The happy happening will go down at the massive, 800,000 square foot Anaheim Convention Center and will feature all things Disney, including much lauding of Tim Burton's highly anticipated — we can't wait! - Alice and Wonderland. While that's all well and good, Disney president and chief executive Robert Iger hopes the event will help persuade "very ardent" fans to flock to the company's wide-ranging products:

We live in a world where digital communication enables people to express their opinions about things to a much broader set of people. We call it the combustion of digital world of mouth... Their ability to communicate with others is unlike anything we've seen at any time before.

Translation: "We want to make sure the little buggers don't use twitter against us, as they have others." Yes, the D23 Expo may sound simply like a company-specific Comic-Con, but it's far more than that: it's so much more than that. Disney crazed masses can also join "a high-end, elite-level access" fan club.

So, what does membership cost you? $75-a-year. Now, tell us: who on this green planet of ours, in this recession of ours, would shell out that kind of money simply to get into a glorified trade show that doesn't feature comics?

[Image via Getty]

The Chapter 11 filing doesn't affect the production arm of of Yari Film Group, which was responsible for Crash and has another two putative Oscar contenders this fall in What Doesn't Kill You and Nothing But the Truth. The latter film opens under the cloud this Friday, a week after a court order requiring the reorganization; to Yari's credit, he said he has no plans to cut jobs or benefits, though he does, alas, still intend to make the Jennifer Lopez romcom The Governess.

The Yari library, for what it's worth, is expected to get a close inspection in the months going forward. Tip to creditors: Keep The Illusionist, set Winter Passing on fire, sell the rest for parts. And if you can somehow wrangle YFG's rights to the languishing Joe Carnahan adaptation of Killing Pablo? Maybe shuffle them over to Miramax or Fox Searchlight? You'd make a lot of people's days.

• Bob Yari crashes into Chapter 11 [Variety]

Gilliam was invited to the emirate to collect the regional film festival's lifetime achievement award, following which he has since brought his working-class exuberance ("Tonight, we're going to party with the Indian migrant laborers in their dormitories," he told The Hollywood Reporter) and his awards-season contrition ("My comment was taken out of context. It's been used to say that I didn't think that Heath [Ledger] deserved to have a posthumous award, which is utter and complete nonsense") to bear on Dubai's burgeoning moviegoing community. The endgame: Don Quixote, his aborted 2000 project that Gilliam plans to return to next year:

The widely traveled Monty Python veteran who years ago shot Life of Brian in Tunisia, is visiting Dubai for the first time and also plans a visit its giant new studios to "check out their attitude toward funding."

His long-interrupted Don Quixote, in rewrite come January, could be made in Dubai, he said, because "at least there are mountains here."

Dubai, Spain, oil wells, windmills — whatever works, we suppose. And we like his odds, with his contemporary Oliver Stone making the Dubai money rounds as well, surreptitiously leaving crescents, crosses, stars and other hobo-style markings on palace gates in accordance with each resident's film-funding largesse.

• Terry Gilliam keen for studio tour [THR]

We've reported on The Weinstein Company's troubles. Whether the film producer's magic gut has left him, or he simply faces more competition for buzzy film projects, Harvey Weinstein's track record of releases has been disappointing since leaving Disney's Miramax, where he shepherded modern classics such as Shakespeare in Love. (The once-bullish film producer doesn't even have the confidence to finance Quentin Tarantino's next project.) The Weinstein Company's own backers, led by Goldman Sachs, are rumored to be reconsidering their support. And the independent mini-conglomerate's forays into media sectors other than movie-making have been mixed at best. (Fashion TV show Project Runway is a money-spinner but social network A Small World has tiny traffic.)

None of that matters, if one was to believe the spin: the Weinsteins' 70% stake in a home video distributor called Genius Products was worth more than $400m, "an asset that could be sold one day if they are strapped for cash," Fortune relayed a year ago. Even in November, Weinstein's CFO told the magazine that Genius had performed "beyond our wildest hopes."

Well, the Weinsteins are certainly behaving as if they're indeed strapped for cash, squeezing every last dollar from cable networks and marketers such as L'Oreal for rights to roles in Project Runway; but it's not clear whether there's any asset that can be sold for cash in an emergency.

The news hasn't really percolated out of the specialist home video press, but Genius Products' share price has declined by 93% in the last 12 months. Genius' DVD business has suffered as online distribution of movies and cable pay-per-view has taken off. A board member and the company's chief financial officer left recently, after the company admitted that it would not meet its aggressive earnings estimates. Last year, company executives forecast $1bn in revenues for 2008.

