Donald Duck is your friend. (Photo Credit: CC BY-ND/Nancy Nally/Flickr)

April Magolon would have a court of her peers believe that she was goosed by a duck. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the 27-year-old Pennsylvania woman claims she was visiting Disney’s Epcot theme park in Florida when a most fowl deed occurred. As April Magolon was standing around holding her child, Magolon says a park employee dressed as Donald Duck groped Magolon’s breast, then joked about it.

Judge rules April Magolon will have her day in court

While the incident reportedly occurred in May 2008, April Magolon claims that not a night goes by without nightmares, digestive problems and other conditions related to post-traumatic stress disorder. Now a federal judge in Philadelphia has ruled that Disney must defend April Magolon’s post-traumatic street suit in a Pennsylvania court, rather than a Florida court as Disney’s legal team was requesting.

Reports indicate that Disney theme parks have a documented history of fondling complaints. It is unknown at this time whether the employee who allegedly groped April Magolon has a history of such acts.

Giving Donald Duck a bad name

It appears the name Donald Duck is just destined for trouble. While April Magolon battles it out with Disney in court, a Donald Duck unrelated to Disney is in a different sort of trouble. A 51-year-old Ohio man named Donald Norman Duck was arrested yet a gain for DUI in July. Duck has blown a staggering five DUIs in and around Massillion, Ohio, making him a regular with area police.

“He’s a frequent flier,” said local police Capt. Joe Herrick. ”He’s got multiple previous DUIs, multiple previous no operator’s license and operating under suspension, so he’s not that good a driver.”

Though Donald Norman Duck is a documented bad driver, at least he doesn’t try to escape the fuzz — a good decision. However, his decision making skills appear to be lacking when it comes to carrying around bags of marijuana during drunken automotive escapades. A closer look at Donald Norman Duck’s rap sheet shows marijuana possession among his lengthy list of charges.

Sources

PopFi

Sydney Morning Herald

Twenty-four complaints of questionable behavior since 2004

Miramax moguls Bob Weinstein, left, and Harvey Weinstein. (Photo Credit: CC BY/Diana Sanchez/Sin efectos especialies)

The New York Times reports that The Walt Disney Company has agreed in principle to sell major film production property Miramax to an investment group for approximately $660 million. The deal follows a six-month bidding war between Miramax founders Harvey and Bob Weinstein and a series of investors. Construction business owner Ronald Tutor and his investment group ended up with the winning bid, which consisted of a non-refundable $40 million fee.

No room for Miramax after Disney, Pixar and Marvel

Via press release, Disney expressed appreciation for the film achievements of Miramax. However, as Disney CEO Robert Iger put it, “Our current strategy for Walt Disney Studios is to focus on the development of great motion pictures under the Disney, Pixar and Marvel brands.” Considering the 700-strong slate of successful films, including “No Country for Old Men” and “Chicago” in the Miramax stable, it’s a wonder that Disney could no longer find a place for the Miramax property. According to the Times, Disney even had incentive to keep Miramax, as its in-place distribution channels enabled Miramax to get top dollar for its independent features, something other independent distributors can only dream of accomplishing. But the Tutor group’s bid was high enough to seal the deal.

The Weinsteins will remain in the wings

Because of a $150 million investment in ongoing film franchises like “Spy Kids” and “Scary Movie,” Harvey and Bob Weinstein will remain in the Miramax picture. The Tutor Perini Corporation and Tom Barrack of Colony Capital – the duo that purchased Miramax via Filmyard Holdings –  might butt heads with the Weinsteins, considering that the incumbents are reportedly quite upset over losing the bidding war. Yet Ronald Tutor is looking forward to leading Miramax into the future. In a media statement, he said he was delighted and that he “looks forward to sharing high-quality content with the world in every form of media for many years to come.”

Sources:

New York Times

Image from Picasa.

Apparently, it has been discovered that the Baby Einstein video series, created for children younger than two, does not turn babies into geniuses. In fact, the Times Online reports that watching videos of any type might be harmful for children that age.

