The New York Times has the details about how Conan O'Brien and TBS became partners as Conan returns to late night. Here is what they had to say: 

Conan O’Brien’s manager, Gavin Polone, said that a whirlwind negotiation of only about 10 days led the late-night star to leave network television and jump to the cable network, TBS.

“They called us about a week and a half ago,” Mr. Polone said, in outlining how the negotiations began.

The Turner Entertainment president, Steve Koonin, laid out the network’s offer to give Mr. O’Brien a show at 11 p.m. weeknights, but Mr. Polone said that the Conan side had an immediate reaction: “You guys already have an 11 p.m. show.”

He was referring to the current 11 p.m. late-night show on TBS, hosted by comedian George Lopez. Mr. Polone said that Mr. Koonin told him everything had been worked out and that Mr. Lopez had agreed to slide his show back to midnight to make room for Mr. O’Brien.

But that script was awfully familiar to the Conan O’Brien side. “That sounded very similar to Jeff Gaspin coming to Conan and asking him to move back to midnight to make room for Jay,” Mr. Polone said.

In the turbulent early weeks of January, NBC’s entertainment chief, Mr. Gaspin, went to Mr. O’Brien to ask him to move the “Tonight Show” to 12:05 a.m. to free up the preceding half hour for Jay Leno to move back to late-night (in a 30-minute show) after the quick failure of his 10 p.m. comedy hour.

Mr. O’Brien of course refused and negotiated his exit from NBC. In the months since, his representatives were known to be speaking mainly to Fox Broadcasting about a new show for that network.

Mr. Polone said he went to Mr. O’Brien to inform him of the TBS offer. “Conan said, ‘We’re not putting ourselves in the position of shoving somebody out of his show.’ ” That blocked the potential deal for a brief time.

But that position changed after another phone call. Mr. Polone said that Mr. Lopez himself called Mr. O’Brien personally. “George called Conan to sell Conan on this idea. He was all for it. It really was George who made this happen.”

With Mr. Lopez on board, talks became serious very quickly with TBS, Mr. Polone said. TBS emphasized how young their audience was, a match with Mr. O’Brien’s core viewers. “The lead-ins would be shows like ‘Family Guy’ and ‘The Office,’ which is great for Conan,” Mr. Polone said. Mr. Lopez has the youngest audience in late night with a median age of 33.

The negotiations moved rapidly because, Mr. Polone said, TBS agreed quickly to almost every request. “We’d come back with complex details and they’d apologize and say they might not be able to get back to us for two hours.”

TBS also promised “the biggest promotional campaign in television history” for Mr. O’Brien, using some of TBS’s most popular properties like the NBA playoffs this spring and the Major League Baseball playoffs next fall.

Mr. O’Brien will continue to produce his show in Los Angeles, Mr. Polone said.

He declined to comment on what happened with the negotiations with the Fox network, except to say that they had been ongoing. But several executives who have been familiar with that process said that complications had made those negotiations difficult to conclude.

Mainly Fox’s affiliated stations have deals in place for syndicated programs — mostly repeats of shows like “The Simpsons” and the same two comedies that play on TBS, “The Office” and “Family Guy.” The stations have already paid for those shows and sold advertising for them.

The stations have also been through a financially crippling year because of the national recession and many were resistant to giving up the profits they would experience with the syndicated repeats. (Fox and the affiliates were also facing contentious negotiations over retransmission rights to cable networks, a source of income the two entities will battle over in terms of who gets how much.)

Mr. O’Brien was likely to reach only about 60 per cent of the country with a first broadcast at 11 p.m. The rest of the country would be reached at later hours, diminishing his chances to hit a big rating – at least initially. Fox was promising to expand the coverage to full clearance at 11 p.m. in about three years, several parties to the talks said.

But with TBS, Mr. O’Brien will reach almost  every home in the nation immediately. That made the deal more attractive.

Stepping away from a broadcast network may mean that he will not get a full chance to face off with Mr. Leno and NBC, a prospect he might have liked given the circumstances of his departure.

But what it does set up is a new kind of heavyweight match in late night. Now Mr. O’Brien will be face to face with the two big stars of late-night in cable, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central.

All three men are close friends; now they will be measured directly against each other in the ratings.

 I'm really curious to see how this all plays out. I'm glad that it seems like this transition was completely positive and a win-win scenario for everyone involved! Best wishes Conan and George Lopez in November!

