Insights Into Entertainment: Episode 21 “MAD about Disney”

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Speaker 1:
0:02
Insightful podcast by informative hopes, insights into a podcast network.:
Speaker 2:
0:28:
Speaker 3:
0:28
come to insights into entertainment, a podcast series, taking a deeper look into entertainment and media, your hosts, Joseph and Michelle, Waylon, a husband and wife, team of pop culture fanatics, or exploring all things from music and movies to television and fandom.:
Speaker 2:
0:50:
Speaker 4:
0:50
welcome to insights and entertainment. This is episode 21 I’m mad about Disney. I’m your host, Joseph Waylan and my lovely and talented cohost, Michelle Wayland. Hello my love. How are you today dear? Yeah, I’m okay. Yeah. One of those days. I know you’re not feeling so well. Yeah, I had some sort of weird illness that’s still kind of lingering, so I’m kind of in a fog so, well, I appreciate you mustering up the energy to join us today for this. Thank you. Just wouldn’t be the same without you, since I pretty much wrote it all pretty much. Yeah. Yeah. And John Pat Yourself on the back there to do that. So in our Disney detective, we have some little mermaid casting news. We have some box office information on Aladdin and then we will move on to our entertainment news. Some sad news about a magazine, I think both of us, uh, were fond of in her earlier years. Some, uh, casting news on Dr Strange, the Michael Jackson leaving Neverland controversy that just doesn’t seem to want to go away. Go Away. Then we have a brief and memorial and then we’ll move on to our insightful picks of the week. And I don’t think we have afterthoughts unless they actually turn out three truly afterthoughts by the time we get there. Cause sometimes that does happen. That does happen on the fly. So shall we get into a deer? Let’s do it. All right.:
Speaker 5:
2:32
Uh,:
Speaker 4:
2:35
go for a Disney detective. So more little mermaid, uh, news has been popping up. Um, just the other day, uh, it was announced that R and B singer, Hailey Bailey, not Heli Barry, um, has been tapped to closure. That’s what I thought it was when I first saw [inaudible] has been tapped.:
Speaker 6:
3:00
Play rel in the live action. And what’s actually kind of funny is about that is that you’re not the only one. There were many, many people, there were actually many people on Twitter that had actually congratulated Halle Berry and she didn’t even hadn’t heard the news yet and was like, wait, what? And she actually sent out tons of congratulations to, so now jelly fails. The means to do is have a role cameo role for Halle Berry, right. Like to play the mom or something, you know, in the movie that that would actually be kind of cool. So although, uh, Rob Marshall, who we’ve mentioned before, who’s going to be the director of it, he spent many months, you know, meeting with various people. She obviously got the, uh, the nod. She and her sister are actually part of an RMB group. A, it’s Chloe x Haley I guess is a, the, the name of the group.:
Speaker 6:
4:04
Um, and they’ve actually been together since 2015 as a group. They actually started out as youtube performers covering, um, Beyonce songs. And they actually got discovered through that. And actually at one point in time opened for Beyonce on her lemonade tour. So that was kind of cool how her and her sister Kinda came up. Um, she’s, uh, currently in, uh, stars in the free form series of grown grown ish, which is a spinoff of blackish. So she’s, you know, been been up and coming. So she obviously just got cast. Um, they’ve also a, there’s um, Jacob, uh, trembly I believe is his last name, who has been tagged to play flounder and a rapper. Aquafina is gonna be playing scuttle. Obviously. Last week we talked about Melissa McCartney. Um, it seems it’s still in talks. She hasn’t a hundred percent been picked for Ursula, but it’s, you know, it’s uh, obviously very, very close to, to being finalized. So obviously there’s a lot of back and forth about this being her, her being picked. There are some people that are like, this is awesome, this is great. There are some people that are like, how can a, um, a black woman be the little mermaid?:
Speaker 6:
5:42
And a lot of people who are like, it’s a fish, right? What does it matter what color? You know, it’s one thing, you know, jasmine, you know Milan, you know Marita. Yes, those are, you know, ethnics stories, stories, right? You wouldn’t have, you know, certain other characters playing those, but we’re talking about a fish here, right? She can be whatever she wants to be. And actually what’s been really cool too is there’s a whole bunch of fan art that has actually popped up now with her as, you know, the Little Mermaid, right? Util, you know, renditions of her with like purple-y red hair and things like that. That was actually another, um, uh, another quote I saw, um, that was basically from a fe, um, a fan who, hey, when I was growing up, I was a little red head girl that didn’t have anybody, you know, to look up to. And when the Little Mermaid came out, I was able to say, Hey, look, I’m just like the little mermaid now. There’s going to be a whole generation of little, you know, black girls who are going to be able to say, Hey, look, I’m just like the Little Mermaid.:
Speaker 4:
6:59
Well. And, and on that same note, Disney does tend to have a,:
Speaker 7:
7:04
uh,:
Speaker 4:
7:05
disparity of minorities when it comes to the princess lineup. Um, so it’s, it’s, it’s kind of Nice to see them diversifying their princess line up now:
Speaker 6:
7:17
because not every little girl out there is, is a Caucasian girl and you have, you know, these other little girls that want to be able to say, I’m just like, you know, whoever, and here’s, you know, here’s a great opportunity. You know, Arielle is, is kind of a feisty little girl who, you know,:
Speaker 4:
7:39
grows up very quickly. So, you know, and again, it’s, the role itself is an ethnically agnostic role. Exactly. It could have, doesn’t matter. You know, you could have had an Asian girl Asian and you know, and that doesn’t matter. Could have been native American American. Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, I, you know, Kudos to Disney for diversifying for this and, and the other thing is, now you’ve got two little mermaids that you can look up to. Absolutely. What is wrong with that? Nothing at all. Nothing at all. So good for them. Yeah.:
Speaker 6:
8:11
