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Ooh, another spike in the Shepherd's wheels; Jim is not wasting money by putting it into the Muppets and weird personal projects.

(I was half expecting that the next Muppet movie would be about a Tex Richman/Rachel Bitterman type, trying to buy the Muppet Theatre to turn it into something more profitable, but I guess films can't respond to current events that quickly...)
 
C'happy C'hanukkah! As my sensei's welcome mat says, Shalom, y'all!

Sorry for the late replies to some of these posts, but Friday I had a very early flight to catch.

First, Black Panther:

I doubt it will be that annoying without internet meme culture. Maybe it will be worse for geekdom, though.
It does feel like mostly white nerds would seething so much about this film and valorising the edgy white guy who I'd probably like and criticizing Wakanda for many reasons which in principle I agree with, but alos using them to be as racist as possible and so poison discourse forever for me.
Discourse being poisoned by trolls who hurt any chance of legitimate discourse with obvious bigotry?

As alluded to in the post, yes, there was some controversy in this one from the left and right. Certainly the racists hate it and M'Windaji is somewhat polarizing for sure. As an anti-hero/anti-villain type he gets a lot of fans both toxic and not (lots of "Draco in Leather Pants" type fandom). Stay tuned with that character.

So pretty much like that weirdo who went on an unhinged rant this morning?
I actually have no clue what you're talking about. Was the post deleted? Weird that there was no mod post on Kick and Ban Notices if that's the case.
I think it's really cool that this Universe got a Black Panther Movie before Captain America, and a really good Black Panther movie at that!
Yep, I got assaulted by a Troll. Called my Black Panther post "Woke Bullshit", said "everybody hates my timeline" (I guess I've been lied to 27,500 times) and even cast doubt on the very existence of Mrs. Khan, claiming that I was making her up and that I really live in my parents' basement (Project much, brother?).

He also went on to attack a few of you, my readers and contributors. Real class act. Got banned and deleted in seconds.

And hey, I'm flattered! This troll knew the TL, knew about my wife, and knew about my readers, so he's been following it for a while, probably seething at each assumed attack on him personally as I expressed the opinions of fictionalized people in a speculative manner. The rule of thumb is that for every person saying something there are 10 more not saying it, so I may very well have a secret Dedicated Hatedom that stays mute since this site has zero tolerance for trolls and personal attacks. Probably seethe and bitch and moan at each thing that dares question the consensus in their respective echo chambers.

Great, hope y'all are getting something out of my writing!

You see, there are creative artists who do their work to be loved and admired, but I'm not that type. I'm the kind who wants to make people think, feel, question. I want to connect meaningfully with my readers at some visceral level. And that goes beyond the likes. That means a spectrum of emotional responses, anger and offence included. The fact is that my writing had a meaningful impact on that person emotionally. It made his blood boil and led him to break his cover lurking at the fringes to attack me, not surprisingly after a piece that had powerful Black and female characters portrayed sympathetically.

I count that a success as a writer.

I truly hope that everyone gets what they came for in reading this TL. To quote the intro to Christopher Moore's controversial Lamb:

“If you have come to these pages for laughter, may you find it.
If you are here to be offended, may your ire rise and your blood boil.
If you seek an adventure, may this song sing you away to blissful escape.
If you need to test or confirm your beliefs, may you reach comfortable conclusions.
All books reveal perfection, by what they are or what they are not.
May you find that which you seek, in these pages or outside them.
May you find perfection, and know it by name.”

Now, enough about that, on with the show:

"This is the studio which has most publically and consistantly dealt with abusers, therefore it must be the one where it's worst. All those other companies where you never hear about anything like that -- that must be because it doesn't happen there."
Yep. Out of sight, out of mind. If you're not seeing the abuse, if they're not actively removing it, it must not exist.

Is Mad Molly Moolah the crazy bald guy from Channel Awesome photo edited as a female
You'll have to ask @nick_crenshaw82. He made the image. Not sure which base images he merged through the AI.
 
