Mr. Hahn, whose credits include The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, was tapped to produce this film that will now become an annual event for The Walt Disney Family Museum to stage and entertain their guests each year during the holidays.

Christmas with Walt Disney is full of surprises including scenes from the television specials and vintage commercials from early Disney sponsors such as Kodak and Coca Cola. The studio Dixieland band, Firehouse Five plus Two makes a spirited appearance, as do clips from dozens of Disney’s films including Swiss Family Robinson, Lady and the Tramp, Fantasia and a clip from The Happiest Millionaire featuring Fred McMurray and Greer Garson singing “It Won’t be Long ‘til Christmas”— a very rare clip since this song was cut out of the picture.

“During our first screening of some selected clips to Ron and Diane, we showed clips of Walt skiing and ice skating with Lillian (Walt Disney’s wife), intercut with clips of Mickey and Goofy on ice,” said executive producer Craig Murray. “The quick cuts from Walt to Goofy did the trick and showed how much this man’s life became his art.”

Sounds like the beginning of a great tradition for Disney fans.

What: Christmas with Walt Disney
Where: The Walt Disney Family Museum Theater, 104 Montgomery Street, The Presidio of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94129
When: November 27, 2009 – January 4, 2010 (except Tuesdays, December 25 and January 1)
Show Times: 10:30am, 12:00pm, 1:30pm, 3:30pm, 5:00pm and 6:30pm
Tickets: $4-$10; check Website for details

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Christmas with Walt Disney – a new film
The Disney Blog - Disney News and Information -- by fans, for fans

Faced with the responsibility of being the first Museum to present so much previously unseen work from an artist as popular as Tim Burton, who luckily has saved much of what he’s done creatively since adolescence, we felt our first job was to provide some chronological and narrative structure to its exhibition.

We’ve attempted to accomplish this by organizing material under “Surviving Burbank” covering the years of Tim’s upbringing in Burbank, CA; “Beautifying Burbank” on his years as a student at CalArts and an apprentice animator and concept artist with the Walt Disney Company, including his early collaborations with sculptor and artist Rick Heinrichs, animator Joe Ranft and effects artist Stephen Chiodo; to “Beyond Burbank” for the years since his first feature, “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” (1985), to the present, when he’s called on a number of successful collaborators—costume designer Colleen Atwood, special effect make-up artist Stan Winston, character designers The Carlos Grangel Studio, puppet fabricators Mackinnon and Saunders and composer Danny Elfman—to bring his vision to the screen.

More of the interview here.

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Tim Burton Retrospective in NYC
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While not exactly the major overhaul that many thought Space Mountain deserved, this rehab has brought some fairly significant changes to the attraction. Okay, it’s mostly a fresh coat of paint, some new projections, and some queue enhancements. But hey, it’s open again.

To celebrate I’m calling mini-meet, or Tweetup if you’re reading this from twitter, to experience it together. Let’s get together at 11:00 AM on Sunday in front of Space Mountain by the round planter. We’ll go once through the standby queue and once through fastpass, so come early and pick up your fastpass.

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Space Mountain landing in Magic Kingdom this Sunday
The Disney Blog - Disney News and Information -- by fans, for fans

There appears to be no easy solution to this matter as neither side has budged in the negotiations in 2 years and 92% of the union members voting to reject Disney’s latest offer. One of the big reasons for that rejection is Disney’s new health plan that could cost these employees 4 to 5 times as much as they’re currently paying. Still, almost every other union Disney negotiates with has entered into that new health contract. So you can see where Disney thinks they got things right.

Having employees who interact with the public forced to come into work sick is not good PR anyway you look at it. Nor is it good national health policy. In fact, there is a bill in congress to mandate paid sick days for workers right now.

More at the OC Register.

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Union Dispute with Disneyland now putting Guests at Risk
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It’s the time of year to be thankful and to give of your heart. The spirit of giving shines 365 days a year at Walt Disney World Resort, which provides cash and in-kind support to more than 100 local non-profit organizations. One such organization, Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, provides food and shelter to approximately 600 people each night, including many families with children.

Coalition for the Homeless is more than a shelter; it is a comprehensive program designed to empower homeless men, women and children to become self-sufficient. In addition to food and shelter, the Coalition provides programs and services including education, job skills training, case management, licensed day care, child development programs and housing placement.

“When you see homelessness in the media, you are moved to humility and compassion but when you see homelessness in person, you are moved to action,” says Trevor Larsen, vice president of Engineering Services & Manufacturing for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, who is making a difference at the Coalition by providing leadership through his board service and support in the maintenance and improvement of Coalition facilities. “There are plenty of ways people can help,” says Larsen, who invites others to “come meet these adults and children in need and get involved.”

Additionally, Disney VoluntEARS serve nearly 750 meals monthly at the Coalition and chefs from Disney Resorts will prepare and serve dinner for residents on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Disney Chef Tony Marotta is overseeing Thanksgiving meal preparations, which begin two days prior to the holiday. “What surprises me most is when we ask our team for volunteers to help at the Coalition, we always get two-to-three times more than we expect,” says Marotta, who will be making a traditional feast to feed approximately 700 people.

“Disney’s generosity, both financial and in-kind, has been invaluable to us in meeting the needs of the homeless individuals and families seeking our help,” says Coalition for the Homeless President/CEO Brent Trotter. “And the volunteer involvement of Disney Cast Members really extends our reach in helping those in desperate need.”