So, you know, definitely looking, looking forward to, to that. So in other Disney news, talking about occurrent live action, which is Aladdin. Disney’s Aladdin Ha is becoming one of Disney’s most successful live action remakes of an animated feature film. The movie crossed the 900 million mark at the global box office on Friday. Disney announced that the film had already pulled in 897.3 million globally and would be joining six other live action movies to cross the 900 a million dollars:
Speaker 8:
8:49
ready everybody. So today we are on set filming Aladdin and it’s just magical. This live action Aladdin took my breath away growing up with this character. And I always remember Jasmine, my strong and knows her own mind. When I think of when I was a little girl, she was the character I would always play because I could relate in some way. What we’re trying to do is reimagine with a modern twist to it, where Naomi has done. But Jasmine is powerful and really unique. She brings that sense of empowerment to the character as a character that you know, but say refreshing incarnation Princess Jasmine folds the best for Agora bar and what’s best for them. It’s as she leaves. But rather than say that she wanted to lead, she shows the skills and the qualities of a leader. She has big aspirations and she sees a future that’s greater for the kingdom and the city of Aga. The story is a progression of how she finally speaks out and it becomes the leader that she’s destined to be. Today we are filming one of the new songs, speechless. She says, enough is enough. I have a choice here and I’m going to stand up for what I believe in. It’s such a strong song, it’s gonna be really special.:
Speaker 6:
10:24
Very cool. So at some point where we’ll actually get, see, summer is always busy for us. We always have lots of things going on on the weekends, so we need to definitely make time for it. So this puts the film in the categories like beauty and the beast. Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland, and the three pirates of the Caribbean movies in that $900 million live action. Um, so in total, there are 55 films that have reached this mark for the Walt Disney Company. I’m a Latin is currently the third biggest movie of the year following Marvel Studios, Avengers end game and Captain Marvel. But this is actually the number one movie for the Disney Studios. No, right under, you know, marvel, even that, that’s part of the group. And Disney’s Aladdin, you know, has been a pleasant surprise. It was projected to make 75 to 85 million during it’s opening weekend back, uh, during Memorial Day and it actually made 117 so it obviously did a lot better then. Most people were, were thinking it’s all good news for Disney stock holders. Right? It sure is. But we happened to be them one of Medi. Um, you know, so it obviously, it, it gives Disney validation that remaking, you know, animated classics is, is working out for them. And we see that with:
Speaker 4:
11:54
them going forward with, you know, the Little Mermaid. Um, every, every live action that they’ve made so far has been successful. They had two years with issues,:
Speaker 6:
12:04
they haven’t had any issues. And, and it’s nice that even though they’re remaking them, there is something different about it. Right. You know, and, and so that’s kind of Nice for the people, you know, for the fans:
Speaker 4:
12:17
to, you know, remember the movies from when they were a kid:
Speaker 6:
12:20
and now they get to go and there’s at least something, you know, I kind of know the story, but I don’t know the whole story. And that was kind of the same thing with, um, with beauty and the beast. It was an interesting twist. You know, you kind of knew this was, this was this, and then all of a sudden you were like, oh, that’s a nice little twist that I didn’t see coming.:
Speaker 4:
12:40
You know, the Nice thing is it doesn’t, it doesn’t obsolete. The old movies, the old movies still stand on their own as their own story. These are,:
Speaker 6:
12:48
you know, in addition to those, and again, there’s usually always some new songs like we just saw, you know, from the clip here, you know, you have some original songs, you know, some of the original songs from the original animation, a animated movie, and then something new to throw in. And you know, again, the characters have a different twist or, or something. So it’s, it’s nice that it’s, it’s familiar, but yet it’s still kinda new.:
Speaker 4:
13:17
Right. And they, they compliment the original movies. I think that’s what the important thing.:
Speaker 6:
13:21
Absolutely. Absolutely. So that is it for Disney detectives. Oh, righty.:
Speaker 5:
13:29
Uh,:
Speaker 4:
13:32
so onto our entertainment news, we have the discontinuation of publishing of a magazine that I think you and I both read in our youth.:
Speaker 6:
13:48
Yeah. This was, this was actually kind of sad news. Um, and actually I saw it through a tweet from weird owl. Um, and so, uh, mad magazine has decided that it is going to cease new publications more so on their regular basis. I’m so mad magazine, which has been famous for, you know what me worry. Um, and the mascot of Alfredi Newman is going to be coming off the new stands. I’m the owner. DC sent out a email on Wednesday night talking about it. It said that after at um, issue 10, there would be no new content except for end of year specials, which would still be all new. Um, and that anything else that came out would kind of be best of stuff. So, uh, it’s been in publication for 67 years. So that’s a pretty time for, you know, for that type of thing. Obviously the magazine was sold mostly in comic shops.:
Speaker 6:
15:00
Um, and you know, you had subscribers that, that got it in the mail. Um, DC did not explain why, you know, the, the stopping, um, of this, uh, the magazine was founded in 1952 by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines. It actually debuted as a comic book in 1952 and then switched to a magazine format three years later. Um, the long running comics feature, uh, included the spy versus spy and a back page, a fold. You know, there was always a, a back page that you’d have to fold to get some sort of secret message. Like I said, a weird owl was among those lamenting about the news on Twitter on Wednesday night, saying that he was profoundly sad to hear about the developments. He said, I can’t begin to describe the impact that it had on me as a young kid. It’s pretty much the reason why I turned out weird, uh, goodbye to one of the all time greatest American institutions. And yeah, it, I remember, you know, reading mad magazine, you know, as a kid I w you know, I don’t think I read it every issue that it came out, but it was definitely one of those things when I went to a store and saw it and I had, you know, allowance money.:
Speaker 4:
16:19
