Sep 12, 2015

Walt Disney's Daughter Remembers His Legacy in "Lady and the Tramp" By Scott Huver

Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Today audience have a sense of what the Disney name brand means, but there was a time when it came down simply to the creative touch of Walt Disney himself.
Disney’s deft instinct for lushly animated, warm all-ages stories was in full flower in 1955 when, after nearly 20 years of development and tinkering, his eponymous studio released “Lady and the Tramp,” now long acknowledged as one of the company’s enduring masterpieces. To mark the film’s debut on Blu-Ray, the inventive mogul’s daughter Diane Disney Miller gives PopcornBiz a peek into her father’s real-life Magic Kingdom.

Can you explain where 'Lady & The Tramp' stood in your dad's heart and its significance to him personally?
It was very close to his heart, and to his own experience. Everybody loves dogs and that's why, I think, this film has survived so well in the public's view. That little episode you'll see in the beginning where the wife is presented with a puppy in a hatbox – that's exactly what he did with my mother when he wanted a dog and she didn't want one. They had just moved in to their first built home. He and his brother had built homes that were side-by-side, very near the old studio in Hollywood. Dad found that there were certain breeds of dogs that didn't shed: one was a Chow, so he bought a little Chow puppy and asked his brother to keep it in his garage next door until Christmas morning. On Christmas morning he sent my mother's niece Margery, who was living with them, over to Uncle Roy's house and they had it all ready. They had the hatbox and tied a big bow on it and Margery brought it back and presented it to my mother. When mother opened it and the little dog popped out she was delighted. She loved it! My dad was great like that, when he did something really clever like that.

It’s the first film the studio did in Cinemascope, and in one of the disc’s documentaries you note that your father was a lover of gadgets and gimmicks in his personal life. Would he have easily embraced all types of new film technology?
Anything! People ask what he would think of today's digital [film]. He would love it. Actually, if you refer to his early films he was the first to put color in the animated films, in the cartoons and he got an exclusive contract with Technicolor to try out the color process, the three-color process. And then on TV, he was the first to jump in and embrace television instead of be afraid of it. He was always there, looking for everything new thing. He'd tell the old stories in a new way.
What does it mean to you to see your father's creations, a film like this and the Disneyland Park and everything else, still be so treasured and relevant today, after all the creative effort he put in to what he was doing?
It's very gratifying. This is why we had to build the museum in San Francisco. We chose a historic building that belongs to the state, to the nation. It's a part of an old Navy base, The Presidio, and now it's a national park. We chose this wonderful, old brick building – it's one of six identical buildings there – to do this in because it's for the people. He was successful because people liked what he did and bought it and supported what he did. He felt very strongly in getting this to his audience, to the people that accepted his product and bought it and sought it out. This museum I think is for my dad and for them.
The spaghetti scene in "Lady & The Tramp" is one of the most iconic in all of the Disney films. It's been imitated and tweaked. Did he have a sense of how beloved that particular scene was becoming throughout the generations?
I don't know. I didn't know it was the iconic scene – I always say that it was my favorite scene – but I have no idea. I can't answer that for you. I don't know if he was aware of that at the time of his death. He must've been. It sounds very much like something that my dad would've thought of.
Did anything you ever said or did at home make it into one of the Disney films?
Not directly, but I always had my girlfriends spending the night and we'd do these things – my sister, too – and I think that probably more in something like the Hayley Mills film, 'The Parent Trap,' you might see some of that girly interaction. Dad had a good feel for that, because part of the time he was driving us to school in a carpool with three other girls in our neighborhood. He heard all of us chatter in the back of the car. So I think that might've been one place that it might've surfaced, because everything that happened in his life found it's way into a film, somehow, at one point.

