Patience Padawans

EDITOR'S NOTE:

PATIENCE PADAWANS. WE'RE HAVING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES THIS WEEK. (AS IN, TOO DARN BUSY WITH TWO CAREERS/JOBS). POSTING TO RESUME LATER THIS WEEK OR EARLY NEXT WEEK.

QUICK NEWS SO FAR THIS WEEK THAT WE'VE MISSED?

WB AND UPN ARE GOING TO MERGE. THEY WILL FORM ONE NETWORK (?) CALLED CW. (SOLVING THE STICKY PROBLEM OF NEITHER NETLET BEING WATCHED AND NEITHER MAKING ANY MONEY).

DISNEY JUST BOUGHT PIXAR. STEVE JOBS WILL NOW BE ON THE BOARD AT DISNEY.FROM THE PRESS REPORT ---

Pixar executive vp John Lasseter, considered the creative force behind Pixar and its unbroken string of hit computer-graphics animated films, becomes chief creative officer of the new studio and principal creative adviser at Walt Disney Imagineering.At Imagineering, Lasseter is expected to help create more attractions based on Pixar characters for Disney's many theme parks, along the lines of the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride that opened last year at Disneyland in Anaheim

Disney is expected to maintain the two units -- the Disney group based in Burbank and the Pixar group based in Emeryville, Calif. -- as separate production facilities.

Disney's lucrative relationship with Pixar, though, might have come to an end had Iger not made it a priority to hammer out a new agreement, something previous Disney CEO Michael Eisner had been unable to achieve because his relationship with Jobs had become contentious.Rather than strike a new distribution deal that would have been far more advantageous to Pixar than Disney's previous arrangement had been, Iger and company instead chose to buy the firm.

In a twist, Eisner, who relinquished his CEO spot to Iger in September and surrendered his board seat shortly thereafter, now must watch as Jobs, his onetime nemesis, not only joins the Disney board but also becomes the company's largest individual shareholder.

THE WEST WING ENDS THIS SEASON. (THE TV SHOW...NOT THE REAL-LIFE PERFORMANCE ART BEING ENACTED IN D.C.....MORE'S THE PITY).

THERE'S GOING TO BE A BIG-SCREEN VERSION OF MAGNUM P.I. (PRODUCED BY BRIAN GRAZER, SO NOT A SLAP-DASH FLICK, I'M GUESSING).

THERESA RUSSELL HAS JOINED THE CAST OF SPIDERMAN 3. (PLAYING THOMAS HADEN CHURCH'S CHARACTER'S WIFE).

SO SIT TIGHT, DWEEBPALS. WE'LL BE BACK IN THE DWEEB SWING SOON!