Yeah. See I never, I never bought them or had the subscription. My best friend did. Okay. And I remember going over his house every time a new subscription came out and we’d sit there and page through the whole thing. That’s awesome. Used to love reading the spy versus spy comics. That was always my favorite part.:
Speaker 6:
16:35
Yeah. I always liked the parodies of the movies or like I seem to remember there was like a back to the future one and you know, it was all the pop culturey things. Obviously a lot of the political stuff I didn’t understand back then. So it would actually kind of be interesting to go back and read it now. And that’s why:
Speaker 4:
16:56
it’s episode 11, you know, issue 11 when they start doing some of the best jobs. Right. It’ll be interesting to go back.:
Speaker 6:
17:02
Oh definitely. I would definitely be interested in, in going back and seeing, you know, some of the stuff that, you know, I didn’t, you know, see a, as a kid, um,:
Speaker 4:
17:12
I have to wonder if the push towards digital publishing is that good.:
Speaker 6:
17:18
Cause we’ve seen, you know, you’ve seen that with a lot of publications that, you know, the, they realize that people aren’t getting things in print anymore. Um, you know, you even see it when you, you look online at certain magazines or, or, um, newspapers where you’re allowed so many free ones and now I’m behind a pay wall. You know, now you have to pay because they need to make some sort of money. So, you know, I could see,:
Speaker 4:
17:49
you know, looking at this:
Speaker 6:
17:50
and looking at some of the clearings, how services like apples, news plus now where you pay a flat subscription and you get access to all of this content. I have to wonder if moving towards that model would be what, what a magazine like mad magazine would have to do in order to maybe, and maybe that’s something, you know, maybe it, you know, they’ll have so many people start, you know, buying it again, that maybe they’ll realize, hey, you know what, maybe we can put out, you know, more content. Maybe not do. Because I think they were, um, it was every other month that a new issue was coming in.:
Speaker 4:
18:29
Interesting thing about the path that they’re going here is they’re not killing the magazine, right. Just not putting it in a certain,:
Speaker 6:
18:37
right. There’s still going to be, right. There’s still gonna be a year end special, which, you know, maybe it’ll be thicker than the other ones:
Speaker 4:
18:46
publishing it for subscribers, for instance. Right. And it’s still going to be available in comic books. So, so this might be one of those, you know, wake up calls of, okay guys, the industry is really not moving in a direction that we can sustain things here. Here’s your first warning. Here’s your shot across the bow, right, that if we don’t continue some traditional media outlets here, this magazine is going to go away. And here’s the first outlet that you’re losing. So it might, it might just be a marketing employee to try and get people interested in the magazine.:
Speaker 6:
19:19
So we shall say, cool. So in a sort of Disney ish, not Disney ish moves, uh, it looks like Matt Smith might be playing the main villain in Dr. Strange too, while marvel hasn’t officially released, uh, who to talk to.:
Speaker 4:
19:38
Oh, Dr Strange too. I’m sorry.:
Speaker 6:
19:42
Very funny. While marvel hasn’t revealed, um, where they are for phase four yet, speculation is that during comic con that’s supposed to be occurring next month, that that’s where more news will be coming out. But obviously Dr Strange was a very, uh, beloved character. So the fact that, you know, him getting a second movie was already on the horizon. Uh, it sounded like that they were actually looking, um, to do the character baron, uh, mortal, Modo, Mordo, Morda, Baron Bordeaux. Um, that was the character that they were thinking that they were going with. And I guess now they’re thinking about, um, nightmare. Okay. And that, that’s who Matt Smith is going to be playing.:
Speaker 4:
20:35
Dr Strange versus Dr Ho.:
Speaker 6:
20:38
Right. And basically that was one of the things that, you know, that the news coming out was going to be kind of exciting for, um, fans of doctor who slash Sherlock because for years they wanted some kind of crossover between the two and hey, this is how you’re going to get it in a completely different,:
Speaker 4:
21:01
well, it is worth noting that the, the, uh, infinity stone that, uh, Dr Strange possesses is the time stone. Right? So it does make, make sense. So, so the, so the villain here, the, here’s the plotline. Okay. So the villain here steals the time stone puts it in an old police box and turns it into a Tardis. Right? Right. That would be awesome. And it’s your biggest nightmare or something. Yeah.:
Speaker 6:
21:26
So, um, you know, and this was kind of funny was that they said, you know, that, uh, in the article that they were already able to bring two Sherlocks together in a vendors, uh, infinity war and end game because you had obviously, um, benedict Cumberbatch who played Sherlock in the BBC and then you have Robert Downey Jr who played Sherlock in the, the movies, the more recent movies. And there was the funny meme, you know, that great. You brought these two Sherlocks together. They should have had some sort of line, you know, no shit Sherlock between the two of them. Um, so it’ll be nice to have Sherlock and doctor who together in some way. Um, so obviously we’ll probably hear more about this, you know, after San Diego comic con happens. So the last story that we have today in our entertainment section, um, is kind of a followup to one of our original stories when we first started our podcast on B story that won’t design the story.:
Speaker 6:
22:36
Um, so obviously there was the documentary that was done that was on HBO, um, a, uh, called leaving Neverland, which was basically following, um, some of the accusers of Michael Jackson and you know, where they were, um, now, when, and, and whatnot. Um, so now it seems that there is a group, um, from various fan clubs who are suing Wade Robson and James Safe Chalk who are the two subjects of the HBO Documentary Leaving Neverland. Um, as Rutgers reports, the three organizations, which are the Michael Jackson community, the m j street, and on the line alleged that the documentary is sullying Jackson’s image and are seeking a Cymbala symbolic damages of one euro each, which has a dollar 13. Not really sure why, but you know why you would,:
Speaker 4:
23:40
yeah. As the documentary that’s sewing his images, not the actions of Jackson took while it was alive. Yeah. So it was very odd.:
Speaker 6:
23:46