After a drawn out process that involved dropping a complaint against the company in 2007 and then re-opening it, the Baby Einstein recall has been issued officially. The company says it will refund all Baby Einstein video purchases between June 5, 2004, and Sept. 4, 2009.

Baby Einstein recall a curious case

The time period that the Baby Einstein recall covers includes an incident during which President Bush recognized Baby Einstein company founder Julie Aigner-Clark as an “American hero.” At the time, the Federal Trade Commission was already investigating a complaint against Baby Einstein.

Aigner-Clark had already made some fast cash by selling her company to Disney, but the complaint includes Aigner-Clark because her image is still used to market Baby Einstein, and she is the one who named the company. The complaint directly addresses the name, as “Baby Einstein” indicates that the product will make children smart, although it might actually do the opposite.

Is Baby Einstein recall symbolic?

Now that the Baby Einstein recall has been issued, the complainants seem satisfied. A Slate article rightfully points out that the Baby Einstein recall is important, not because people can get back the few dollars they spend on videos, but because it’s the company’s way of admitting that its products are ineffective.

Furthermore, the Baby Einstein recall publicizes the fact that the videos will not turn children into geniuses, and that’s the real purpose of the complaint: to educate people about the fact that watching videos and TV at such a young age can be bad for kids.

Based on this inromation, it seems logical that the Baby Einstein recall would apply to all purchases of Baby Einstein videos since the company started selling the products in 1997. However, refunds only will be issued for purchases made during the designated time period.

This 2007 photo shows HandsOn Network volunteers cleaning up a neighborhood. Image from Flikr.com.

We have all heard the president calling for everyone to be good citizens and do volunteer work. Now, there’s a little extra incentive from Disney, who is running the “Give a day, get a Disney day” promotion. Disney has teamed up with the HandsOn Network, which is part of the nation’s largest volunteer network, the Points of Light Institute, to encourage people to volunteer.

The Los Angeles Times says 1 million people who do volunteer work through a HandsOn Network participating organization will get a pass for a free one-day admission to either Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., or Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. To be eligible for the free passes, volunteers must sign up through DisneyParks.com.

Not so fast

The promotion is available starting Jan. 1 2010, but you can already read about the program on the Disney parks web site and the HandsOn Network site. Of course, you can sign up to do volunteer work now, but you won’t be eligible for the free Disney theme park pass. So if you’re looking to save cash now on a Disney vacation, you’ll have to sit tight for a while.

The HandsOn Network can help you find centers where you can volunteer, but it also has a toolkit for starting your own volunteer project through the organization. You can also read other service volunteers’ stories to see what kinds of projects HandsOn Network can hook you up with.

Disney marketing campaign

While Disney’s partnership with the HandsOn Network will no doubt end up helping a lot of needy people and programs, the Walt Disney Co. will probably see some benefits from the promotion as well. The program appears to be somewhat of an extension of this year’s advertising campaign slogan “What will you celebrate?” AllEars.net reports:

Give a day, get a Disney day (image from flickr)

“In 2010, we want to recognize and add one more reason for celebration: the contributions people make to their communities every day,” said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “We want to inspire 1 million volunteers – people who will invest time and energy to make their own communities and neighborhoods a better place.”

The program might drum up a little profit for Disney theme parks. After all, admission passes don’t cover food and all the other goodies available for sale in the parks. And perhaps friends who get the free passes will talk others into joining them.

Back to the important stuff

Of course, the best news about this partnership promotion is that the HandsOn Network, if all goes as planned, will get 1 million new volunteers. That means more people to help in soup kitchens, tutors for school kids and all kinds of other positive action across the country.

Furthermore, it is getting the name of the HandsOn Network out there. Since Disney announced its promotion, many people have learned about HandsOn Network. I have faith that a lot of people will sign up to volunteer through the HandsOn Network because of this promotion, regardless of whether they get a theme park pass or not. And for those who want something in exchange for their day of service or just a free pass to Disneyland, here’s a perfect opportunity.