While Black Panther really isn’t my thing, I did enjoy that particular update becuase it means that black superheroes will hopefully be seen to be just as viable as white superheroes.
 
Proxy Wars, Episode I: The Fam-dom Menace
Chapter 8: The Proxy Battle
From Dis-War Two: The Great Disney Proxy Culture War of 1998, by Taylor Johnson


With the battle lines drawn, the two sides assembled their forces. Thousands of mailers and phone calls went out from the two factions to shareholders big and small. Rewards from memorial trinkets to increased dividends to heavenly salvation were offered in return for signing a proxy over to their side’s representative. The Disney board met. Combined, the Disneys, when partnered with Henson, had a firm 45.9%, just shy of a controlling interest. With Amblin and Lucasfilm on board, they had 49.1. Assuming even a tiny fraction of the suspected “Knights Errant” supported the status quo, they were safe even if GE, Marriott, Bass, and Apple all threw in their support with the Shepherds, which despite Bass and Marriott’s personal faith seemed unlikely. But there was literally no room for error.

For despite the on-the-surface power of the Henson-Disney position, the Shepherds had a solid 8.3% stake, ironically equal to the stake Henson acquired in 1980, setting his whole journey into motion. And assuming that Turner was on their side, that stake increased to 13.5%. Assuming that the Institutional Investors backed Peltz, that led to a solid 21.6% support for the Shepherds, enough by itself to create chaos. If they could sway Bass, Marriott, GE, and peel away just one of the Disney factions – this latter an obvious goal as they’d separately approached both sides on numerous occasions – then they could command the company.

And yet even without full control, they could still cause havoc. They could peel enough support here and there for specific changes, such as changes in leadership or the institutions of the company. The very Culture War that the Shepherds were initiating in US society could play out on the Disney board time and time again, straining their ability to do their job. A culture war of attrition.

And many on the board, even most, would be amenable to Peltz’s suggestions to improve efficiencies. GE in particular seemed open to his suggestions. Even Henson expressed that he was willing to listen to Peltz, but only if he severed himself from the Shepherds.

Diane Disney Miller spoke for Retlaw and the Walt Faction, who claimed 13.1% of the votes plus several proxies. Roy Disney handed decisions for his 13.0% and proxies to Stanley Gold, which created a panic within the Walt faction. Roy they had come to accept and appreciate, even trust to some degree, but Gold remained an obnoxious menace and the move was seen as a sign of bad faith, further reopening old wounds. Jim Henson found himself doing everything that he could do to calm nerves on both sides of the family as the situation turned into a strange version of the Prisoner’s Dilemma, each Disney faction afraid that they would need to take action before the other betrayed and marginalized them.

Al Gottesman, meanwhile, was advising Henson to consider his options. While not suggesting that he betray the Disneys (he knew Henson too well and would on principle never advocate such a betrayal himself) he was recommending being open to side deals should things, as they said in London, go pear shaped. He specifically noted that Stanley Gold had met with one of Diane’s financial advisors that morning, and suggested that the Disney’s might be willing to band with the Shepherds against him if they believed it was the best way to protect their fathers’ company. Henson noted to Gottesman that their “golden parachute” was simply to sell off his shares and move on. Even assuming a drop in stock price from the current record high, Henson was looking at multiple billions of dollars, enough for anything that he could possibly imagine.

Still, all the negotiations behind the scenes were really just the setup for the “Main Event” as it were, the 1998 Disney Shareholder’s Meeting on Monday, September 14th at the WDW Convention Center.

“Begun, this Proxy War has,” George Lucas was overheard saying one day, though none at the time understood the reference.
 
“Begun, this Proxy War has,” George Lucas was overheard saying one day, though none at the time understood the reference.
Tee hee! Oh George, you lovable scamp!