Like a lot of your father’s projects, it's interesting to learn that "Lady and the Tramp" was a notion that came up as early as the late '30's, but he didn't follow through with until the mid-'50's. It seemed like he had a real sense of timing, when to put things out.
It was a sense - he had this book for a long time. For example, I just learned that he had 'Bambi' in his hands way before he did 'Snow White.’ There was a development that went on with so many of them. I think a lot of them had to do with timing – the fiscal timing of other films, but also just sort of how it fit into their production schedule. But in his life it always seemed that he had properties that he wanted to be in, [although] he never really wanted to do 'Alice in Wonderland.' And it was a film that Dave Smith, the founder of the studio archive, said that it was the thing that everybody always said that he ought to do, but that he never wanted to do. He and his animators never really felt good about it. I, however, really liked the film. I think it's witty and colorful and fun. But 'Lady & the Tramp' was a story he loved.
What's a fun fact about your dad that most people might not suspect, even his biggest fans – something they wouldn't know was an aspect of Walt Disney?
Well, people are very surprised when they learn that he was just really an ordinary dad. He drove his two little girls to school every morning when they were younger – we both went to girl schools that were not within walking distance. He would drive us every morning and then he'd go on to the studio and I think people are very surprised when they hear that. He was just a very good dad. He helped us with school projects. He went to every father/daughter event that occurred anywhere. When we were very small, every weekend, Sunday was really ‘Daddy's Day.’ We'd go to Griffith Park. There was a carousel there and we'd ride that and then we'd go run around the studio with him. He loved to go to the Burbank studio when there was nobody there. We went into every room and saw what the guys were doing. We'd ride our bikes all around the parking lot. I don't think people realize that he was just a good family man. That's why his product worked: because he was appealing to the kind of audience that he really loved and understood.


"Lady and the Tramp" makes its debut on Blu-ray today. 

Defamation Suit Against Kerik Lawyer and Daily News Dismissed--from New York Law Journal

English: NYPD Police Commissioner Bernard Keri...
English: NYPD Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik speaking at a press conference concerning crime scene evidence collection from the WTC site. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Defamation Suit Against Kerik Lawyer and Daily News Dismissed

