DISNEY - The Salt Lake Tribune

ESPN cutting workforce, ‘smartly managing costs’

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:54:31 MDT

ESPN cutting workforce, ‘smartly managing costs’

The Associated Press

Updated May 21, 2013 11:54PM MDT

New York • ESPN is cutting its workforce, the latest Disney division to reduce staff. “We are implementing changes across the company to enhance our continued growth while smartly managing costs,” the sports media giant said in a statement Tuesday. “While difficult, we are confident that it will make us more competitive, innovative and productive.” The company would not say how many jobs are being eliminated, but they include unfilled positions. ESPN has about 7,000 employees worldwide, with...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Peg McEntee: Be brave, Disney, don’t ‘sex up’ female heroes

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:48:15 MDT

Peg McEntee: Be brave, Disney, don’t ‘sex up’ female heroes

By peg mcentee Tribune Columnist

Updated May 20, 2013 10:48AM MDT

Fans of the film “Brave” are outraged that Disney did a sexy makeover of Merida, the Scottish princess, expert archer and horsewoman who not only saves the day but also convinces her parents that she alone will choose the man she’ll marry. Brenda Chapman, who worked with the Disney-owned Pixar to make her film, says she based Merida on her 13-year-old daughter and intended the character to be a role model for all little girls. For her effort, Chapman won an Academy Award this year for writing ...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Disney pulls sexy makeover of ‘Brave’ heroine Merida from its official princess website

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:01:58 MDT

Disney pulls sexy makeover of ‘Brave’ heroine Merida from its official princess website

By Paul Liberatore Marin Independent Journal

Updated May 16, 2013 03:01PM MDT

In the face of a tsunami of criticism, Disney has abandoned its sexy makeover of Merida, the feisty heroine of its Oscar-winning animated feature “Brave,” on its official princess website. But the character’s creator, Marin filmmaker Brenda Chapman, says she “will stay dubious until they give an official statement about changing the image to match the original version of Merida.” Chapman won an Academy Award for writing and co-directing “Brave.” She modeled the headstrong, red-haired Merida on h...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

‘Brave’ creator blasts Disney for ‘blatant sexism’ in princess makeover

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:46:23 MDT

‘Brave’ creator blasts Disney for ‘blatant sexism’ in princess makeover

By Paul Liberatore Marin Independent Journal

Updated May 13, 2013 05:46PM MDT

Marin filmmaker Brenda Chapman, who won an Oscar for writing and co-directing the animated feature “Brave,” blasted Disney’s sexy makeover of her movie’s feisty heroine, Merida, as “a blatantly sexist marketing move based on money.” Chapman, a Mill Valley resident, modeled the headstrong Merida on her 13-year-old daughter, Emma, creating her as a role model for little girls. In an email to the Independent Journal on Saturday, she said she has given Bob Iger, president of Walt Disney Internationa...

Wharton: Farmington artist Adam Koford achieves national fame

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:12:41 MDT

Wharton: Farmington artist Adam Koford achieves national fame

By Tom Wharton The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 13, 2013 01:12PM MDT

The name Adam Koford might not be well-known to pop culture aficionados. But it probably should be. The Farmington resident’s work has appeared in many places. For example, he illustrated a Monopoly card segment on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show for correspondent John Hodgman, a man Koford calls a friend. “Back in 2006, there was a popular site that posted a recording of a man reading through 700 fictitious hobo names,” recalled Koford. “I thought wouldn’t it be fun if a cartoonist drew all the names....