Henson noted to Gottesman that their “golden parachute” was simply to sell off his shares and move on. Even assuming a drop in stock price from the current record high, Henson was looking at multiple billions of dollars, enough for anything that he could possibly imagine.
It'd certainly be a twist to the timeline if everything indeed goes pear-shaped and Henson is ousted, only to sell off his stocks and "retire" as one of the richest men in the world, practically drowning in ready cash that isn't tied up in stocks or assets.
You could start your own studio with that kind of money, or a space program. Koozbane Interstellar, Inc, anyone?
 
Happy Solstice, all! Remember to leave out sherry and pork pies for the Hogfather and turnips for tusker and gouger and snouter et al this evening.

Koozbane Interstellar, Inc, anyone?
Now there's a company I can get behind.

Proxy Wars Ep. 2 hits tomorrow, folks.

In the meantime, I came across this interview with Brad Bird where he describes his creative priorities and how to best manage creative people. This is the boss you want to have or want to be, in my opinion. His thoughts on building and fueling the "rocket" seem perfect for Koozbane Interstellar.

 
Proxy Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clowns
Chapter 8: The Proxy Battle (Cont'd)
From Dis-War Two: The Great Disney Proxy Culture War of 1998, by Taylor Johnson


Monday the 14th of September came. The various players filed in to the WDW Convention Center, many of them small shareholders, some of whom expressed their opinions, positive or negative, and support or lack thereof to Henson and the Disneys. One woman even tried an exorcism on Henson, much to his amusement. “God bless you too, ma’am,” he said with a warm smile. The Faith Faction of the Shepherds arrived as a group and entered like they were Jesus in the Temple there to cast out the money lenders, an arrival whose impact in that regard was lessened for many by having a couple of the more egregiously opulent televangelists in the group. Interestingly, Peltz and the Fiscal Faction largely entered separately from their allies, though Roger Stone, standing out in the crowd in his “Monopoly Man” get-up, was seen constantly moving back-and-forth between them. The board by this point had picked up Henson’s habit of calling him “The Penguin” based on the Batman villain.

Henson also had to chase away a couple of WDW Muppet Performers who had snuck into the mezzanine with Statler and Waldorf Muppets. “I appreciate the humor, guys, but we really need to play this one serious,” he told them. He’d had less luck with stopping Jerry Nelson from taunting Falwell on the way into the building using the Devil Muppet[1].

Turner had yet to arrive.

Henson took up the gavel, something that he almost never did, and knocked three times on the podium. He then treated it like it was just another board meeting, not even acknowledging the existential battle about to begin. He was halfway through the reading of the minutes when Ted Turner arrived, fashionably late, with two obvious lawyers and Michael Eisner in tow. Henson stifled a chuckle when he noted that Eisner was wearing cowboy boots and a silver-and-turquoise bola tie. Even seeing the strange, almost circus-like mix of people and strange bedfellows in the room made him want to laugh at the absurdity. Like a character in a Monty Python sketch, he was going to live in the absurdity of it all and try to enjoy himself.

When the time for New Business came around, a representative for the Shepherds took the floor. They had a speech. They had a plan. It ran like a prosecution, and the charges where three: 1) that the Disney leadership (specifically Henson) had failed to properly address the concerns of its shareholders by pursuing questionable strategic goals, 2) that the leadership had allowed the good name of Walt Disney to be tarnished through immoral and unamerican productions not in keeping with the values of the founding brothers, and (in what Henson considered an openly hypocritical assertion given the overt sociopolitical aims of the Shepherds) 3) that the leadership had allowed their personal politics and beliefs to cloud them to the will of the shareholders.

The “prosecution”, as it was, presented a string of fiscal evidence for the first charge, noting in particular such past controversies as the pursuit of impractical art-driven or charity-driven projects. The Walter Elias Disney Signature Series, done overtly “for the art”, was specifically cited as a waste of resources with a negligible to negative return on investment, specifically citing that spring’s What Dreams May Come, which received lots of critical notice, but made negligible returns on a limited Arthouse release. The underperformance of the recent Disney Animated Features compared to their lofty peak in the mid-1990s was called out time and time again, with The Shepherd’s advocate specifically calling out Kindred Spirits not just for its “morally questionable foray into the occult”, but also for it being clearly aimed at a “periphery demographic”, an apparent reference to its predominantly black cast.