For the past two years, Walt Disney World Resort has recognized Coalition for the Homeless with its top Disney’s Helping Kids Shine Grant – the Bob Allen Outstanding Community Service Award – for its outstanding outreach efforts to the homeless children of Central Florida. Disney provides funding to the non-profit’s children services program, which aims to instill values such as trust, honesty, integrity, responsibility, personal power and self-esteem.

“It’s humbling and a great honor to be recognized for our work with families,” says Trotter. “Families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population in Central Florida today. We’ve created a wide variety of services to meet the unique needs of the growing number of children who the Coalition serves and are happy to have the support of Disney in our mission.”

To learn more about how you can help, visit www.centralfloridahomeless.org.

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Disney VoluntEARS serve Homeless for the Holidays (and all year round)
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It’s not often that fans of a particular artist get a chance to give back to that artist. But today us Disney fans get that chance. If you ever got a chuckle from a classic Chip & Dale cartoon or were wowed by a Disneyland audio-animatronic then you’ve experienced the magic of celebrated Disney Legend and Animator Bill Justice.

Justice is getting ready to celebrate his 96th Birthday, but he’s been in a rehabilitation home for the last few years and not receiving many visitors.

Here’s a note sent to me from a source I trust on how you can make a difference.

We need your help flooding Disney Legend Bill Justice with cards and letters. He has been residing in a convalescent home the past few years.

For those of you unfamiliar with his name, Bill Justice is best known for his work as an animator of Chip & Dale, and directed several cartoons including “What’s the Truth About Mother Goose?” He also programmed the Country Bear Jamboree, Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion. He was very active at fan events such as Disneyana Conventions and NFFC events in the 80’s and 90’s.

We’ve been asked to share an address where cards and letters can be sent. Please help us show him that we still remember him and appreciate what he has given us as fans. Perhaps send him a picture that you took with him or just a simple card. You can send the cards and notes to:

Bill Justice
Arbor View Wellness & Rehabilitation Center
1338 20th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404

Thanks for helping out. Let’s show Bill how much we appreciate the joy and fun he has brought into the world.

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Giving Thanks for Bill Justice
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We start with a “previously on V”, where we get to relive – again – Erica bashing Dale and discovering his reptilian reality. It’s a little soon to tell if the scenes selected for “previously…” are indicating the theme or focus of the episode to come the way they do on Lost.

“Previously…” segues right into the current episode…it’s Anna against a white screen and she’s getting her picture taken for her nifty new traveling visa. Chad’s voiceover tells us it’s a Bright New Day, as we see several other Visitors smile for the camera, then Anna waves her ticket to freedom for the cameras. As Anna ascends, angel-like, inside the Peace Ambassador Centre, Chad’s assistant tells him, “You made this happen.” Chad agrees, but appears to struggle with whether or not this is, in fact, a good thing.

Meanwhile, Father Jack hears confession from humans who are struggling with the ramifications of this alien invasion. They give voice to his own inner turmoil. In spite of the Bright New Day, people are confused and scared – lost.

Then we zip over to Erica’s house; our favorite FBI agent has gotten her groove back. Gone is the shaken and uncertain woman of last week. She’s filing, sorting, hectoring Tyler about staying out of the city’s chaos. She’s disgusted with her government’s malleability: “It’s like 9-11 never happened!” But a knock at the door interrupts. Father Jack has come calling.

Erica and FJ speculate on the V’s motives. The Visitors need us for something, Erica foreshadows. Meanwhile, FJ can take over the filing while duty calls for Erica – there have been death threats against the V’s, and Erica recognizes the importance of humans not being seen as the bad guys.

Ryan’s also nervous about this Bright New Day, warning Val about being careful now that the V’s can travel freely. Val reassures him that it’s normal for people to fear change and then teases him about keeping secrets from her.I wonder if Ryan intentionally sought out a girlfriend who was a psychotherapist to get an education about the human psyche. But Ryan’s got an agenda today. He meets with a very scared Georgie and tells him about the mythical John May, former leader of the Fifth Column and the very first group to betray their leader. Georgie declines accompanying him to see Cyrus. Georgie’s carrying some deep scars, and after the tragedy at the warehouse he’s reluctant to join forces.

Back to the Mother Ship, where Anna’s creepy sidekick Marcus (played by Christopher Shyer) gets an update on Dale’s condition from Joshua, a Visitor doctor whose uniform of flowy white invokes an image of New Age healer. Dale comes to as Joshua watches. “You’re a hero,” Joshua tells the amnesia-stricken Dale. Turns out Dale’s survival can be credited to the fact that his heart’s in the wrong place – haha. Where IS his heart? That’s something our resistance fighters may have to learn as they battle the V’s in the future.

The FBI has arrived at the Peace Ambassador Centre. There are the dots and dashes symbols that indicate the V’s have a language of their very own. It’s a dash of nostalgia for original fans. Erica is teamed – reluctantly – with a Visitor agent, and assigned to find the baddie who’s issuing death threats. Erica requests a tour of the V’s surveillance room, and is surprised at its simplicity. “It was like this when we got here,” her V partner tells her. Three weeks on Earth, and he’s already mastered blaming the US government. Erica glimpses a V entering the real surveillance room, and you just know she’s getting in there eventually.

