I’m afraid we need to change the famous old baseball admonition: “Say it ain’t so, Shoeless Joe” to apply it to our current situation: “Say it ain’t so, clueless Mike” (but that doesn’t rhyme as nicely) since we’re talking about that Disney dynast, Michael Eisner. He’s the poor shlump who recently nearly lost his Disney CEO postion when nearly half his shareholders voted against him. It seems that these folks think Mike has done a terrible job running the company. When you hear about Mike’s latest lame corporate decision, you might agree with them.
The Disney film division, Miramax, bought the domestic distribution rights to Michael Moore’s new film, Fahrenheit 911 which, surprise-surprise, is going to take on the Bush Administration and all its liars and the lying lies they tell (credit to Al Franken). Read Disney Has Blocked the Distribution of My New Film… by Michael Moore for Moore’s take on the controversy.
Michael Moore–too
hot to handle?? (credit: AP)
Eisner didn’t like the idea of Miramax buying the film and told Moore’s agent & Miramax itself before the deal was done. But that didn’t stop Miramax because they know that Moore is a bestselling author many times over and most, if not all of his films, have been good box office (Bowling for Columbine earned $22-million, which is pretty damned good for a documentary!).
But here’s the rub according to Disney Forbidding Distribution of Film That Criticizes Bush:
Mr. Emanuel said Mr. Eisner expressed particular concern that it would endanger tax breaks Disney receives for its theme park, hotels and other ventures in Florida, where Mr. Bush’s brother, Jeb, is governor.
“Michael Eisner asked me not to sell this movie to Harvey Weinstein; that doesn’t mean I listened to him,” Mr. Emanuel said. “He definitely indicated there were tax incentives he was getting for the Disney corporation and that’s why he didn’t want me to sell it to Miramax. He didn’t want a Disney company involved.”
Everyone knows that the Bush Administration is in bed with the most profitable members of corporate America. But now we know how this plays itself out in the specifc case of Disney, one of the world’s largest entertainment conglomerates.
the day!” (credit: National Labor Committee)
No one ever claimed that Disney was a fearless defender of the arts, artists or the free expression of ideas. But this case is ridiculous. I just hope that the publicity they will receive from this blog and all other Americans deeply outraged by such an egregious obstacle to artistic expression will cause big Mike to reconsider his smary, slimy decision to stifle Michael Moore.
And while we’re at it, why don’t we start boycotting as many Disney products as we can starting with their films, videos and DVDs. And let’s contact Disney directly & tell them what we’re doing so they know there is a cost for idiot decisions like the one made by Chairman Mike. Unfortunately, I can only find a snail mail address:
The Walt Disney Company
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521
Maybe we should also let the company chairman, George Mitchell, know about our feelings as well since he will have no great love or slavish affection for Jeb Bush or Eisner’s other Bushite cronies.
