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Radio Stupidity

Disney took a lot of flack for The Black Hole after it was a box office disappointment.

"The Black Hoe" may very well cause more problems than that.

The Hoes in question were dark plastic gardening tools called "Black Hoes." They were given away as prizes as a promotion for the "Mark & Brian" radio show based at Disney-owned KLOS in Los Angeles and syndicated throughout the nation.

Radio personalities are known for doing stupid things, but this may go down as the stupidest promotion in the history of radio. Even if it wasn't their intent, the KLOS folks have managed to offend those battling racism and sexism at the same time.

With that, it's hard to pass blame throughout the entire Disney company for the incident.

A black employee at the station, who said she got flack at the station for protesting the promotion, has sued the station and the Disney company. More power to her. The least Disney could do to remedy the situation is give her the morning radio timeslot and fire Mark and Brian.

However, several civil rights organizations are calling for a boycott of all Disney products and parks. That may be taking the message too far.

I'm not really sure if the cast member manning Spaceship Earth, the person showing the plush beanies at the Disney Store or Toy Story II have much to do with the childish antics of two DJs in a small studio … Just as you couldn't find fault with Mark & Brian for the Columbia accident at Disneyland back in December.

The crosshairs of any protest should be aimed at KLOS, and KLOS alone.

The organizations have said that if Disney publicly apologizes for the incident, they will forgo the boycott … and that is something Disney should do. It may give help to the other side in the lawsuit, but it would also serve to show that the company will not stand for stupidity that borders on racism and sexism.

We're all ears.

Add Radio: Radio Disney might actually be listenable if it played actual Disney music instead of the Backstreet Boys.

Yo Ho: Rick West, publisher of the fine magazine Theme Park Adventure , hosted a fun chat Monday on the quintessential Disney park attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean. I was glad to be a part of it.

The whole thing brought this question to my mind: What if someone reprogrammed all the pirates to invade Michael Eisner's offices and take over the Disney company?

It would be strange to tune in the Wonderful World of Disney and see an audio-animatronic pirate saying, "Ye comes seeking adventure and salty old pirates, eh? Sure, ye've come to the proper place."

Something Disney Fans Would Like to See: The surf guitar Dick Dale soundtrack to Disneyland's Space Mountain be added as an audio channel on plane flights. Turbulence would never be so much fun.

Something Disney Fans Would Not Like to See: The soundtrack on Disneyland's Space Mountain replaced with Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On.

All My General Lives to Live: The Disney Studios park will have a special promotion on the weekend of Sept. 25, where over 30 soap opera stars will make appearances.

No word on if Melanie will be spurned for affection by George on the Tower of Terror … Or if John will have a secret fling with Rebecca on the Rock and Roller Coaster … Or if Jane will reveal herself to be the long-lost sister of Rick on The Great Movie Ride.

Add Theme Parks: Just a guess, but do you think the folks running the Disney parks will be extra conscious of safety this week after recent events at competitors' parks?

What if It Was a Disney Movie: Mickey Blue Eyes would have the same title, but wouldn't be released theatrically.

Instead, it would be shown as a training film to Disney fans for finding "Hidden Mickeys." They would be thrown off at one point, when instead of a Hidden Mickey a Hidden Donald would be seen.

Until next time … 8O Hey! That's a Hidden Mickey sideways!