Ryan finds Cyrus, who seems surprised to see him. “29 guesses why I’m here,” says Ryan. In case anyone forgot the significance of 29, the camera cuts back to the Mother Ship, where Anna’s issuing orders to the captains of all 29 Mother Ships. She lectures them on the impact of popular opinion among humans and encourages them to monitor and shape it when they can. In a new and improved version of beam-me-up, the holographic captains vanish one by one.

The protest movement has a figurehead, Mary Faulkner, whose F16 pilot husband was killed during The Arrival. We learn that 642 others died that day, and Mary’s determined to avenge them all by encouraging everyone to hate on the V’s. Anna is really worried about Mary Faulkner and explains to Marcus that hatred is contagious – they’ll have to make an example of Mary so she doesn’t infect others.

Left with the FBI weirdo list, FJ finds Georgie and heads off to his last known address. FJ is clearly new at keeping a low profile – the name of his church is printed on the side of his car. Inside the house, he finds newspaper clippings about Georgie’s murdered family. A woman – a neighbor? – tells FJ that Georgie went off the deep end after the murders. Choosing not to remain anonymous, FJ leaves his calling card.

Ryan’s told Cyrus what he’s after, but Cyrus isn’t going to play ball. Pulling a gun, Cyrus presses an alarm button and tells Ryan the V’s are coming. Turns out, they’ve promised Cyrus they’ll “reconnect” him if he turns in enough Fifth Column. “They’ll skin you alive,” insists Ryan. And what, turn him into a nice pair of boots? But Cyrus is crazed – he misses “the bliss” that Anna can provide. What’s this mysterious “bliss” going to turn out to be? A drug, or perhaps a mind-altering operation? We’re not given more than that. But it must be pretty special and powerful since Cyrus seems to think the end justifies the means. Ryan, however, is not interested in bliss – he tackles Cyrus and disarms him. When the V’s arrive, they find Cyrus and Ryan gone and a message spray-painted on the wall: John May Lives.

Erica and her current partner have their suspect in sight and the chase is on. The sound mixing on both broadcasts I watched was off or something for the next two scenes, so the dialogue was meaningless – it’s a testament to the makers of V that the gist of things was conveyed effectively anyway. The shooter pulls his gun and Erica wrestles him to the ground in five seconds flat, saving Marcus’ life. The V’s lead the suspect away; they’ll do the questioning. Erica’s not happy about it, but doesn’t argue.

Marcus thanks Erica for saving his life. “Blame instinct and training,” she says, then smiles to reassure him she’s joking. But Marcus is wary – better keep his eye on this lady!

Now that V security is occupied, Erica sneaks into the REAL surveillance room, where hundreds of live images are being projected from all over the city. By touching them, Erica can zoom in and hear what’s happening. Our clever girl sees herself in one of the images, and moves around the room until she finds the source of the camera. It’s the patch on the V jacket.

Tyler hooks up with Lisa, who has forgiven him – of course, he’s back on the approved list again. The two head to Tyler’s place, where they begin a passionate embrace, only to be interrupted by Erica’s arrival. Tyler strips off his uniform and heads off Erica in the hall. It must suck to be a cop’s kid – Erica sees right through him and barges into his room. There’s Lisa, sans uniform, and for the first time this episode, we see Erica flummoxed. How embarrassing! Erica, of course, has no idea that Lisa is a V.

Joshua is walking Dale through an environment constructed from the memories they found in his brain. It’s the FBI offices. With Joshua’s prodding, Dale recalls living among the humans as a sleeper V: It was smelly, crowded and disgusting. Dale recalls that he was not the only V at the bureau, confirming our suspicions that there are more we’ve yet to meet. Finally, Dale remembers it was Erica that cracked him open and vows to kill her.

But not so fast! Joshua remarks that Erica will make a wonderful ally, as a surprised Dale experiences the illusion falling to pieces around him. “The Fifth Column says hello,” Joshua tells him as he plunges a needle into Dale’s arm, presumably killing him. Yay! for more Fifth Column, but fans were already upset at the thought that Alan Tudyk might not return. Is this the first will-he-or-won’t-he-be-back cliffhanger of the fall season?

Georgie finds FJ and the two empathize with each other, while FJ encourages him to help mount the resistance. Georgie’s still not sure – he’s been there and done that, and “they crush us every time.” Georgie’s obviously a tortured soul; I hope we’re going to get more backstory.

Anna rehearses her sympathy speech for Widow Mary; what a great scene for Morena Baccarin! She plays it with such a serious earnestness it’s almost comical. Anna even manages a tear, just in time to meet the Widow and convince her that hope and trust are the keys to healing. Mary says as much to the protesters gathered outside, while the world and the media watch. It’s a feel-good speech, almost a standard for politicians or anyone encouraging tolerance and understanding: what we share is far greater, yada yada. Anna follows up with assurances that the V’s will not seek revenge for the assassination attempt.

Chad, of course, will get the exclusive interview with Widow Mary. We haven’t seen much of Chad this week, other than commentary about events taking place. I hope he gets a little more screen time before the end of this fall block – it’s been hard to get a read on the character. I’d like to think there’s some depth there. As Chad reports on the events of the day being a PR coup for the V’s, we see Anna thank the assassin – she staged the whole thing! I wonder if Marcus knows it?

Our shaky resistance meets – Georgie, Erica, FJ and Ryan. Such a small group and such a monumental task before them!