So the three fan clubs are suing in France due to the country’s more strict, uh, defamation laws, um, which extend beyond a person’s lifetime. The groups. Lawyer Emanuel Ludo, uh, won a similar case in 2014 against Jackson’s Dr. Conrad Murray, who had been supplying the pop star with drugs in the days before his death. Um, regarding the fan clubs case, the lawyer, um, compared Robson and safe Chuck’s allegations to a genuine lynching of Jackson. Okay,:
Speaker 4:
24:21
well this is, this is another case of everyone’s entitled to be offended by something and we’re going to be offended by this. How did you even get a lawyer to take this case with no money involved? I don’t know. So the lawyer, basically,:
Speaker 6:
24:33
we said in France, you cannot sell the, the images of the dead. Um, which is why he decided to take the case. There are moral and emotional suffering. And uh, when there’s suffering, there’s compensation. It’s very simple. So a judge, a court’s judgment, uh, is supposed to be delivered:
Speaker 4:
24:51
around October 4th on this. So, and I think the probably get ran through with dishes. They have to prove that the statement said in a documentary or fall.:
Speaker 6:
25:00
Right. And how do you do that? You can’t because you have, he said, he said, and the one person is no longer around to, to defend themselves. So, and again, because they’re only doing it to get a dollar out of it. Right. A dollar 13. Well, one euro, so I don’t know, I guess you know, just:
Speaker 4:
25:22
this is, yes, and this is some fan clubs that are just screaming for attention as well. And kind of an interesting thing was:
Speaker 6:
25:29
a different article that I saw kind of going back to, um, weird owl is I saw that he had actually made a statement that in his upcoming concert tour, which we’re actually going to be seeing this coming Friday, um,:
Speaker 4:
25:45
which I don’t know how that didn’t make it into the afterthought. Well, because it’s actually sold out. So I didn’t want anybody going and what there’s the whole tour sold out. No, I don’t believe the whole tour sold out. All right. If I, we can throw it in the afterthoughts. Anyway, he actually had made a comment that he wasn’t going to be performing any of his Michael Jackson parodies. 70% of his act is on Michael Jackson fairies. Michael Jackson pre proved to be such a target rich environment. That’s the thing is, you know, eat it and fat.:
Speaker 6:
26:16
We’re, we’re really the, the big too, you know, for him. But yeah, he kind of was backing away because that there’s so much controversy right now going on.:
Speaker 4:
26:27
Alright. Yeah, that’s silly that he would back away from that. Well, I guess we’ll find out on Friday when we, when we go to the concert, if he, if he changes his mind. So that is in entertainment news, right? I think we have a brief, fortunately, a brief in this whale,:
Speaker 5:
26:47
uh,:
Speaker 6:
26:50
who have we lost this week? So this week we actually lost a comedian, uh, rd Johnson. He was, uh, one of the stars on laughing. That’s probably where most people were, would recognize him. Um, he was an Emmy winning star of the 60s and Seventies. Uh, the sketch comedy show, laughing. Um, he actually died on July 3rd in Los Angeles of heart failure. Uh, he was 90 and had been battling bladder and prostate cancer. Um, again, he was most known for, um, starring on laughing. Uh, one of his famous, uh, characters was Wolfgang Wolfgang, who had a very heavy German accent. And his catchphrase was the, the interesting. So that’s so, you know, if you don’t know who he was, you know, you know, some of his characters. Uh, he was born in Michigan and he actually started out performing in New York. Nightclubs was cast, uh, in the gentleman preferred blondes on stage.:
Speaker 6:
27:56
He ended up moving to Tell Vision, starring in, you know, various, uh, episodes of, of different shows like the twilight zone, um, uh, Hennessy and Sally. Um, then he actually went on to do episodes of [inaudible], which lost in space, the partridge family, the Donna Reed show, a, he ended up making a couple of, uh, uh, movies or you know, um, costars you know, where I actually remembered him from was playing, um, Renfield in love at first bite. Ah, yeah. So that’s where I always remembered him from. Um, but then later on he, you know, he went through the game show phase. Well, you know, the celebrity game shows of um, excuse me, of the match game and wheel of fortune and gong show. Uh, and then he even did, you know, stuff in the 80s with murder. She wrote night court, General Hospital. And actually actually he ended up doing extensive voiceover work, um, for justice justice league unlimited, the 13 ghosts of Scooby doo duck, ducktails and Animaniacs. Wow. That is a distinguished career. Yeah. So, you know, not, not so bad. Uh, he survived a, as uh, he is survived by his wife of 51 years and an older brother. Um, so sad news, but a good life and a good legacy to leave behind me with a career like that, you know, that’s, that’s impressive. That chore is. Alrighty. So are we ready for insightful picks of the week? I believe we are.:
Speaker 5:
29:43
Uh,:
Speaker 6:
29:45
and to you my dear. Thank you. My Love. So, um, my show this week is from the CW. It’s called the 100. Um, it’s actually in its sixth season right now. And actually this past April has been renewed for a seventh season. Um, so basically the premise behind the show is when a new, when nuclear Armageddon destroys the civilization on earth, the only survivors are those on 12 international space stations there that are in orbit at the time. Three generations later, the 4,000 survivors living on this space, arc of length station, see that their resources are dwindling and are facing draconian measures establish to, um, ensure humanity’s future. So they’re desperately looking for a solution. The ARC leaders decide to send a hundred, hence the, the, uh, that’s where it comes from. A juvenile prisoners back to the planet to test if it’s habitable. Um, earth becomes Australia then.:
Speaker 6:
30:58
Um, so having always lived in space, the exiles find the planet fascinating and terrifying, but the feet of the human races in their hands and they must forge a path into the unknown. Um, so basically it starts off 97 years after there’s been this nuclear apocalypse, um, and when the first hundred kids basically go down, they end up finding out that they’re not alone. That there’s a couple of races that have been on earth ever since and have kind of mutated. Um, you know, so you have one group of people called the mountain people who basically had locked themselves in, um, a bunker when, you know, before things had started, then you had, you know, the other group of people who were left out in the open and basically learned how to deal with the, um, the radiation that had occurred to them. And you know, this fight between all of them. Um, this current season actually jumped like 125 years because stuff had happened on earth. They basically had to leave because earth was basically destroyed and now they’re on this other planet where they found people from when earth was actually still around. And the start of this apocalypse happened and you had a group of scientists that kind of went off earth to kind of recreate, you know, our civilization someplace else. So now they’re dealing with those, you know, people. So it’s, it’s, you know,:
Speaker 4:
32:40
it started out really good and then I kind of lost interest for a little while and then I kind of came back to it. So that’s where I am with it right now. So giving it another try. Okay. Interesting. Thank you.:
Speaker 5:
32:57
Uh,:
Speaker 4:
32:59
so my pick of the week here should come with no surprise is a documentary. Oh my goodness. I would have never realized it. Not a science one or a history. One real time. This is actually a music documentary very different for you. Yes. This is a number eight in an eight part documentary series called remastered produced by Netflix. It’s a 2018 documentary. This one is the lion’s share in this eighth and final installment of the remastered music documentary series director Sam Coleman and show runners Jeff and Mike Zimbalist. Uh, pick up on the trails of three converging parties, South African writer and documentarian, Ryan Milan, a Zulu musician, a Solomon Linda, and a two time billboard top 10 hit. The result is a well crafted and sophisticated account of bitterness, longing and the all too common exploitation of black talent for white gain. So in this one, they actually dig into the origins of the song.:
Speaker 4:
34:11
The Lion Sleeps tonight. Interesting. It was originally a South African song from, um, uh, an artist who didn’t understand the idea of even licensing, you know, music and soft. They did it for pure social and, uh, enjoyment, uh, by the name of Solomon Linda back in the 1920s and thirties. And it eventually was adopted by an American folk singer, Pete Singer, uh, Seger, um, who acknowledged the fact that, you know, it wasn’t his original and he sort of insisted that royalties be paid back to the descendants of the original artists. And the recording company basically ignored that. And there was a long drawn out legal battle ultimately culminating in a legal fight with Disney for the 1994 version of lion king in which the song featured prominently. Um, and as much as I would have liked to have used this as an example to say how evil Disney is, Disney did initially fight it.:
Speaker 4:
35:28
Um, and I, after watching the entire documentary, I can understand why because they were really trying to use this British copyright law that South Africa had adopted. And you know, Disney basically say, you know, we’re not buying it. And they tried to appeal to the, uh, the court system in South Africa. But when the lawsuit turned out to be valid or validated in the court system, uh, they immediately attempted to settle for a reasonable sum of money for back world teas and they agreed to pay royalties moving forward on the, on the, the law. So, um, Disney even went a step further and suggested that the money itself, instead of being paid out to a lump sum to the three daughters, the three surviving daughters of Solomon, Linda, who at the time were, were basically living in abject poverty, um, and the settlement, you know, if you do the math to sentimentalism out to two and a half million dollars, somewhere in there, um, no, and Disney’s point was, well, you dropped two and a half million dollars on these people.:
Speaker 4:
36:40
They’re not gonna know what to do with it. They’re not gonna know how to spend it. They’re gonna, it’s going to get wasted. So Disney and Ashley, um, suggest if it didn’t insist on having it put into a trust fund and have the trust fund manage for them. So it could be delved out, you know, and managed. And that’s exactly what happened. And it turns out that, you know, they still managed to waste the money. But, uh, but very good documentary. Um, I, the thing that I found the story itself of the origins of the song and the trials and tribulations that went through to get to the point where it was at and how it was stolen and so forth. It was fascinating. What I really found interesting was this, um, journalists, this South African journalist, uh, Ryan Milan. It was almost as much a journey for him in his soul as it was for the song because he’s the grand nephew of Daniel, Francoise Milan, who was the first South African prime minister who basically implemented apartheid.:
Speaker 4:
37:50
And, and he, um, Brian had this overwhelming sense of guilt at what his family had imposed on the black South Africans that he was deaf, desperately trying to find some way to work towards forgiveness. And he latched onto this story here knowing how important this song, which initially the song was called Moon Bay, which is the lion. And that eventually became anglicised into a whim away, which became a song on its own in the 50s and then eventually in the 60s the song itself was given a anglicised lyrics and became the lion king. And he knew how important it was from a cultural standpoint. You know, we talk about culture appropriation today on a regular basis. Well back then, you know it happened all the time that all the time nobody thought solely about it. So the Ryan wanted to find some kind of performance, some kind of penance for the South Africans at at, you know, recompense for what his family cause.:
Speaker 4:
39:05
And this was the crusade that he took out and this was like a 30 year crusade for this man. Finally get some kind of restitution given to the sisters and the sisters ultimately wound up well off, more well off than they were for it. And it was, it was touching to see his side of the story because the documentary follows the sisters. It follows the song. But there’s subtle undertones to Ryan Milan. And His story, and that touched me more than anything else was that this guy was really trying to save, you know, not his family name, but his own sense of guilt at something he didn’t do. It was something that his family had done. Um, so it’s a very good documentary and I’m actually inspired now to go back and look at the other seven documentaries in the series now, but a remaster the lion’s share is a 2018 documentary on Netflix and I recommend it. Very good pick. So we’ll come back with an afterthought, right? Yes, we will. All right.:
Speaker 5:
40:16
Uh,:
Speaker 4:
40:17
let’s get weird.:
Speaker 6:
40:19
