Commentary

'DisneyWar' More Like a Sitcom

The fairy tales at Walt Disney always seem to have some nightmares attached.

Even when hit shows, such as "Desperate Wives" and "Lost," should be cheering up shareholders, those longtime crazy disgruntled Disney gadflies, Roy Disney and Stanley Gold, have other ideas. They plan to withhold support from all Disney board members at Friday's annual meeting, citing concerns over the search for CEO Michael Eisner's replacement.

Disney and Gold's longtime campaign against Eisner now sounds like they'd make good characters for a buddy cop series in righting the wrongs in corporate America. It's a reality show for the next generation - a show that examines its own network's idiosyncrasies. And it will all be for a good cause -- high ratings.

With MCI and Enron still in the news, this wouldn't be such a bad show. Think of the branded entertainment possibilities. The crazy neighbor role has yet to be fleshed out. (Maybe Murdoch could do a cameo).

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As Bob Iger will probably succeed Michael Eisner as the company's new CEO this June, the sitcom will only get crazier. Perhaps Disney and Gold will move in together and scheme up more crazy business or revenge plans. (I'm thinking George Constanza or Ralph Kramden type scenarios.)

According to excerpts in the Los Angeles Times of the soon to be released book, "DisneyWar," Iger tried to come up with TV shows, according to James B. Stewart, the book's author.

Based on a popular song by rock group Fountains of Wayne, Iger conceived a show called "Stacey's Mom," about a "hot mom" whose house was a favorite of neighborhood boys. The show was never produced - but the drama didn't stop there.

At a restaurant meeting in Los Angeles in December 2003, the then chairman of ABC Entertainment, Lloyd Braun, was angry that his boss Iger was taking credit for the "The Bachelor," the only ray of hope for ABC. Braun told Iger off.

If this scenario is accurate, Braun hung in there for the next several months. It wasn't until just before the upfront in May 2004 that he was let go - still working hard to get ABC moving.

Credit seems to be at the crux of the problems at Disney. Disney and ABC executives might have been working as a team, but not with real decision makers. We know Braun, at one point, was dying to sign up Mark Burnett's "The Apprentice," but couldn't pull the trigger fast enough because of the Disney hierarchy and/or Burnett's quick exit. NBC took the show after one meeting.

It's this kind of business acumen for which Donald Trump regularly fires employees. But Disney's cab ride out of the big apple won't be the end of the tale. This sitcom will be around for years, with reruns in syndication.

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