The final scene has one more reveal coming – Lisa is Anna’s daughter! Nice to see the V’s don’t eat their young. “Tyler’s the one,” Lisa tells her, leaving us wondering just what’s in store for the Evans family in the future.

Next week’s teaser – the fall finale – makes that episode look as action-packed as this one. Without spoiling too much, it appears as though the writers were very intuitive; the plot could play on the real-life borderline hysteria over the flu vaccine controversies. Now they’re going to have to leave viewers with the perfect combination of enough information to care about what happens next and enough questions unanswered that we have a reason to tune in next March. Feel free to add your theories and thoughts in the comments.

It’s A Small World After All Disclaimer: I discovered last week that Executive Producer and Writer Scott Peters went to university with my brother-in-law – Comm. Studies, which happens to be what my own daughter is currently studying at the same university. Nice to see a local boy done good!

When not leading the Resistance, Shelley blogs at Once I Was A Writer

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V Episode 3: A Bright New Day
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Lines are still forming at some vaccination centres, where people are queuing up early just to get their coupons. But officials say the system has been effective. At one vaccination centre in Montreal’s Plateau Mont Royal district recently, nurses and health workers outnumbered people in line.

“The system is marvellous,” said Johanne Spencer, who’d whisked through her vaccination. “You know what time you’re going to have your turn and you know how long you’ll have to wait. You don’t waste three, four hours in line.”

I’m pretty sure Disney won’t be promoting this as they don’t want the parks identified with Swine Flu at the moment.

More here (Hat Tip to BoingBoing’s Cory D.)

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Disney’s Fastpass inspires solution to long Swine Flu Shot lines
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What Disney attraction would you like to see get the Pirates Of the Caribbean movie treatment next? I still think they could do a better job with Haunted Mansion (perhaps a series of Halloween time PG13 scare flicks) and I’m dying to see a film based on Space Mountain.

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20,000 Leagues Remake Sinks
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Haunted Mansion Action Figures! They’ve done something like this before, but these are more affordable.

This new Pirates Mickey Ears actually looks like a dead mouse skull if you ask me. Not exactly a Disney image.

If you like Disney’s new Vinylmation collectibles, then you’ll love these plush versions. I like the monorail one myself.

Even if you can’t make it to the parks, you can find some of the best Disney Themepark Merchandise available on the LaughingPlace.com Store.

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Highlights of New Merchandise at WDW
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The encore dance is, unsurprisingly, Mya & Dmitry doing their Salsa. It earned a perfect 30, and we once again get to see why. I always secretly hope someone falls down during the encore dance, but my secret hopes are always dashed. They’re just as awesome, and get a huge standing ovation.

It’s time for recaps of last night. We find out that Kelly’s Rumba solo was almost completely improvised because she forgot her choreography, and they were concerned about top-poppage in her yellow dress. Joanna savored comments from the judges. Donny suffered Dressgate 2009, but came back with two great dances. Mya slaughtered all three dances and got Len to remark not once, but TWICE about her posterior.

Who’s going home? Find out after the cut, and 50 more minutes of filler.

Time to begin the elimination! Right now! Only 9 minutes in! Delightful. The first space in the finals is going to … wait for it … tension fills the room … the first finalist … will be revealed shortly. Well punked, Bergeron.

Our first real burst of filler is a dance number from the upcoming movie Nine. It’s all sexy and sultry and dirty and goes on 50% too long, just like all dance numbers in musicals. In the end, the dancers all flop down on the ground in the shape of the number 9. How awkward, having two movies coming out in the same season, one named Nine and one named 9. They should have called each other. Commercials, then it’s more filler — this time, a performance by Alicia Keys. Her outfit is a frightful mix of leather jacket, pleather tights, and thigh-high teal suede boots. The song is decent, I guess, but Keys isn’t my personal bag. One thing’s for sure — it’s miles better than the Ballas/Hough number. But then again, my cats sound better than Ballas/Hough.

The next filler is a … music video? Of the celebrities poorly lip-synching to “Under Pressure”. Donny is the only one who can really act at all. It ends with a shot of a pair of high-heeled shoes on fire, and the smoke coming off of those babies looks pretty toxic. Afterward, Bergeron comments that pressure clearly doesn’t improve lip-synching skills.

Finally, 27 minutes in, some results. The two highest-scoring couples, Mya & Dmitry and Joanna & Derek, are called to the front of the stage. First off, Mya & Dmitry are sent to the finals. Dmitry seems even more excited than Mya. Joanna & Derek are told that they’ll find out their fate later.

After a break, Leona Lewis performs. While standing on a glassy pedestal in the middle of a sea of fog, surrounded by dancing men. It’s like that dream I had the other night. Oh, here come some women to dance as well. Still, pretty cool. The song, as usual, is available in the “music lounge” on the ABC site. Smart.

We move straight into more results — our remaining two couples, Kelly & Louis and Donny & Kym, stand on the band stage to find out their fate. The next couple in the finals is … Donny & Kym!

Next up, the two remaining Bee Gees will perform while Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani (last season’s third-place finishers and supposed “fan favorites”) will join with other pros to dance the hustle. It’s the 50th anniversary of the Bee Gees, and they’re giving us “You Should Be Dancing”. The judges are on their feet. The crowd, likewise. My husband is of the opinion that the Bee Gees always sound like they’re being scalded with boiling water. Which is kind of true, but I still think they’re grand. Rycroft isn’t as good as the pros, but she has a great lift at the end. She’s barefoot, which makes her stand out all the more against the shoe-wearing professional women she’s dancing near.