, New York Law Journal
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Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik, left, exits Bronx Supreme Court in June 2006 with his then-attorney Joseph Tacopina.
Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik, left, exits Bronx Supreme Court in June 2006 with attorney Joseph Tacopina.
Attorney Joseph Tacopina's defamation lawsuit against Bernard Kerik's lawyer and a New York City newspaper has been dismissed by a federal judge.
Southern District Judge Paul Crotty said that the fair reporting privilege protected allegedly defamatory statements that Kerik attorney Timothy Parlatore made to the New York Daily News in 2014, and he dismissed claims against the newspaper for two articles published in October 2014.
The case was part of a long-running brawl between Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner and one-time nominee for Department of Homeland Security chief, and Tacopina, of Tacopina & Seigel, who represented Kerik on criminal charges in the Bronx nine years ago.
Kerik had filed an ethics complaint against Tacopina in 2013 and sued Tacopina the following year alleging a series of improper acts, including breach of fiduciary duty of an attorney toward a client.
Kerik claimed Tacopina led him to believe that, if he pleaded guilty to two state misdemeanors in 2006 in Bronx Supreme Court, he would not face further prosecution. But federal prosecutors proceeded with a separate investigation of Kerik, who was ultimately convicted of tax evasion in New Jersey federal court in 2009 and served three years in prison.
Kerik's lawsuit against Tacopina was dismissed by Southern District Judge John Koeltl in December (NYLJ, Dec. 4, 2014).
On Oct. 15, 2014, Parlatore filed suit against Tacopina in state court on behalf of a Jane Doe, a former Tacopina client who claimed Tacopina had committed malpractice in an unrelated civil action. The woman alleged Tacopina urged her to accept a low-ball settlement with an unnamed law firm where she once worked as an associate while failing to disclose he was of counsel at the firm.
Parlatore submitted an affidavit in the Doe case claiming Tacopina had come under "public scrutiny for his considerable unethical and dubious practices" including that he was "abusing" cocaine.
That same day, Oct. 15, the Daily News ran an article headlined "Lawsuit against Joe Tacopina seeks to freeze lawyer's assets as he closes deal to buy Italian soccer club Bologna."
The article reported that the complaint filed by Kerik had alleged Tacopina "abused painkillers and cocaine during his failed" defense of a woman convicted of murdering her husband, when, in fact, Kerik's complaint only mentioned "prescription pain medications."
Two days later, on Oct. 17, the Daily News ran another article saying "Judge orders celebrity attorney Joe Tacopina—now boss of second-division soccer team in Italy—to court," in the Doe case when in fact Tacopina's appearance was optional.
The article stated the judge required Tacopina to explain why he shouldn't be barred from selling assets until his legal dispute with Doe was resolved.
Tacopina's lawsuit, filed Oct. 20, named Parlatore for the Jane Doe affirmation and the Oct. 15 article, and it named the Daily News and reporter Michael O'Keeffe for the Oct. 15 and 17 articles. He said Parlatore and the newspaper gave the impression he was fleeing the United States to avoid creditors and he had abused drugs.
Judge Crotty
Judge Crotty
In dismissing the case Friday, Crotty cited New York Civil Rights Law §74, which bars civil actions based on "the publication of a fair and true report of any judicial proceeding."
"In certain circumstances, publication of legal documents that have not yet been filed may be protected by the fair reporting privilege," he said inTacopina v. O'Keeffe, 14 Civ. 8379. "New York courts have held that statements to the press regarding the litigation position a party intends to take are protected by New York Civil Rights Law §74, even where the documents containing the position have not yet been filed, so long as the party ultimately takes that position in the litigation."
Here, he said, there was no indication that the affirmation Parlatore gave O'Keeffe "was in any way different" from the one he ultimately filed in court.
"Nor is there any allegation that the Daily News reported on the Jane Doe affirmation before it was filed," he said. "In these circumstances, Parlatore's alleged conduct does not vitiate the fair reporting privilege."
Over Tacopina's argument to the contrary, the judge said the mistaken attribution to the Kerik complaint in the Oct. 15 article didn't matter because the result was the same.
"The court agrees," Crotty said. "Whether the allegation regarding cocaine appeared in the Kerik complaint or the Jane affirmation, nonetheless it was made in a publicly filed document."
The judge continued: "Moreover, reporting that allegations regarding prescription pain medication and cocaine were made in a single lawsuit by one former client does not 'suggest more serious conduct' than what actually occurred: those allegations came from two different lawsuits by two former clients."
Crotty went on to find that neither the Oct. 15 nor the Oct. 17 articles were defamatory.
Parlatore had moved against Tacopina and his attorney, for sanctions for bringing a frivolous lawsuit, but the judge declined.
"The lawsuit was not frivolous," Crotty said. "While the amended complaint is dismissed, it is not so lacking in merit as to warrant the imposition of sanctions."
Judd Burstein represented Tacopina. Burstein said he would appeal the decision. "I think the opinion makes it clear there was sort of a hit job on Tacopina," he said.
Matthew Leish assistant general counsel at the Daily News, represented the newspaper and O'Keeffe.
Parlatore represented himself.
"The Jane Doe case is still active; ­the restraining order [on assets] is still in place," said Parlatore, who said Tacopina "had filed counterclaims against her [Doe] based on the same ridiculous claims he made against me in this case."
As for the defamation claims, "I'm glad that the judge saw through it," Parlatore said.


copied from New York Law Journal and google news.......





Read more: http://www.newyorklawjournal.com/id=1202736658368/Defamation-Suit-Against-Kerik-Lawyer-and-Daily-News-Dismissed#ixzz3lXKCzHts





Sep 11, 2015

Larry Mendte's Morning Drive on WILM 1450 Wilmington Delaware News Talk Radio





Good luck and congratulations to Larry Mendte on his new morning drive talk radio show in Wilmington, Delaware.


He can be heard every weekday morning, Monday through Friday from 5:30 to 9:00 AM on 1450 WILM and 1410 WDOV News/Talk Radio.


This forever news talk radio fan and listener will be tuning in to hear what Larry has to say.