“I didn’t know that twenty percent of the population was a ‘periphery,’” a frustrated CFO Richard Nanula was overheard saying.

And in a move that caused shock to reverberate through the room, they specifically called out The Muppets as “a relic, divorced from the current public tastes,” citing them as a “marginal” property that was only being supported to “salve the ego of the Chairman.” They recommended shelving or selling the Muppets and diverting the resources to “more profitable IP”.

Even the up to that point genial Henson was seen to scowl and frown at this, and later confided that he considered it a “cheap shot”.

In a move clearly aimed at winning over the Roy side of the family, they called in to question the LA Rams stadium deal, calling it “an ego-driven decision” that they laid primarily at Henson’s feet in an effort not to alienate the Disney-Millers.

The prosecution in particular hammered on the NBC deal, again and again, in what was clearly aimed at winning over GE and possibly the Disney-Millers (who had questioned the deal when made, though ultimately voted for it) to their cause. They noted in particular how the stock price and Market Cap had stagnated since the acquisition. They alleged that Henson had mismanaged the deal from the start and failed to take full and proper advantage of the integration opportunities.

Highly-selective charts showing employee compensation and overhead compared to other studios were shown, and portrayed as wasteful. The less-than-ideal Price-to-Sales Ratio was hammered on again and again, suggesting that the share price, even given the stagnation of the last two years, was overvalued and that a “correction” was inevitable if the root causes – i.e. Henson’s leadership – were not addressed. The costs of Henson’s “healthy food options” at the parks and studios were shown to be “a waste” compared to cheaper and more popular unhealthier options. Even the medical, psychological, and educational resources that Henson put in place to protect child performers were cited as an unnecessary waste of resources. “Disney and MGM are there to make TV and movies, not babysit,” the Shepherds’ advocate declared.

The painful and costly failure of Disneytown St. Louis was brought up as solid evidence of pursuing projects based on “feel good” decision making rather than sound fiscal consideration, which they again worked to shift onto Henson in order not to alienate either Disney faction, suggesting that he’d manipulated the Disney’s love for Walt’s vision. The new, $300 million Disneytown in Ontario, which had a similar situation to the St. Louis Disneytown, was brought up as an example of Henson failing to learn from this costly mistake. The massive debt acquired in the 1990s and the unplanned deal with Pearson was cited as an example of poor planning, as were the massive cost overruns for both Disneyland Valencia and Port Disney, with the cost-benefit ratios played directly against the optimistic initial promises that they made to the shareholders to justify both projects. The Song of Susan was brought up again and again, not just for the loss of profits but for the target of the largesse: research into AIDS, which was “not the purpose of the Entertainment Company”.

While they never flat-out said that it was primarily benefiting gay men, and that this alone was a strike against the leadership in their view, they let that hang out there like a dog whistle. In this way, they also alluded to the second and third charges, and then overtly stated them when the subject of Toys came up, Henson’s out-of-touch left wing “hippie” peacenik values placed out in sharp contrast to the patriotic beliefs of the American people.

In direct contradiction to their attacks on Disney’s expenses building a protective and supporting network for their child actors, they attacked Disney’s reputation as a safe place for children, parroting attacks in the media surrounding producer R. Kelly’s relationship with the then-underage singer Aaliyah. They dove into Geraldo exposés about Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer and even tried to tie Disney animated features into these accusations, which over the years had taken on an edge of conspiracy theory amid the echo chambers of the far-right internet.