The next package is about how the pros put together the dance numbers for the results shows. There’s bickering, and tomfoolery, but they always seem to come together as a team and create great dances. Sometimes the wardrobe department has to create up to 120 costumes per week. Now that’s seriously hardcore.

We’re 50 minutes in, and supposedly we’re returning to the elimination. With 10 minutes left? I’m not falling for this stuff again, Bergeron. Ah, yes … the eliminated contestants will be revealed … after these message. Cue a massive commercial break, and finally it’s 55 past the hour, and time to find out our final finalist. Will it be Kelly, the goofball who still makes mistakes galore but has the brightest smile in the room? Or will it be Joanna, who gets good scores but some people still think she’s a big emotionless block of wood? On this ninth week of competition, the couple leaving tonight is … Joanna & Derek. What! I’m so delighted! I just like Kelly so much more.

Because we have that kind of time, Joanna & Derek will dance their Viennese Waltz again instead of doing the standard shuffling junior-high-grade last dance while the credits roll. “Hallelujah” is just as creepy and plodding as it was last night.

So there we have our finalists. Mya the high-scorer, Donny the entertainer, and Kelly the giddy-bubbly-smiler. Next week: freestyle dancing, and the mirrorball trophy finds a new home. I can’t wait!

Missy normally wears her 120 costumes per week over at themissy.com.

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Dancing with the Stars: Week 9 Results
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Of course, this can make things interesting from time to time. From what I’ve seen the flight up is fine, but sometimes the landings can be a bit shakey. The video below wasn’t even the roughest landing I saw all day, but it’s still an e-ticket experience. Check out the passengers clapping at the end. Happy they all survived it sounds like.

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Characters in Flight – an E-Ticket Ride
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A few months ago Disneyland actually did set up the theater to show the Captain EO film with most of the original effects. It was shown to company executives and Jackson family members, including Michael’s kids who had never seen it before. The general feeling by executives was that it could work, but that the justification just wasn’t there financial wise to do it.

Now, with the global success of “This Is It” the Michael Jackson concert pic earning big dollars around the world, it might be time to roll out Captain EO for one more dance.

What do you think? Will you make a special trip to Disneyland to see Captain EO if it’s brought back?

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Captain EO Returning to Disneyland
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The alternatives the city is considering include:

•Increasing bus traffic in existing lanes.

•Building dedicated lanes for more buses.

•An elevated monorail (25-40 passengers per car, 30 mph)

•An elevated people mover (80-100 passengers per car, 20 mph)

•A low-speed magnetic-levitation train (150 passengers, 30 mph)

Natalie Meeks, the city’s public works director, said all options are on the table, but Anaheim sees strong benefits to building an elevated system.

Any system is estimated to cost over $300 million. I also like the idea to keep the system free, or very low cost, for passengers. The cost is one of the real drawbacks of the Las Vegas monorail.

Learn more about Anaheim’s plans at www.anaheimfixedguideway.com

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Anaheim moves closer to Monorail or Peoplemover System
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Once more down the staircase, and once again, Trumpet Guy goes totally insane. The stage looks practically empty with our remaining four couples lined up. Tonight everyone will perform three full routines: two fresh dances, one of which will have a 15-second solo, and the knockout dance they’ve been working on for weeks.

Donny & Kym – Tango – Kym brings Gilles Marini into rehearsal — he got tens in his Tango last season. His big advice is apparently to make the audience uncomfortable by the end. Um, what? Donny makes Kym uncomfortable during rehearsal, then reiterates that he wants to make everyone uncomfortable. With his passion, I guess? This is the weirdest thing. I tell you what, Kym’s dress is what’s making me uncomfortable. How painful is that, having your lady lumps squashed and mashed like that! Donny’s wearing a gold lamé jacket and black gloves, dancing to a song I’m guessing is called “Black and Gold” (due to the repetition of the words “black and gold” throughout). Their Tango is decent, don’t get me wrong. But it looks like there are a few stumbles, and they’re not in close enough contact, and it’s overall just not that exciting. Nor do I feel uncomfortable. Plus Kym has what looks like a torn bit of dress hanging down. After the dance, Donny sits on the floor and covers his face, then raises his fists and growls at the heavens. Len says it wasn’t as good as the Argentine Tango recently, and Donny blames it on seeing Marie in the crowd. Bruno is sad that Donny didn’t cover up his mistakes as well as usual. Carrie Ann missed the drama and the light and shade, but gives him props for finishing. We get to see the torn dress backstage, and Donny kicks himself some more. Scores: 7-7-7 for a chicken dinner.

Joanna & Derek -Viennese Waltz – In rehearsal, Derek gets frustrated like crazy. So Brooke Burke comes in to teach Joanna how to deal with his punky attitude. Then Brooke and Joanna share a cheek-kiss, to which Derek gets all eyebrow-raisy. Okay, NOW I’m uncomfortable. Their dance gets the extra-special set pieces of long, flowing curtains. They’re dancing to Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, which just makes me think of that adorable dreadlocked Jason Castro on American Idol. (Clearly, I watch far too much reality TV.) They start with a couple of nice spin tricks, although at one point Joanna’s feet look like a couple of delicate blocks of wood. The waltzing itself is decent, but a couple of times she shuffles her feet and it isn’t terribly elegant. They get a big standing ovation from the audience. Bruno says the dance had the grace of angels in heaven, but then calls out her hesitation. Carrie Ann loves how Joanna has grown, gives the dance love, but then tells her to work on the reaching. Len compliments her hold and posture, as well as the choreography, but calls out a couple of “peculiar” moments. Scores: 9-9-9 for 27.

