DisneyWar

The Walt Disney Company was once the all-conquering model of American corporate culture, assimilating any entity that crossed its path like Star Trek aliens the Borg. Having completed its period of hubris, it appears to have entered its nemesis stage around the turn of the 21st century. No further proof is required than James B. Stewart`s DISNEYWAR, a true account of boardroom backstabbing to rival any Jacobean tale of treachery and betrayal. In its main story, Disney`s chief executive, Michael Eisner, schemes to fire his lifelong friend, Michael Ovitz, whom he had previously hired amid protestations of great affection and predictions of a rosy future. Things rapidly grow smolderingly rancorous. But this is only the tip of a rather large and extremely dirty iceberg in a world where, it seems, few are to be trusted, and those treated only with extreme caution. A sharp analogy is drawn between the company atmosphere and that of the TV show SURVIVOR (unwisely rejected by Disney subsidiary ABC, successfully picked up by CBS). Another could be the last days of the Roman Empire: two thousand years later, power, conspicuous wealth, and palpable insanity still go hand in hand with execrable behavior--and, naturally, the results still make compulsive reading. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.