Amid its feud with Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, the Walt Disney Company commissioned Oxford Economics to conduct a study on Walt Disney World’s impact on Central Florida. The results showed that Disney World adds $40 billion to the local economy through guest spending, Disney World’s spending, and direct and indirect jobs. But now, some in Central Florida are starting to ...
Read More »Author Archives: Rick Lye
‘Speed Racer’, ‘Indiana Jones’ Actor And His Two Young Daughters Killed In Plane Crash
Actor Christian Oliver and his two young daughters were killed in a plane crash near a small, private island in the Caribbean, according to police in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The crash occurred just west of Petit Nevis island near Bequia as the plane headed for nearby St. Lucia, police said in a statement. Besides Oliver, 51, his two ...
Read More »Disney Finds Itself Stuck In Feud Between Two of Its Biggest Stars
In 1901, author Frank Norris published his novel The Octopus. The book was based on his experience as a journalist covering the sprawling railroad in California. He realized that, like an octopus, the railroad touched on nearly every aspect of life. However, there were dangers in that. The tentacles would occasionally intertwine, causing more significant problems for the industry. The Walt ...
Read More »Disney Flees Florida For Greener Pastures In Neighboring State
In 1989, when Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened as Disney-MGM Studios, the concept was creating a working movie, television, and animation studio. Disney would make it the “Hollywood of the East.” Disney would film dozens of television shows and movies there, including the reboot of The Mickey Mouse Club with all the stars you remember. However, Disney Studios quickly realized that it ...
Read More »After Only A Day in The Public Domain, Mickey Mouse Is Getting Brutalized On Social Media
Clearly, people have been waiting for this moment for a while. They have been preparing for Mickey Mouse to enter the public domain so they can do whatever they choose with the beloved symbol of the Walt Disney Company without fear of repercussions. And that was probably the draw of all this: the ability to take a classic American icon ...
Read More »Family Confirms Body Found in Pond Outside Disney World is Woman Missing Since 2012
In 2012, Sandra Lemire left her grandmother’s house to meet up with a man she met online at a McDonald’s in Kissimmee, Florida. That was the last time she was ever seen alive. Police had been searching for her for the past 11 years, and after interviewing the man she met that day, they found no leads. That is until ...
Read More »Beloved Star of Disney/Pixar’s ‘Coco’ Passes Away on New Year’s Eve
The beauty of Disney/Pixar’s Coco (2017) is the underlying message that as long as someone remembers you, your life will continue on. So, the more significant the impact you make in life, the more likely that your memory will live on long after you are gone. And that is how actress Ana Ofelia Murguia will be remembered, with her legions of ...
Read More »After Threatening Disney World With a Prison, DeSantis Threatens to ‘Flatten’ Disney Cruise Hot Spot
Sometimes, when you make a living talking to people all day, you misspeak. It has happened to all of us from time to time. But if you misspeak, you immediately clean it up and, if necessary, apologize. But when you repeat the same claim repeatedly, it is clear that you may believe it. And there is one claim in particular ...
Read More »American Treasure Dolly Parton Fulfills Dying Man’s Last Wish
There are so few genuinely good people left that we must treasure each and every one of them. And country music legend Dolly Parton is one of those people. She chose to take time out of her day to fulfill a dying fan’s bucket list and, if only for a minute, make him forget about the world around him. Utah ...
Read More »Star of ABC’s ‘One Life to Live’ Tragically Dies of Cancer at 5
This year has been particularly rough for celebrity deaths, especially those taken before their time. Friends star Matthew Perry died at 54, Three’s Company star Suzanne Somers died at 75, Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andre Braugher at 61, and The Wire star Lance Reddick at 60. And then there were those legends whose passing still hurts, like Tony Bennett, Tina Turner, Jimmy Buffett, and Norman Lear. But with ...
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