Kelly & Louis – Rumba – Before rehearsals start, Kelly learns that one of the tiny cute puffball dogs she was looking after passed away. So she’s weepy, but still plugs along. She’s quiet and concentrating and working hard, and in a way it feels wrong. I’m used to the flighty, bubbly Kelly. The dance starts out really well, if you put aside the fact that Louis is kind of a weird lecherous leathery guy and Kelly’s so young and they’re dancing the super-romantic dance of romance. Since this is their Latin dance, Kelly has to do a 15-second solo. It’s not terrible, but it’s not that fabulous either; I think she got a tough style for a solo, since there isn’t a lot of the typical Latin dance bootyshaking or showboating in the Rumba. Louis comes back, and the dance ends with a fabulous difficult-looking move. Sharon Osbourne is applauding like mad, and the crowd is back on its feet. Carrie Ann tells Kelly she has a magical quality that reaches into her heart and brings her to tears. Len won’t be as “airy-fairy” as Carrie Ann, then says this wasn’t one of her best, but it certainly wasn’t her worst. Bruno wants to see a relentless sense of eroticism in the Rumba, which he didn’t get from this dance (good, says I), but commends the poses and figures. Scores: 8-8-8 for 24.

Mya & Dmitry – Waltz – They make up “boot camp” rules for rehearsals. They’ve also set up a tent in the rehearsal studio, to make us believe they’re sleeping there in order to squeeze in as much dance time as possible. Riiiight. They start their Waltz with Mya held in Dmitry’s arms, then proceed to tear up the dance floor, Waltz style. It’s a great dance, full of smooth loveliness, until the last few seconds when it looks like Mya’s toe comes off the floor during a lift (although her skirts are hiding her feet), and they have a tiny hiccup getting unwound from each other. Of course, they get a standing O (Will every dance get one?) for their effort. Len loves it for romance, elegance, movement, and control. Bruno calls it “love set to music” and absolutely loved it. Carrie Ann says she enjoyed it, but thought they were slightly not connected in the hold. No word about the maybe-lift. Scores: 9-9-10 for 28, although Bruno’s tie covers the 0 and it looks for a moment like he gives her an 11. Or a 1.

Donny & Kym – Samba – The second round will have, instead of rehearsal footage, little packages about how the stars became stars. We see Donny through his time with the Osmonds, then the Donny & Marie show, and then there’s awesome interview footage of Stevie Wonder in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland. Also, the two of Donny’s sons who are interviewed don’t look like brothers. At all. For their dance, they’re both slathered in sparkles. It’s maybe a little slow for the Samba, and it has its tiny problems, but Donny seems to be having a lot more fun than in his previous dance. His solo is all right, and after they’re done, he’s much happier. Bruno calls it effortless, carefree, and fun. Carrie Ann felt it was better than the other dance, but it felt a little sloppy and small. Len agrees with Bruno. Scores: 8-9-9 for 26.

Joanna & Derek – Cha Cha Cha – Joanna was born in Poland, and moved to Chicago at age 5. Her mother busted rear to raise her girls. Joanna moved to Los Angeles at age 20 to become a model. Also, she has a super-hunky fiancé. And Hugh Hefner has great things to say about her — did you know she’s going to be the December cover girl on Playboy? Neither did I. She starts the dance with her solo, up on the band stage shaking her fringe trousers. She joins up with Derek, and they proceed to Cha. Her legs and hips are moving well, but there’s something weird about her arms. They seem oddly stiff, and she’s not fully extending when she should. For the last few bars of the song, she mouths the words, which is extra weird. Carrie Ann loves how Joanna can go from elegant to wild. Len wants it to be a little bit more cheeky, but calls it lovely. Bruno tells her she’s “natural sex”. Scores: 9-9-9 for 27 (again).

Kelly & Louis – Quick Step – Kelly grew up in England, where a teacher refers to her as “very polite, but she always spoke her mind.” She spent time touring with Ozzy as a kid and learned to be resilient, but the 2000 MTV reality show (and the negative reactions to her) drove her to drugs. But now she’s on her way up and out, and Sharon and Ozzy couldn’t be prouder. They’re dancing to “99 Red Balloons”, which delights me. She looks so much more fit than when she started the show, especially in this dress. There are some timing problems between them, and a little flub at the end, but overall it’s a good dance. My biggest problem is that she only has two facial expressions: concentrating really hard, and grinning like a goofball. Another standing O, and it’s over to the judges. Len says there are two people he knows are happy: Kelly’s mum, and himself. The dance was totally beyond his expectations. Bruno compares her to Speedy Gonzales, and calls her a twinkling, twinkling star. Carrie Ann cheers Kelly, and calls the dance amazing and fabulous. Kelly, in tears, thanks the judges for all of their help. Man, she seems like a nice kid. Scores: 9-9-9 for 27, her highest score ever.