How did you know that was going to be it? A, so as we mentioned, uh, this Friday we are going to be seeing weird Al Yankovic, um, with his strings attached tour. Um, we’re actually gonna be seeing it in Philadelphia at the met, which is a new, um, venue that just opened recently. Uh, I believe they renovated it. So I’m actually looking forward to, to seeing what it looks like. If you, uh, look at pictures of it. It looks like that old classic type, you know, theater from, you know, the turn of the century type time Lincoln got shot in. Um, so yes, it is actually sold out. So if you are from the Philadelphia area, um, you might be able to find tickets, um, you know, really show us sold down. Right. The Philly show is sold out. He’s actually playing in Cleveland, Ohio tonight, which is sold out Pittsburgh the next night, which is sold out.:
Speaker 6:
41:25
Then he’s going to Ontario, Canada. That one actually looks like there’s tickets available. Syracuse, which will be Thursday the 11th. There are tickets available for, then he plays Philadelphia, then he goes down to North Carolina, Virginia, then up to New Hampshire, Connecticut, a New York on July 20th. So I’m guessing there’s a website people can look at. Yes. If you actually go to weird al.com backslash tour, you can find all of his tour dates. It looks like a right now, the tour goes until September 1st, um, ending right now at little rock, Arkansas at the Verizon arena. And there are tickets available for that. So it looks like there’s a couple of shows here and there that are sold out. But for the most part, if you happen to be in an area, um, uh, definitely go and see it. Uh, this is when he pref, when he did his tour last year, um, it was a very, we never got tickets for it cause I don’t think he w I think maybe he was in Atlantic city last year.:
Speaker 6:
42:32
It was a much smaller venues and it was much, um, it was a much more obscure concert. He was playing basically a lot of his quote unquote beside songs. Right. Um, more like fan favorites, you know, like if you’ve collected his albums throughout the years, you knew the songs. But if you were a casual listener of him, you probably didn’t know the song. So this year, uh, the concert, it’s basically he’s playing his, his hits in his classics, doing his big productions with costumes and props and a video wall and actually having his band, his original band is all with him, background singers, and a full symphonic orchestra, which will definitely be, it’ll just say big sound for weird owl. Yes, it definitely will. I’ve seen him a couple of times throughout the years. Um, always one of my favorite concerts to go see. Um, I don’t think you’ve ever, I’d never seen him in concert, seen him in concert. We’ve kind of turned our daughter on to him, so I think she’s looking forward to it. So it’ll be a fun evening for sure. Oh, and we’ll be back next week, hopefully with a, with reviews, reviews of it. Absolutely. So, and I think that’s all we have for this week. I believe it is for joining us. Thank you dear for your time. All always. And uh, we’ll be back next week with another fresh podcast. All right. Have a good week everyone. Bye everyone. Bye.:

Show Notes

ntro

• Insights into Entertainment: Episode 21 “MAD about Disney”

Disney Detective

• Disney’s Live-Action ‘Little Mermaid’ Casts Halle Bailey as Ariel
• https://variety.com/2019/film/news/little-mermaid-halle-bailey-chloe-x-halle-1203234294/
• The R&B singer has been tapped to play Ariel in Disney’s next live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid.” Although director Rob Marshall has spent the last couple of months meeting with talent, insiders say Bailey has been a clear front runner from the beginning.
• “After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance — plus a glorious singing voice — all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role,” Marshall said in a statement.
• Bailey is joining a cast that includes Jacob Tremblay to play Flounder  and Awkwafina(Aquafina) would play Scuttle, , while Melissa McCarthy is in talks to play Ursula.
• “The Little Mermaid” will incorporate original songs from the 1989 animated hit as well as new tunes from original composer Alan Menken and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda is also producing the film along with Marshall, Marc Platt and John DeLuca. HOward Ashman
• The original 1989 animated hit followed the mermaid princess Ariel as she sought to fall in love with a human prince on land. Menken wrote the film’s original music, including the songs “Under the Sea,” “Part of Your World” and “Kiss the Girl.”
• The role marks Bailey’s feature film debut, following the formation of her music group Chloe x Halle with her sister Chloe in 2015. The pair first rose to fame by posting YouTube covers of Beyoncé before they were eventually discovered by the R&B superstar and her record label. Since their discovery, the duo has signed a record deal with Parkwood Entertainment and has opened for Beyoncé on her “Lemonade” tour.
• She also stars in the Freeform series “Grown-ish.”

• https://www.dapsmagic.com/2019/07/disneys-aladdin-passing-900-million-at-global-box-office/
• Disney’s Aladdin’ Passing $900 Million at Global Box Office
• Disney’s Aladdin is becoming one of Disney’s more successful live-action remakes of an animated feature film. The movie is crossing the $900 million mark at the global box office.
• On Friday Disney announced that the film had already pulled in $897.3 million globally and would be joining six other live-action movies in crossing $900 million. 
• This puts it in the category with films like Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland, and three of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. 
• In total, there are 55 films that have reached this mark for The Walt Disney Company.
• Disney’s Aladdin is currently the third biggest movie of the year. It follows Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame and Captain Marvel, also by Marvel Studios. 
• This makes it the number one film of the year that wasn’t released by Marvel Studios.
• Disney’s Aladdin’s performance has been a pleasant surprise for Disney. It was projected to make $75 million to $85 million during its Memorial Day weekend opening. Instead, it garnered $117 million over during the weekend. It has now made $313 million since opening seven weeks ago.
• The continued success of Aladdin validates Disney’s decision to remake yet another animated classic into a live-action film. It also marks the most successful movie for Will Smith (The Genie) at the Box Office passing other well-known movies like  Independence Day, Men In Black, Hitch, and Suicide Squad.