Democrat or Republican Larry Mendte is always fun and informative listening because he knows his facts and his points are well thought out.......often disagreeing but still enjoying the show as Larry is a good reporter and one can easily learn the basics of the opposite view.

Like all of the skilled and talented big talkers.....Larry Mendte, Geraldo Rivera, Art Bell and Larry King.....he runs the show in an entertaining fashion....it's not just about him but about the listener and what information they gain from time well spent.

We can always use an opposing platform and new facts to shape our own opinion and we will be the better for it.

These very talented radio interviewers make it seem easy but in fact they are quite skilled at this job...they are smart and do not go ballistic at a different thought.

They can think and run the show without their ego getting in the way of the facts........


Case in point, listen to Howard Stern interview Joan Rivers on Johnny Carson.

Roger Waters Fan?  Check out his interview with Howard......good shows and new information......also Howard Stern loves Maine Coon Cats and that is also why he is an extremely important figure.

Thanks, Larry, for working hard on the radio for us....I'll be tuning in to hear your take on the election.


Well Done!


from chloe louise and the ronnie republic radio round-up


Chlo always listens to Larry Mendte and Howard





from talkers.com.......


mendtelarry



Larry Mendte Named Morning Host at WILM, Wilmington.  Former longtime Philadelphia TV news anchr and radio host Larry Mendte is named morning drive personality at iHeartMedia’s Delaware news/talk stations WILM, Wilmington and WDOV, Dover.  Company regional market president Chris Walus states, “Larry is an extraordinary talent who has the unique ability to engage audiences across all demographics.  He has an impressive record of success in Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Diego.  Delaware listeners will be incredibly impressed with his ability to connect, engage and inform.”  In addition to his work in Philadelphia, Mendte has served at 77WABC in New York; “Access Hollywood” in Los Angeles, WBBM-TV and WLS-AM in Chicago.



and from radioink.com..........


6-10-15
iHeartMedia Delaware has hired Larry Mendte as the new morning show host for WILM/Wilmington and WDOV/Dover, simulcasting on both Delaware News/Talk stations. Mendte replaces Bruce Elliott, who was released at the start of the year.
Mendte most recently held a Sunday night talk show on WABC/New York and also worked for the short-lived WWIQ/Philadelphia. He is best known for his years as a news anchor/reporter/commentator for television stations in Philadelphia, New York, and Chicago, and as host of Access Hollywood.
iHeartMedia Delaware Regional Market President Chris Walus said: "Larry is an extraordinary talent who has the unique ability to engage audiences across all demographics. He has an impressive record of success in Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Diego. Delaware listeners will be incredibly impressed with his ability to connect, engage, and inform."


Palestine flag to fly at UN headquarters after majority vote 119 of 193 UN member states gathered at general assembly vote yes to resolution

English: The postage stamp of United Nations, ...
English: The postage stamp of United Nations, Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (1981) Русский: Почтовая марка Организации Объединённых Наций, неотъемлемые права палестинского народа (1981) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Map of Israel, the Palestinian territories (We...
Map of Israel, the Palestinian territories (West Bank and Gaza Strip), the Golan Heights, and portions of neighbouring countries. Also United Nations deployment areas in countries adjoining Israel or Israeli-held territory, as of January 2004. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Palestine’s flag will fly at UN headquarters after the general assembly overwhelmingly approved a Palestinian resolution, infuriating Israel with a move that Palestinians described as a step toward UN membership.
There were 119 votes in favor out of 193 UN members.
The US and Israel were among eight countries that voted against the Palestinian-drafted resolution, which says the flags of non-member observer states such as Palestine shall be raised at the New York headquarters.
Most of the 28-nation European Union were among the 45 nations that abstained from voting. However, France and more than half a dozen others voted in favor of the Palestinian resolution after the EU split on the issue.
“It’s a step to the recognition of Palestine as a full member state of the United Nations,” Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah told reporters in Paris earlier on Thursday.
The only other non-member observer state is the Vatican, which reacted coolly when the Palestinians first circulated their draft resolution last month.
The Palestinians initially presented their initiative as a joint effort with the Holy See, but the Vatican said it would not co-sponsor the resolution and requested that its name be removed from the text.
The Vatican said on Wednesday it had not decided whether to fly its flag next to Palestine’s should the resolution pass.
The resolution says observer states’ flags will be flown within 20 days. Palestinian diplomats say they expect their flag to be raised on 30 September, the day the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, addresses world leaders at the annual gathering of the assembly.
Ron Proser, Israel’s UN ambassador, criticised the assembly for adopting the resolution, saying “the assembly would vote to declare the Earth is flat if the Palestinians proposed it”. US ambassador Samantha Power said raising the Palestinian flag will not bring Israelis and Palestinians any closer together.
Alongside France, EU members Sweden, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Malta and Poland voted yes.