Mya & Dmitry – Salsa – She was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area. She was a tap dancer all through school, but wasn’t confident enough to sing for her parents until she was a teen. She had her first big single right when her parents were getting divorced and her mom got cancer. Wowsers, that’s a mixed bag of emotion. Their Salsa begins with the tiniest bit of theatrics — she unbuttons his jacket, under which he’s wearing no shirt. They’re shaking and shimmying to a sped-up version of “La Isla Bonita”, and her solo is jam-packed with excellent bootyshaking. Do I smell tens? Bruno stands up and shouts SEN-SA-TION-AL at them. Carrie Ann calls the solo amazing and difficult and amazing. Len channels crazy inappropriate Bruno, first saying “tutti frutti, what a booty,” then moving on to “I was mesmerized by your buttocks.” Scores: 10-10-10 for her second perfect score.

The third dance of the night will be the knockout dance that all couples prepared in case they had to dance for their lives on the double-elimination nights. We get a package of them all building and rehearsing their dances — they were allowed to choose their own styles and music. These will be the same short length as we saw during the dance-offs in previous weeks. Off we go!

Donny & Kym – Jitterbug – Finally, we get to see these sparkly green costumes in action. The dance is packed with energy, and showy as heck, but as usual with Donny, there are little errors here and there, and a few problems with staying in synch with Kym. But overall, it’s a fun routine. Carrie Ann tells him he needed this dance to be good … and it was! Len calls the dance another winner. Bruno agrees, calling it upbeat and full of vigor. Scores: 9-9-9 for 27, giving them a total of 74 out of 90 for the night.

Joanna & Derek – Salsa – Ooh, right after Mya gets a perfect 30 for a Salsa. Tough stuff. She’s either wearing a lower heel, or dancing kind of flat-footed. But she can really shimmy and shake, and they get some good moves in their short dance. Len compares these routines to little hors d’oeuvres, and calls this one hot, tasty, and full of spice. Bruno chimes in, calling the dance delicious and flirtatious, then blows kisses. Carrie Ann calls it excellent, and says she’d love to see Joanna in the finals. Scores: 9-9-9 for 27, giving them a total of 81 out of 90 for the night (although it sounds like Samantha says their score is 71).

Kelly & Louis – Cha Cha Cha – They’re dancing to “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, and it’s cute and light, but doesn’t seem all that difficult. And it feels shorter than the other knockout dances so far. But there’s no stumbling and no missed steps, so that’s good. Bruno gets his creepiness back, declaring: “It might have been a quickie, but it worked for me.” Then he compliments her precision and timing. Carrie Ann compliments how she completed her hand movements every time. Len says she did all three dances to a very high level. Scores: 9-9-9 for 27, giving them a total of 78 out of 90 for the night.

Mya & Dmitry – Cha Cha Cha – Another really short one, danced to that song about a fire burning on the dance floor. But the dance doesn’t really set me on fire — I’ve seen much better out of these two. I don’t know what it is. There’s plenty of bootyshaking, some nice moves … I’m just not amazed. Carrie Ann loves the hip action and the tricks, but something didn’t do it for her. Len starts by telling Bergeron how he hates Bruno yelling in his ear. Then he says he was disappointed … that it wasn’t a longer dance. Bruno leans forward and shouts something about it being an action-packed feature. Scores: 9-10-10 for 29, giving them a total of 87 out of 90 for the night. That’s impressive.

Tomorrow: Alicia Keys! Leona Lewis! The two remaining Bee Gees! Oh, and an elimination. We’re getting into the time of the competition where viewer votes can really have a huge impact — both Mya and Joanna have been doing so well with the judges, we don’t really know how the viewers have been voting. What with Donny and Kelly being so popular, it’s anybody’s guess as to who’s going home tomorrow. All I know is, I’ll be there. With bells on!

Missy usually leaves her bells over at themissy.com.

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Dancing with the Stars: Week 9 Performances
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Singer & Arena Football team owner Jon Bon Jovi poses with Goofy Nov. 16, 2009 on the New York Street backlot set at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. Bon Jovi and his band, who have sold more than 120 million records in a career that spans 26 years, have just released their newest album, “The Circle.” The group will begin a world concert tour in early 2010. (Photo courtesy Disney. Gene Duncan, photographer)

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Goofy meets Jon Bon Jovi
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Fulton’s Crab House

Executive Chef Ron Cope has crafted a decedent Thanksgiving menu guaranteed to surpass even your wildest dreams of the perfect turkey-day feast. Guests will start their meal with either Butternut Squash soup (topped with cinnamon whipped cream) or a Baby mixed greens salad with candied pecans, roma tomato & Maple ginger vinaigrette. The Thanksgiving entrée goes classic with a Roasted Turkey Breast with sage stuffing, turkey gravy, homemade cranberry relish, whipped sweet potatoes, Yukon gold mash. As always, end on a sweet note with Homemade Pumpkin Pie! Kids also have the option to make their own sundae with vanilla ice cream, Oreo cookie crumbs, rainbow sprinkles, and chocolate sauce.

Fulton’s Crab House is located at located at 1670 Buena Vista Drive Lake in Downtown Disney. The Thanksgiving Day hours are 11:30 am- 11:00 pm. $29.95/person. Kids under 10 $12.95/person.

