After big names like Miley Cyrus and Lindsay Lohan, don’t be surprised if the next star is a Blatz! Well from all indications, Kelly Blatz is being built up as the next star for Walt Disney. Quickly creating buzz, the California native comes out of the hit-making machine that catapulted Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers and the High School Musical cast to fame and stardom.
If all goes as planned, the Walt Disney Company will package 21 year old Kelly Blatz into a marketing machine that extends across the company’s many platforms, from film and television to merchandise and music.
Today he can be seen playing the title role on the new network’s flagship series Aaron Stone. A former Starbucks barista, Blatz also has a leading part in a much larger role: to attract male tweens to a network tailored to their tastes.
Until February’s XD launch, there was a relative shortage of programming designed specifically for the 18 million male tween viewers in the USA. It’s a powerful piece of the younger population to not fully attract: Internationally, the age group, usually defined as kids 6 to 14, injects an estimated $50 billion into the economy.
Later this year, Disney XD will serve up still more tween boy talent. The 16-year-old newcomers Hutch Dano and Adam Hicks star in a documentary-style comedy, Zeke & Luther. The pair will play best friends who have set their sights on becoming the world’s best skateboarders.
(Source) Live-PR
For the many fans of Miley Cyrus, this is one book you should get. Fans everywhere get a unique look inside the world of one of today’s biggest and brightest stars when Miles to Go, the first ever book from international teen superstar Miley Cyrus, goes on sale.
In Miles to Go, Miley shares her inspiring story, spanning from her Southern roots in Tennessee to the excitement of her record-setting triumphs in TV, music and film through never-before-seen photos, family stories, and a look at her inner circle of loved ones. Throughout the book, Miley has included pages of doodles, poems, song lyrics, and musings in addition to fun anecdotes and touching stories.
Disney Book Group and Parragon Books will publish MILES TO GO in English language markets simultaneous to the U.S. launch; the book will be published in Italy through Disney Libri in April 2009. In addition, the book will publish in French Canada in April 2009 and in May will hit stores in France via Michel LaFon.
Price: $24.95
(Source) Press
Recently it was announced that Steve Jobs was taking a leave of absence from Apple with media speculating it was health problems. With Jobs major association with Pixar Animated Studios, I read Floyd Norman’s take on working with both Walt Disney at Walt Disney Studios and Steve Jobs at Pixar Animation Studios.
Norman calls both men special people while I’d say geniuses would suffice. I recommend you read Norman’s insightful article take on working with both me at Jim Hill Media .
I am not much into the music industry, except for my daughters collection of Disney CDs (Broadway show tunes and movie soundtracks), so when I 
heard that Disney is launching a new record label named after Walt Disney’s own personal train in his backyard, Carolwood, it sparked my interest. Open up www.carolwood.com. Lyric Street is owned by Disney based in Nashville and is a country music label — the font of their label says it all.
Lyric Street is doing quite well, in the black, which says a lot considering the music business these days. It looks like Lyric Street and Carolwood are joining forces, which we should be hearing about around Thanksgiving.
If you want more information about the venture go to Jim Hill’s site. He tells it all.
Disney is launching its Platinum Collection line on Blu-ray starting with Sleeping Beauty to be released October 7.
The whole next-generation BD-Live network offers Web-enabled features like chat rooms and video messaging for the U.S. customers only with Sleeping Beauty. The network will go live worldwide in fall 2009 with Snow White.
Among five new Blu-ray releases Pinocchio will be first out of the gate, coming in the spring. Snow White followed in 2010 by Fantasia and Fantasia 2000.
A special release and treat along with the Blu-ray Disney will issue Destino, an unfinished animated feature film created by Walt Disney and famed surrealist painter Salvador Dali. Begun in 1946, the rare film was rediscovered in 2003 and completed by Walt Disney’s nephew, Roy E. Disney.
Then finally, Beauty and the Beast, the only animated film ever nominated for a best picture Oscar. The film will be available as a Blu-ray Disc Platinum Collection release in fall 2010.