• Entertainment News
  • Mad magazine to come off newsstands, largely end publishing new content
  • https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/mad-magazine-come-newsstands-largely-end-publishing-new-content-n1026546?fbclid=IwAR3HTzRnBlXBT9KqysLuFV7-3-e4qXHkyYKcLTlENYj7jAjl-faeuYNE0MU
  • Mad magazine, the satirical publication famous for asking, “What, me worry?” and its gap-toothed, big-eared mascot Alfred E. Neuman, is coming off newsstands and will largely stop publishing new content, its owner DC said in an email Wednesday night.
  • DC said that after Issue 10, there will be no new content, except for end-of-year specials, which will be all new. Issue 8 of Mad magazine, which had been published every other month, went on sale June 12.
  • Starting with Issue 11, the magazine will feature best-of and other nostalgic content from its 67 years of publication, DC said. The magazine will still be sold in comic shops and mailed to subscribers.
  • DC did not explain the decision.
  • The magazine was founded in 1952 by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines. It debuted as a comic book in 1952, then switched to magazine format three years later. Long-running comics and features include “Spy vs. Spy” and a back page that folded to reveal a hidden image.
  • Parody songwriter “Weird Al” Yankovic was among those lamenting the news on Twitter Wednesday night, saying he was “profoundly sad” to hear about the developments.
  • “I can’t begin to describe the impact it had on me as a young kid — it’s pretty much the reason I turned out weird. Goodbye to one of the all-time greatest American institutions,” Yankovic wrote, ending the message with the tribute #ThanksMAD
  • DC said it will continue to publish Mad books and special collections.
  • The magazine has been called an influential force in satire and parody and has been referenced “The Simpsons” and other television shows and movies.

• Matt Smith Eyed To Play Main Villain In Doctor Strange 2
• https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/matt-smith-eyed-play-main-villain-doctor-strange-2/?fbclid=IwAR3rq6sjgs_8U2yFuKEG3BsWx2tLi3JevvF6pyjO4lbyNakMlOaFTuci_fM
• Marvel hasn’t officially revealed their slate for Phase Four just yet (though that’ll no doubt happen at Comic-Con later this month), but one movie we’re confident will arrive soon is Doctor Strange 2. Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sorcerer Supreme has been a hit with fans since his debut back in 2016, so he’s definitely due another solo film. But who could be the good doctor’s next nemesis?
• Previously, it was reported that Baron Mordo would be the main antagonist of the sequel. In fact, it’s looking like Nightmare will be Strange’s new foe. And rumor is that Matt Smith is one name on Marvel’s wishlist to play him.
• This news should excite fans of both Smith and Cumberbatch. Back in the day, the internet was obsessed with a Doctor Who/ Sherlock crossover that would allow the two stars to team up. Could Marvel belatedly give us that now? They did already bring us two Sherlocks in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Plus, Smith is about to star in his first comic book movie next year with Sony’s Morbius, so he’s clearly open to working in the genre.

• Michael Jackson Fans Sue Leaving Neverland Accusers in French Court
• https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/michael-jackson-fans-sue-leaving-neverland-accusers-in-french-court/ar-AADRxQW
• A group of Michael Jackson fan clubs are suing Wade Robson and James Safechuck, the two subjects of the recent HBO documentary Leaving Neverland. As Reuters reports, the three organizations—the Michael Jackson Community, the MJ Street, and On The Line—allege that the documentary is “sullying [Jackson’s] image” and are seeking symbolic damages of 1 Euro ($1.13) each.
• The three fan clubs are suing in France due to the country’s more strict defamation laws, which extend beyond a person’s lifetime. The group’s lawyer Emmanuel Ludot won a similar case in 2014 against Jackson’s doctor Conrad Murray, who had supplied the pop star with drugs in the days before his death. Regarding the fan clubs case, Ludot compared Robson and Safechuck’s allegations to a “genuine lynching” of Jackson.
• “In France you cannot sully the images of the dead,” Ludot said about his decision to take on the case. “There’s moral and emotional suffering. And when there’s suffering, there’s compensation. It’s very simple.” A court judgement will be delivered on October 4.
• RIP
  • https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/arte-johnson-dead-dies-laugh-in-1203259167/?fbclid=IwAR2xxTfSGOuod5a67-bLG1aMgoKP0YT0j6oupeI88kzzslUrfO2hIck7zNM
  • Arte Johnson, ‘Laugh-In’ Star, Dies at 90
  • Comedian and actor Arte Johnson, Emmy-winning star of 1960s and ’70s comedy sketch show “Laugh-In,” died July 3 in Los Angeles of heart failure. He was 90 and had been battling bladder and prostate cancer.
  • On “Laugh-In,” he was most familiar as Wolfgang, the heavily accented German soldier who thought World War II was still going on. His catchphrase “Very interesting…” was one of many that caught on from the hit show. Johnson won one Emmy for the show and was nominated two more times.
  • Born in Benton Harbor, Mich., he started out performing in New York nightclubs and was then cast in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” onstage. Moving into television, he appeared in early series including “Sally” and “Hennessy,” as well as in the “Twilight Zone” episode “The Whole Truth” as a car salesman who punches a used car lot owner.
  • His other TV appearances during the 1960s and ’70s included “Bewitched,” “Lost in Space,” “The Partridge Family” and “The Donna Reed Show.”
  • While the bulk of Johnson’s roles were on television, his film roles included the Gore Vidal character in Jack Kerouac’s “The Subterraneans,” as a federal agent in “The President’s Analyst,” as Dracula’s comic sidekick in “Love at First Bite.”
  • Later in his career, he made numerous gameshow appearances on “The Match Game,” “Wheel of Fortune” and “The Gong Show,” guested on “Murder She Wrote” and “Night Court” as well as on “General Hospital.”
  • Johnson also did extensive voice work for cartoons including “Justice League Unlimited,” “The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo,” “DuckTales” and “Animaniacs,” and later narrated numerous audiobooks.