The public float of the company is worth just $12.85m, which would put the value of the Weinsteins' shareholding at $30m if my math is right. And that won't be enough to shore up the troubled film producers if The Weinstein Company's debt financing is as precarious as Hollywood's rumor mill suggests.

The souring of the Genius investment is uncomfortable in many ways. Not least, the deal was brought to Weinstein by his own backers. Steve Bannon, a buccaneering banker who took over the company in 2004, used to work at investment bank Goldman Sachs and it was his old firm that put him together with the movie maker that they were themselves supporting. Larger-than-life Weinstein, who had long wanted to wheel and deal like a media mogul rather than a penny-pinching movie hustler, thought he was up for a big payday. Everybody was happy. And now they're not.

Childless divinity Oprah Winfrey, of course, sits atop this list as she sits atop all the others, having added another $260 million to her estimated $1.5 billion fortune. But today we single out Judge Judy Sheindlin, who managed to parlay a modest living as a fire-breathing Manhattan Family Court judge into a television empire, converting us along the way into a nation of ardent Judyites who wouldn't hesitate to use the always-effective, "Bup! Bup! Bup! I do the talking here, not you!" as a practical means to conflict resolution.

• TV's Top Earners [Forbes.com]

Actor Kiefer Sutherland made $23 million for playing government agent Jack Bauer on his hit show 24, while police officer Kevin Weaver, 40, of Concord, N.C., earned $64,000 last year. Actress Ellen Pompeo, 37, who plays Dr. Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy, earned $5 million last year, while medical resident Jennifer Beller, 26, of Palmyra, Va., took in $45,000. Registered nurse, Toby Acosta, 28, from Birmingham, Ala., earned $76,000.

Meryl Streep, who played a merciless magazine editrix in The Devil Wears Prada, brought home a tidy $8 million in 2006. Real life magazine editor Roberta Pacht, 32, of New York, N.Y., made $55,000. Actor Steve Carell, who plays insufferable office manger Michael Scott on The Office, earned $9 million, and real-life office manager Patricia Reichard, 55, from Naples, Fla., brought home a mere $29,000. Similarly, chef and TV host Rachael Ray made $6 million last year, while Tyler Mitchell, 55, a personal chef from Albuquerque, N.M., earned $67,000.

While the dismal salaries of America's working class are discouraging when juxtaposed against obscene celebrities earnings, we'd caution to wait just a few weeks for the release of Parade's annual playing-field-leveling "How People Feel" report, when you'll be comforted to learn that Kurt Sanderson, a professional birthday clown and balloon-animal craftsman from Galesburg, Il., registers overall satisfaction numbers in the high ten digits, compared to an anemic total of 27 in the same category for celebrity counterpart Jim Carrey.

• [Parade.com]

1. Oprah Winfrey: Net Worth (in $ millions): 1,500
2. J.K. Rowling: 1,000
3. Martha Stewart: 638
4. Madonna: 325
5. Celine Dion: 250

6. Mariah Carey: 225
7. Janet Jackson: 150
8. Julia Roberts: 140
9. Jennifer Lopez: 110
10. Jennifer Aniston: 110

Not too many shocks there, though readers might be surprised to learn that #13 Judge Judy has managed to turn catchphrases like "I'm the boss, applesauce" into $90 million worth of designer benchwear, and that #16 Gisele Bundchen—estimated at $70 million—probably wasn't dating Leo for his money. But that's chump change to reigning rich lady Oprah Winfrey, whose $1.5 billion effectively slides her safely into "richer than God" territory, a logical supplantation following her official takeover of His Messianic duties after the entire God operation was folded into Harpo Productions in the first quarter of 2006.

• The 20 Richest Women In Entertainment [Forbes]

According to the AP, Paris Hilton has been "fired" by nightclub chain Club Paris for precisely the kind of attention-whoring antics [Ed.note—Oh, the irony!] they'd hoped would attract publicity to their drinking establishments, such as showing up hours late (or not at all) to scheduled public appearances at the bars, unacceptably unprofessional behavior that deprived scores of excited, Hilton-loving patrons of the opportunity to witness America's foremost practitioner of the unearned celebrity arts demonstrate her estimable Vodkatini-chugging abilities in person. Even though the venue's proprietor felt he had to take the difficult step of severing ties with his original endorsementard, he's committed to the overall concept of a nightclub fronted by a bimbo figurehead, and has already announced a planned nationwide search for Hilton's successor:

After the initial audition, 300 of the most gorgeous, intelligent, and talented women in the nation will then be narrowed down to 36. From those 36 women, the top 18 will be guaranteed a deal for the Miss Club Paris USA calendar.

