the description of the Darth Vader costume that had been changed – the wording on everything from costumes to toys, Disney Princess tutus to Hulk outfits was now labelled “for kids”, instead of being divided by gender.

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 The force is strong … Izzy as Darth Vader. Photograph: Rebecca Heyes

Izzy is not alone in liking toys such as cars and fire engines, as well as dolls, from a very young age. Yet all stores clearly define their products by gender – “If you visited a toy shop, you would actually see boys and girls going to their respectively gendered aisle,” says Rebecca. “Some might argue, ‘What does this matter?’” But Rebecca believes the impact of this early delineation doesn’t end in the toy aisle: “We know that women are underrepresented in many work roles and I feel very strongly that I don’t want Izzy to avoid a career later in her life because it is a ‘boy’s job’, when I know she is capable of doing anything she sets her heart on.”

Via: The Guardian

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Gov. Jerry Brown's not saying whether he'll seek fourth term

Gov. Jerry Brown at a January news conference; though he stays out of the spotlight, his aggressive fundraising indicates he'll seek reelection in 2014. (Robert Gauthier, Los Angeles Times / January 8, 2013

SACRAMENTO — He has millions of dollars in his campaign account, solid approval ratings and a small number of potential challengers who are virtually unknown, but Gov. Jerry Brown still won't say whether he'll run for reelection next year.

As recently as Tuesday, the governor deflected the question at a public event. "I am aware that in November of next year there will be an election," he said, "and I will make some decisions regarding that."

Two days later, he joined deep-pocketed Hollywood luminaries in a campaign fundraiser at the Bel-Air home of Disney studio chief Alan Horn.

Although Brown stays mostly out of the spotlight, his aggressive fundraising — and his preference for biding his time — put the safe money on a run for an unprecedented fourth term as governor, a race he would enter as a strong front-runner. And experts say that despite an already respectable war chest, it behooves him to wait.

Brown had more than $13 million in campaign accounts as of July 1, according to reports on file with the state. Since then, he has raised more than $4.2 million from more than 120 donors, not including money he collected in Bel-Air, where more than 100 people gathered under a backyard tent for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.

Expenditures since July 1 have not yet been reported, so it is unclear how much Brown has on hand now. But the notoriously tight-fisted governor spent relatively little in the first half of the year.

Unlike most statewide officeholders, Brown does not keep political consultants on his campaign payroll. He spent $31,526 from January to the end of June.

By comparison, Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, who is also expected to run for reelection next year with minimal opposition, spent more than $458,000 in that period. Polling, consultant fees and campaign workers soaked up $250,000 of that sum.

Via: LA Times

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First Lady Michelle Obama To Give Keynote Address At Disney’s ‘Veterans Institute’ Workshop On November 14

Complimentary ‘Veterans Institute’ program is designed to encourage and support hiring of military veterans Disney will share expertise from its ‘Heroes Work Here’ initiative with other companies to help them build their own veteran-hiring programs

Burbank, Calif. and Lake Buena Vista, Fla. – First Lady Michelle Obama will give the keynote address at Disney’s first-ever Veterans Institute workshop on November 14, 2013 at Walt Disney World Resort. Building on its successful Heroes Work Here initiative to hire, train and support military veterans, Disney is hosting the free Veterans Institute workshop to inspire other companies to employ servicemen and women transitioning to the private sector.

The First Lady has made supporting military families and U.S. troops a top priority. In 2011 Mrs. Obama and Dr. Jill Biden launched Joining Forces, an initiative dedicated to connecting servicemen and women, veterans, and military spouses with the resources they need to find jobs at home. Through this initiative, Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden have met with military families, learned about their successes and challenges, and have connected them with businesses and non-profit organizations as they look for work in the private sector. Joining Forces highlights the workforce potential of veterans and military spouses, expands employment and career development opportunities for veterans and military spouses, and helps employers create military family-friendly workplaces.

“We applaud First Lady Michelle Obama’s efforts to raise awareness of the strengths and unique needs of veterans and their families, and we are honored to have her join Disney’s first-ever ‘Veterans Institute,’ a program designed to showcase the value of veterans, share best hiring practices, and encourage greater employment opportunities for military men and women transitioning into civilian life,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company.

Via: Web Wire

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