Portobello

This Thanksgiving at Portobello, Chef Steven Richard & Consulting Chef Tony Mantuano will serve a traditional three course dinner with a creative twist. Priced at $33.95 per person and $14.95 for children 10 and under, the first course offers options such as Caesar Salad or Sweet Potato Bisque. Enjoy an entrée of Roasted Turkey Breast with Rosemary Gravy, Pancetta and Apple Dressing, Haricot Verte, Whipped potato and cranberry relish. And of course, Thanksgiving dinner wouldn’t be complete without dessert so dig into Portobello’s delicious Pumpkin Bread Pudding.

Portobello is located at located at 1670 Buena Vista Drive Lake in Downtown Disney. The Thanksgiving Day hours are 11:30 am- 11:00 pm.

Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe

Chef Sinclair Thorne & Consulting Chef Wolfgang Puck have created an immaculate Thanksgiving menu to be offered in their gorgeous upstairs dining room. Start with an Amuse Bouche of Duck Comfit (long island duck in puff pastry with toasted Hazelnuts and orange cranberries sorbet) before you move on to the first course with a choice of Seared Scallop (Creamy celery root puree and duo pepper puree) or Duck Napoleon Slow braised duck layered with herbed goat cheese, Crispy wontons and apple-raspberry chutney. The Second Course offers a choice of Lobster Bisque with crispy prosciutto and lime chive crème fraiche or Tomato Mozzarella Salad Butter lettuce, heirloom tomato, arugula, shaved parmesan cheese Buffalo mozzarella, balsamic reduction and basil aioli. Wolfgang Puck has created a tradition main course consisting of Oven Roasted Free Range Turkey (with mushroom duxelle, garlic mashed potato, turkey dressing baby vegetables Orange spice cranberry relish) and Braised Short Ribs (with Herb and goat cheese polenta and fall vegetables.) End on a sweet note with Pumpkin Crème Brule (Spiced pumpkin custard with caramelized sugar)

Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe is located at located in Downtown Disney. The Thanksgiving Day hours are 11:30 am- 11:00 pm. $69.95/person. $16.95/person for children 12 and under.

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Make it a Downtown Disney Thanksgiving
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Today TouringPlans.com, the fine folks behind the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, are launching a preview version of Lines, a mobile website for iPhone users that displays estimates of wait times for every attraction at Walt Disney World, in real time.

For the past 10 years they’ve been obsessively researching wait times at Walt Disney World, collecting and processing a massive amount of data along the way. Their products like Touring Plans and the Crowd Calendar help you efficiently tour the parks and avoid the crowds.

In Lines, it’s obvious they thought a lot about one’s experience while touring the parks: standing in Frontierland and want to know how long the line is at Space Mountain? Is Soarin’ really a ninety minute wait? Will there be FASTPASSes left at Toy Story Mania if we get there at noon?

Lines was built to solve these problems. There are many mobile applications doing wait times (Disney included), and accurate estimates are particularly challenging. TouringPlans has the unique dataset required to provide the most accurate estimates.

There is also a handy preview of what tomorrow will look like. I’d like to see this expanded in future editions.

To give it a test-drive, grab an iPhone our iPod Touch and navigate to http://m.touringplans.com (other mobile platforms are on the way). You’ll need a TouringPlans.com subscription (which is free) to use Lines during this preview.

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Unofficial Guide launches WDW Wait Times iPhone mobile website
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Although he had appeared in the animated short Plane Crazy six months earlier, November 18, 1928 is widely recognized as Mickey Mouse’s birthday as it was the day that Steamboat Willie—the first Mickey Mouse cartoon with synchronized sound—was released.

Explore the galleries and discover the Earliest Known Drawings of Mickey Mouse and so much more, including vintage Mickey merchandise, the creation of Mickey’s friends, an interactive station that demonstrates how sound is synchronized to animation, and a special section dedicated to the Mickey Mouse Club. Come celebrate and learn about the birth, history and life of the leader of the club that’s made for you and me: M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!

The Museum is open from 10AM to 6PM, Wednesday through Monday. For more information, visit www.waltdisney.org or call 415-345-6800.

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Come Celebrate Mickey Mouse’s Birthday at the Walt Disney Family Museum
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First, I was very happy to hear the Oh Amanda, who writes our LOST coverage here at The Disney Blog, has made it onto the Disney Mom’s panel. She totally deserves it. I know she’ll be great at answering everyone’s questions.

Disneyland Paris saw increased visits, but still lost money last year. Not a good sign for a company that is still carrying a lot of debt. Hopefully the improving economy will improve their fortunes and prevent the need for serious cutbacks in service and development.

Let’s get ready to rumble. The Winnie the Pooh lawsuit is back on! This is basically a continuation of the last lawsuit. The judge reject the Slesinger heirs the rights to the Pooh characters, but said they were due royalties. This lawsuit is about setting the royalty rate. This is never going to end, is it.

Artist Cardow has an interesting political cartoon related to the makeover Disney is supposedly giving Mickey Mouse.

With 20 animated films eligible for the Oscars this year Pixar’s UP will face some stiff competition from four other films this year.

If you didn’t hear, The Walt Disney Company made a little more money last 4th quarter that they did the year previously.

Lastly, I was at the Magic Kingdom on Wednesday night and rode the TTA through the upgraded Space Mountain. They were doing testing. Cars were running and the interior effects were on. Definitely a new sound for the cars, but no soundtrack I could hear. However, the new interior lighting effects were amazing. Much more realistic than the old version. Btw, I hear soft openings are possible beginning even today.

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Around The Hub – TGIF
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