Out of those fabulous 18, the top 3 will advance as finalists, in hopes of winning the crown of Miss Club Paris USA!

The winner will receive a choice of a Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren or a Ferrari to drive for 12 months as well as a 12 month paid luxury apartment near Club Paris' corporate office, reasonable salary, and all expenses paid including travel and entertainment.

We wish the Club Paris team the best in its obviously doomed hunt for The Replacement, but we're sure they'll quickly discover that no matter how many luxury apartments or exotic sportscars they lavish upon their faux-Hilton, they'll never be able to adequately simulate the lazy-eyed, vacant stare of carefree privilege that only a lifetime as a genuine hotel heiress can provide.

• Paris Hilton 'Fired' by Paris Nightclub [AP]
• Club Paris Replacement Search [Clubparis.net]

The iconic entertainment company, home to such famous canines as Pluto and Goofy, wants a piece of the $75 billion global market for pet products after a successful trial run of "Old Yeller" branded dog food at Kroger supermarkets. [...]

Cincinnati-based Kroger in April 2005 replaced a private-label dog food in its 2,500 U.S. stores with one branded by the 1957 Disney film pooch. Since then, it has become the store's best selling dog food, [Andy Mooney, head of Walt Disney Co.'s consumer products division] said. [...]

Disney is already investigating a cat food range with Kroger.

It's understandable that the company is eager to expand their pet product line to include
Cheshire Yum Yums and That Cat From Pinocchio™ Brand Kittie Litter: Consumer studies have shown the public has quickly developed an astoundingly high brand loyalty towards the Old Yeller kibble, with a near 90% awareness rate of the product's appropriately sentimental tagline ("Make Sure His Last Meal's A Good One!"), as well as to the bag's striking, iconic logo—the silhouette of a man with a smoking shotgun balanced on his shoulder, consoling a tearful boy.

• Disney barking up a new tree with pet products [Reuters]

• Disney Loses Its Appetite for Happy Meal Tie-Ins [LAT]

A top producer of hard-core porn will start selling downloadable movies that customers can burn to DVD and watch on their TVs, illustrating how Southern California's multibillion-dollar adult entertainment industry may again set the technological pace for Hollywood. [...]

Los Angeles-based Vivid will start selling burnable movies May 8 through online movie service CinemaNow. [...]

Vivid, producer of such titles as "Bad Wives" and "Generation Sex," will offer 30 downloadable videos for about $19.95 apiece that include everything that is on a standard DVD — cover art, scene navigation, bonus material and deleted scenes.

It won't be long before the major studios follow suit with the cross-platform service. (Currently, their feature film downloads are only viewable on a computer.) Of course, having mainstream and XXX entertainment available on the same movie purchase site is only asking for trouble: One wayward click on CinemaNow's catalog could result in you stumbling in on your terrified children watching the hi-def adventures of The Anal Princess Diaries.

• Porn Industry Again at the Tech Forefront [LAT]

The Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. reports that motion picture and television production accounts for an estimated 251,600 jobs in the greater Los Angeles area, making it the fifth-largest export industry in the region.

Hollywood ranks just behind business and professional services and, in terms of jobs-per-industry, below technology, direct international trade and the largest export industry — tourism — with an estimated average annual employment of 512,600 jobs last year.

"What drives a lot of our tourists to California is the motion picture industry, which also has a huge impact on our apparel industry as well as furniture, manufacturing and even jewelry," LAEDC chief economist Jack Kyser said. "(Hollywood) is a very critical industry for us."

The LAEDC report further suggests that plans to relocate the entire entertainment industry to a plot outside Vancouver would have "potentially disastrous economic consequences" for the state, and also dismisses claims about the carcinogenic properties of Hollywood product as "inconclusive."

• Hollywood is on economic A-list, new study says [THR]

There are dozens of comments posted on the SEC Web site, including one from DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg. He feels disclosing the richest packages would "cause significant morale issues."

"It is inevitable that some employees will take issue with their respective rankings," he wrote, "and create unnecessary and counterproductive strife with their fellow employees and the company."

Still don't see what the big deal is? While the entertainment industry is really nothing more than one big dick-measuring contest, no one wants the government coming in, lining everyone up at the table, and forcing them to plop down their packages in public, revealing who's really packing the inches and who's been getting by on well-played bluffs for years.

• H'w'd resists pay fray [Variety]

Starbucks Corp. plans to move some employees to an office in the Los Angeles area, in yet another sign of the company's growing interest in selling entertainment along with its lattes and Frappuccinos.

Audrey Lincoff, a spokeswoman for the Seattle-based coffee retailer, said the move would be designed to put some people who work in Starbucks' entertainment division in closer contact with music labels and movie studios.