The “prosecution” spent several hours bringing in witnesses. They brought up Henson’s political and even spiritual beliefs as evidence of the second and third accusations, reading out passages from his interviews following the release of Hocus Pocus. They called out his “radical feminist witch hunt” where accusations of sexual harassment or assault led to a “purge” of talent (Turner reportedly squirmed in his seat while this happened). They called him out on rumored relationships with younger women despite being still married, in particular to the “socialist agitator” Daryl Hannah. They questioned his devotion to capitalism and profit and brought in extremely optimistic projected grown charts and profits had Disney followed a more “shareholder-centric” approach by their measure. They downplayed every success and put a spotlight on every failure. They specifically called out Frank Wells having gone to work for the Gore Administration as an example of “undue political influence”. They appealed directly to nostalgia for the “Good, old traditional America of Main Street” that Walt’s vision highlighted, with the explicit accusation that Henson’s leadership had moved away from this and instead supported “immoral, anti-Christian, and unamerican” values.

In short: they built a case that since Jim Henson ascended to the Disney board, determined to push a “demonic” and underperforming film (The Dark Crystal), that the Walt Disney company had been on a downward, fiscally unsupportable, morally and politically repugnant pathway that sullied the name of the great Walt Disney.

“Don’t let the share prices fool you,” said their representative, “Disney under Henson is a house of cards of ill repute!”

Henson notably was seen trying to stifle a laugh during their “closing statements”. “They just sounded so much like an old Sam the Eagle skit,” he said later.

The Shepherds rested their case, calling for the removal of Henson and Kinsey from their leadership positions and the formation of a new Standards Subcommittee to ensure that all creative decisions were “properly vetted” to remove “unacceptable subject matter or undue political influence.”

Al Checchi called for a recess, which Henson granted.

Henson took the time to talk to all of the various stakeholders, in particular Jack Welch, Bill Marriott, Sid Bass, and most critically both Roy Disney and Diane Miller. He even attempted to meet with the Shepherds, but was publicly rebuked. He shook hands with Turner, who held a poker face the whole time, but he did mention how much he liked Kindred Spirits (“That’s New Orleans to a ‘T’!”). Eisner was more friendly, and even hinted that Henson could come work for them if the whole thing “went south”.

Most of the stakeholders tried to reassure him, but the fact was that the Shepherds had clearly hit some nerves and reopened a lot of old wounds. Henson knew that a lot of the points had struck home, and could see it in the faces of the board. Bass was shaken. GE’s executives and representatives were animatedly talking amongst themselves. Diane Disney Miller was talking animatedly with Ron and her mother Lillian. Roy was looking scared and Stanley Gold wasn’t maintaining eye contact.

The disparate Disney factions kept sending suspicious stares each other’s way.

Still, Henson knew that it was the “defense’s turn” next.



[1] Devil Muppet: Hey, Jerry! Keep up the great work! I appreciate what you’ve done for me all these years!

Falwell: (annoyed) Get thee behind me!

Devil Muppet: You kidding? I’ve been behind you this whole time, Jerry!
 
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The plot thickens... fingers crossed Team Henson can pull something out of the hat.

Well, most obviously, the stuff about the Muppets underperforming and the stuff about Animated Features can be disproved by pointing out Nick of Time and Poet and the Dragon's success (in the latter, it's the Disney Animated Canon's biggest hit in three years). In addition, all the disgusting crap about "radical feminist witch hunts" and that Disney are "wasting money" helping their child performers can be easily repudiated - the homophobic shit about Song of Susan can too.

The “prosecution”, as it was, presented a string of fiscal evidence for the first charge, noting in particular such past controversies as the pursuit of impractical art-driven or charity-driven projects. The Walter Elias Disney Signature Series, done overtly “for the art”, was specifically cited as a waste of resources with a negligible to negative return on investment, specifically citing that spring’s What Dreams May Come, which received lots of critical notice, but made negligible returns on a limited Arthouse release. The underperformance of the recent Disney Animated Features compared to their lofty peak in the mid-1990s was called out time and time again, with The Shepherd’s advocate specifically calling out Kindred Spirits not just for its “morally questionable foray into the occult”, but also for it being clearly aimed at a “periphery demographic”, an apparent reference to its predominantly black cast.