  • He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Gisela, and his brother

• Insightful Picks
  • Michelle
    • The 100 – When nuclear Armageddon destroys civilization on Earth, the only survivors are those on the 12 international space stations in orbit at the time. Three generations later, the 4,000 survivors living on a space ark of linked stations see their resources dwindle and face draconian measures established to ensure humanity’s future. Desperately looking for a solution, the ark’s leaders send 100 juvenile prisoners back to the planet to test its habitability. Having always lived in space, the exiles find the planet fascinating and terrifying, but with the fate of the human race in their hands, they must forge a path into the unknown.
    • There are currently 6 seasons now, and it was renewed for season 7 this past April.
    •  The setting is 97 years after a devastating nuclear apocalypse wipes out almost all life on Earth.[5] Thousands of people live in a space station orbiting Earth, which they call the Ark, constructed of connecting space stations and spacecraft.[2] Three generations have been born in space, bringing the population of the Ark beyond carrying capacity. The future is jeopardized by over-population.[2] 100 juvenile detainees are sent to Earth in a last attempt to determine whether it is habitable. They discover that some survived the apocalypse: the Grounders, who live in clans locked in a power struggle; the Reapers, another group of Grounders who have been turned into cannibals by the Mountain Men; and the Mountain Men, who live in Mount Weather, descended from those who locked themselves away before the apocalypse. Under the leadership of Bellamy and Clarke, the 100 attempt to survive the harsh surface conditions, battle hostile Grounders and establish communication with the Ark.
    • In the second season, 48 of the remaining 100 are captured and taken to Mount Weather by the Mountain Men. It is eventually revealed that the Mountain Men are transfusing blood from imprisoned Grounders as an anti-radiation treatment as their bodies have not adapted to deal with the remaining radiation on Earth. Medical tests of the 100 show an even more potent anti-radiation efficacy: their bone marrow will allow the Mountain Men to survive outside containment. The inhabitants of the Ark have crash-landed various stations on Earth and begun an alliance with the Grounders to save groups of people, naming the main settlement at Alpha Station “Camp Jaha”.
    • In the third season, Alpha Station, renamed Arkadia, comes under new management when Pike, a former teacher and mentor on the Ark, is elected as chancellor and begins a war with the Grounders. Pike uses very dangerous methods, which further damages their already fragile relationship with the grounders. An artificial intelligence named A.L.I.E. – who was commanded to make life better for mankind – is revealed to have responded by solving the problem of human overpopulation by launching the nuclear apocalypse that devastated Earth. The AI takes over the minds of nearly everyone in Arkadia and Polis, the capital city of the Grounders. In the season three finale, Clarke manages to destroy A.L.I.E.
    • In the fourth season, hundreds of nuclear reactors around the world are melting down due to decades of neglect that will result in 96 percent of the planet becoming uninhabitable. Clarke and the others search for ways to survive the coming wave of radiation. When it is discovered that the Grounders with black blood, known as the Nightbloods – can metabolize radiation, Clarke and the others attempt to recreate the formula, but fail to test it. An old bunker is discovered that can protect 1,200 people for over 5 years from the new apocalypse; each of the twelve clans select a hundred people to stay in the bunker. A small group decides to return to space and attempt to survive in the remnants of the Ark. However, Clarke, who is now a nightblood remained on the Earth’s surface alone.
    • In the fifth season, six years after the meltdown of the nuclear reactors, a prisoner transport ship arrives in the only green spot left on Earth, where Clarke and Madi, a Nightblood Grounder who also survived the wave of radiation that swept the planet after the meltdown, have been living. Those who survived in space and in the bunker have returned safely on the ground. A struggle for the Shallow Valley between the prisoners and a new, united clan, known as Wonkru, begins, resulting in the battle ending with the valley being destroyed. The survivors escape to space and go into cryosleep while they wait for the Earth to recover.
    • In the sixth season, after 125 years in cryosleep, Clarke, Bellamy, and the others wake up to find out that they are no longer orbiting Earth and have been brought to a new habitable world, known as Alpha or Sanctum. After landing on this world, they discover a new society, led by ruling families known as the Primes. However, they also discover new dangers on this new world, and a mysterious rebel group, known as the Children of Gabriel.

• Joe
  • ReMastered: The Lions Share
  • 2018 Documentary film on Netflix
  • ReMastered is an 8 part documentary series produced by Netflix
  • In the eighth and final installment of Netflix‘s rich ReMastered music documentary series, The Lion’s Share, director Sam Cullman and showrunners Jeff and Mike Zimbalist pick up on the trails of three converging parties: South African writer and documentarian Rian Malan, Zulu musician Solomon Linda, and a two-time Billboard Top 10 hit. The result is a well-crafted and sophisticated account of bitterness, longing, and the all-too-common exploitation of Black talent for white gain.
  • Malan—a grandnephew of Daniel François Malan, the South African Prime Minister who was a dominant ideological force behind apartheid—has unsuccessfully tried to distance himself from his family’s racist legacy. Linda—who wrote “Mbube,” which later became the famous “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”—lives on through his daughters, ruthless music publishers, and, of course, Disney’s 1994 animated version of The Lion King.
  • American ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax introduced “Mbube” to Pete Seeger-led New York folk group the Weavers, who recorded and released their own version of Linda’s song in 1951 under the title “Wimoweh,” which came from the misheard Zulu-language chorus, “Uyimbube.” The Weavers—including Seeger, who ironically would become known as a civil rights activist—credited the arrangement to “Paul Campbell,” a pseudonym they used to claim royalties. To Seeger’s credit, he made a weak attempt to ensure Linda received his share of publishing royalties, though his instructions were never seen through.
  • Yet it would be doo-wop group the Tokens that made “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”—the third iteration, but with full lyrics—into a Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper in 1961. Lyricist George David Weiss also found a way to skirt paying Linda, and his publishing group, Abilene Music, still owns the rights to the hit.

• After thoughts