copied from thegaurdian.com via reddit

Sep 9, 2015

Promoting Twilight In The Park: Free Summer Concerts In Balboa Park San Diego





From Chloe Louise at the ronnie republic......I am looking for more pictures from Twilight in the Park.......to include in my blog........Seriously, I love to go there and I love to write about it......I would like everyone in San Diego to know about this great opportunity to listen to music in Balboa Park free on summer nights. I would also appreciate any tips on promoting it on my blog......thanks....cl....the ronnie re.......here is my e-mail....chloe.louise.langendorf.louis@gmail.com......


Remembering Mike Waggener: Twilight In The Park Summer Concert Series: Balboa Park Success Story

Jul 25, 2018

Mike Waggener Appreciation Evening........

Mike passed away in April.  He worked very hard to establish Twilight in the Park concert series in Balboa Park.  The concerts have been so well attended there was not a seat left for Santana Ways last year.  All of Mike's work was volunteer. 

Rest in peace, Mike, and thank you for spending your time to enrich our life in San Diego.

............................................................

2017 Update..........


Just reminding everyone Twilight In The Park summer concert series starts again next week on Tuesday, June 20.

It is a lovely experience in the evening and a good way to walk your dog in the summer in San Diego.


................................


It's impossible not to notice the success of Twilight in the Park--the summer concert series held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 at the Spreckles" Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park, San Diego, California.

The concerts start the 3rd week in June and continue through the end of August.

The live music was particularly impressive this year as the place was packed and the enthusiasm of the crowd was infectious.

Speaking with organizer Mike Waggener about the goal of the evening events he was very anxious for the citizens of San Diego to know that the concerts are for everyone--every group of people are included and everyone is welcome.

The kids, the young families, the seniors, the dancers, the singers.......there is plenty of space for everyone......lovely wheelchair access, several parking lots and frequent trams.

Mike wanted to be sure and mention that there is plenty of room for everyone to dance--kids and couples--the area is giant.......and this year Mike has incorporated dancing lessons, as well.

But this year particularly one could not help but notice the immense talent of the bands..........


I'm talking about Santana Ways--the crowd was on their feet as the band played several encores.

Talking about The Coronado Big Band--swing fan or not their rendition of Sing Sing Sing is truly amazing and unforgettable.

Mike related that most of the line-up stays the same as the bands and orchestra are extremely talented and we are so lucky to have them year after year but there is always room for new groups, too.  The goal is to have something for everybody.

As the 30 year organizer of the famous summer event Mike was very thrilled for all of the guests to know that one new band we have this years is Bi-Nacional deMambo Orchestra from Tijuana.

Oh, and my favorite part......there is plenty of room for dogs and their owners--enough space for the dogs to spread out and enjoy themselves, too.


For locals.......we are located near North Park, South Park, Downtown, Logan Heights and it is perfect for walking your dog in the evening......many folks are bringing their dinner and enjoying a picnic on the steps, in the spacious area of bench seating or bringing a blanket and relaxing on the grass.



Thank you, Mike, from the citizens of San Diego for working so hard for 30 years to bring us this fantastic opportunity for music in Balboa Park on summer nights......good job and well done.