This was a point I was expecting them to play - that Disney became obsessed with pandering to minority groups with the animated features, with films like Hiawatha (had a mostly Native American cast - and screenwriter/songwriter), Medusa (had very second-wave feminist themes) and Kindred Spirits (mostly black cast/voodoo themes).
 
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"Periphery demographic" is cringeworthy in itself, but then you realize that public figures have literally called Obama a "demographically-symbolic president" and gotten applause for it. An uncomfortably large number of Americans seem to think white = normal.
 
with The Shepherd’s advocate specifically calling out Kindred Spirits not just for its “morally questionable foray into the occult”, but also for it being clearly aimed at a “periphery demographic”, an apparent reference to its predominantly black cast.
that they made to the shareholders to justify both projects. The Song of Susan was brought up again and again, not just for the loss of profits but for the target of the largesse: research into AIDS, which was “not the purpose of the Entertainment Company”.

While they never flat-out said that it was primarily benefiting gay men, and that this alone was a strike against the leadership in their view, they let that hang out there like a dog whistle. In this way, they also alluded to the second and third charges, and then overtly stated them when the subject of Toys came up, Henson’s out-of-touch left wing “hippie” peacenik values placed out in sharp contrast to the patriotic beliefs of the American people.
The “prosecution” spent several hours bringing in witnesses. They brought up Henson’s political and even spiritual beliefs as evidence of the second and third accusations, reading out passages from his interviews following the release of Hocus Pocus. They called out his “radical feminist witch hunt” where accusations of sexual harassment or assault led to a “purge” of talent (Turner reportedly squirmed in his seat while this happened). They called him out on rumored relationships with younger women despite being still married, in particular to the “socialist agitator” Daryl Hannah. They questioned his devotion to capitalism and profit and brought in extremely optimistic projected grown charts and profits had Disney followed a more “shareholder-centric” approach by their measure. They downplayed every success and put a spotlight on every failure. They specifically called out Frank Wells having gone to work for the Gore Administration as an example of “undue political influence”. They appealed directly to nostalgia for the “Good, old traditional America of Main Street” that Walt’s vision highlighted, with the explicit accusation that Henson’s leadership had moved away from this and instead supported “immoral, anti-Christian, and unamerican” values.
*Barfs*

Who's out of touch Shephards? Hint: it's you!
 
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Surprised they didn’t accuse Henson himself of being a “Satanic Commie Pedophile Nazi”!
Also, Peltz is increasingly striking me as someone who would make Scrooge McDuck look like Good King Wenscelaus with his penny-pinching, ‘budget optimization’ and cutting budgets to the bone while no doubt increasing his own paycheck size because “He’s the one who does the most work”.
 
Surprised they didn’t accuse Henson himself of being a “Satanic Commie Pedophile Nazi”!
Also, Peltz is increasingly striking me as someone who would make Scrooge McDuck look like Good King Wenscelaus with his penny-pinching, ‘budget optimization’ and cutting budgets to the bone while no doubt increasing his own paycheck size because “He’s the one who does the most work”.
They probably only didn't because if they accuse Henson of being any of those things, he can sue for defamation and they don't want all their bullshit out on blast in a courtroom.
 
Look this is all very serious but I would have paid actual money to see Jerry Nelson mock Jerry Falwell. That cracked me up and no mistake.

Man reading all of this just pissed me off. Even more so because part of me is worried that they are going to get a significant concession or two out of the board. I can't wait for the defence, I'll be fascinated to see how it all plays out.
 
Man reading all of this just pissed me off. Even more so because part of me is worried that they are going to get a significant concession or two out of the board. I can't wait for the defence, I'll be fascinated to see how it all plays out.
Moat likely it will be refuting their talking points and poiinting out the other side's own failures instead, that they're the out of touch ones (especially politically)
 
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