Starbucks has had success selling CDs at its thousands of retail locations, and recently inked a deal with Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. to help market the upcoming film "Akeelah and the Bee."

Starbucks should be careful not to step too boldly into the realm of the promotional tie-in, lest the sophisticated pleasures of a gingerspice latte be ruined with the discovery of a "Shrek 3" figurine surprise tumbling around the bottom of the cup. If they play it just right, however, the best we can hope for is an army of green-aproned barristas in oversized badges solicitously tempting us to "Ask me about [middlebrow, inoffensive, limited release arthouse title] for a free refill! (Brewed coffee only.)"

• Starbucks to Move Workers to L.A. Office [Forbes/AP]

U.S. District Judge James Spencer rejected the company's request to delay the case and refused to enforce a disputed $450-million settlement with patent-holder NTP Inc. [...]

Spencer said he would request briefs and set a hearing date to deal with NTP's request for damages against Research in Motion and an injunction that would end U.S. sales of the BlackBerry and shut its service.

The effect a BlackBerry blackout would have on Hollywood is staggering, beyond even the scope of our wildest apocalyptic fantasies. A dark image dominates the mind: Having lost the ability to tune the world out while communicating through the rapid articulation of thumbs on tiny keypads, industry types will begin what evolutionary scientists refer to as a "hyperaccelerated degeneration." We give Endeavor three weeks before it is consumed from within by an army of cannibalistic and quadruped ex-agents.

• Delay of Patent Suit Is Rejected [LA Times/Reuters]

"Rob has made many valuable contributions to Paramount's history. When he told me several months ago that he wanted to move on, I asked him to stay on and open "WAR OF THE WORLDS," he agreed, created a fantastic campaign, and the movie was Paramount's best opening ever. We thank him for his many years of dedication and hard work here at the studio and wish him the very best," said Grey.

If you'd like to read THR version of the story, you can click here. If you prefer your press release raw, we've reprinted it after the jump:

ROBERT G. FRIEDMAN STEPS DOWN AS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND VICE CHAIRMAN OF MOTION PICTURE GROUP OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES

July 12, 2005 – Los Angeles, CA – Robert G. Friedman will be stepping down from his post as Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman of the Motion Picture Group of Paramount Pictures to pursue other interests, it was announced today by Paramount Chairman and CEO Brad Grey.

Friedman, who served as Vice Chairman of the Paramount Motion Picture Group since 1997 when he joined the studio, was subsequently named Chief Operating Officer in 2002. His responsibilities included oversight of all
domestic and international marketing, publicity, and distribution operations at Paramount, as well as Paramount Home Entertainment and specialty division Paramount Classics.

"Rob has made many valuable contributions to Paramount's history. When he told me several months ago that he wanted to move on, I asked him to stay on and open "WAR OF THE WORLDS," he agreed, created a fantastic campaign, and the movie was Paramount's best opening ever. We thank him for his many years of dedication and hard work here at the studio and wish him the very best," said Grey.

“I have had a great experience here at Paramount, but I told Brad a few months ago that it was time for me to find new challenges. It has been gratifying to be a part of some of the studio’s greatest successes and I am proud of the team I have built here. I am confident that I am leaving the company in very good hands,” said Friedman.

Friedman will stay at Paramount through the release of two upcoming titles, "HUSTLE & FLOW," and "THE BAD NEWS BEARS." He will serve as a consultant on the remaining titles on the 2005 slate.

Friedman was involved in the domestic marketing and distribution of "TITANIC," the highest grossing film in history, as well as such Paramount hits as "LAURA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER," "WHAT WOMEN WANT," "MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2," and "SAVE THE LAST DANCE." His departure comes on the heels of a string of successful openings: "LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS," "COACH CARTER," "SAHARA, " "THE LONGEST YARD," and "WAR OF THE WORLDS." He spearheaded the creation of the studio’s Classics division
that has released critical favorites such as "YOU CAN COUNT ON ME," "VIRGIN SUICIDES," and recently "MAD HOT BALLROOM." He testified on behalf of Paramount at the Federal Trade Commission hearings in Washington on the
marketing of violence to children and helped design the industry’s guidelines.

Friedman began his career in the mailroom at Warner Bros., where he worked his way up through the ranks for over 25 years there. He was responsible for many successful campaigns, including the "BATMAN," series, the "LETHAL
WEAPON" films, "THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY," and the Oscar-winning "DRIVING MISS DAISY," "CHARIOTS OF FIRE," and "UNFORGIVEN." He left as President of Worldwide Marketing in 1997.

• Paramount Pictures COO Friedman exiting studio [THR]