Disneyland Paris is one of my absolute favorite places to visit. It is an absolutely gorgeous park and I love all of the detail work that Disney has put into it. It truly is a magical place to visit. I think it is even MORE magical now though as over the weekend it got quite a bit of snow. My good friend Scott shared some pictures with me that I now in turn will share to you. I would love to visit Disneyland Paris in the snow! What do you think? Thanks for the pictures Scott!

The Disneyland Hotel, above the entrance to Disneyland as it snows.

The entrance to Frontierland in Disneyland Paris covered with snow.

Looking across the Rivers of America at Big Thunder Mountain,
covered in snow, at Disneyland Paris.

Phantom Manor covered in snow in Frontierland, Disneyland Paris.

Frontierland covered in snow in Disneyland Paris.

Sleeping Beauty Castle covered with snow at Disneyland Paris.

Sleeping Beauty Castle covered with snow at Disneyland Paris.

The plow cleans up the snow at Disneyland Paris in front of
Sleeping Beauty Castle and the Hub.

 
Sleeping Beauty Castle in the snow at Disneyland Paris.

It snows in Adventureland at Disneyland Paris.

Adventureland and the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse in the snow at
Disneyland Paris!

Captain Hook's pirate ship and Skull Rock in the snow in Adventureland
at Disneyland Paris.

Skull Rock and Captain Hook's Pirate Ship in the snow in Adventureland
at Disneyland Paris!

Pirates of the Caribbean covered in snow in Adventureland at Disneyland
Paris.

More of Adventureland in the snow at Disneyland Paris.

Alice in Wonderland's Curious Labyrinth in the snow in Fantasyland at
Disneyland Paris.

Alice in Wonderland's Curious Labyrinth in the snow in Fantasyland at
Disneyland Paris.

The White Rabbit covered in snow in Alice in
Wonderland's Curious Labyrinth in Fantasyland
at Disneyland Paris!

Snow in Alice in Wonderland's Curious Labyrinth in Fantasyland at
Disneyland Paris.

More snow in Alice in Wonderland's Labyrinth in
Fantasyland at Disneyland Paris.

The Cheshire Cat covered in snow in Alice in Wonderland's Curious
Labyrinth in Fantasyland at Disneyland Paris.

Alice in Wonderland's Curious Labyrinth in snow in Fantasyland in
Disneyland Paris.

Snow in Alice in Wonderland's Curious Labyrinth in Fantasyland at
Disneyland Paris.

Snow covers the Caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland's Curious Labyrinth in
Fantasyland at Disneyland Paris.

Snow covers the Caucus Race in Alice in Wonderland's Curious Labyrinth
in Fantasyland at Disneyland Paris.

Painting the roses red in Alice in Wonderland's Curious Labyrinth in
Fantasyland at Disneyland Paris.

Exiting Alice in Wonderland's Curious Labyrinth in the snow in
Fantasyland at Disneyland Paris.

The Queen of Hearts' castle in the snow in Alice
in Wonderland's Curious Labyrinth in Fantasyland
at Disneyland Paris!

The King of Hearts in the snow in Alice in Wonderland's
Curious Labyrinth in Fantasyland at Disneyland Paris.

The Old Mill covered in snow in Fantasyland at Disneyland Paris.

Looking across Fantasyland in the snow at Disneyland Paris!

Another look at Adventureland in the snow at Disneyland Paris!

I hope you have enjoyed these wintery pictures as much as I have! Thank you Scott for sharing them! Merry Christmas everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. As you enjoy your parades, turkey, football, dog shows, family and more....take a few minutes to stop and think about what you are thankful for. Hope you have an amazing Thanksgiving with those that you love and remember what is important today! Oh, and if you don't know how to cook a turkey... here's a little help from the Swedish Chef. 

This last weekend some dear friends took me to the Walt Disney Family Museum. I have been itching to go since I first heard about this project a couple of years ago. For those of you who don’t know, The Walt Disney Family Museum was created by the Walt Disney Family Foundation (including Walt’s daughter Diane Marie Disney) to remember and share with the general public the life and legacy of Walt Disney. The Walt Disney Family Foundation is a non-profit organization and is not formally affiliated with The Walt Disney Company. It is located in The Presidio of San Francisco in three inauspicious brick buildings. Other than a small sign in front of the main building, one would never know that a museum dedicated to one of America’s greatest entertainers was even there!

Whatever may be lacking in flashiness is made up for in quality. Mounting the steps one is greeted by an incredibly friendly cast member who is on hand to give directions, answer questions, and just get things started off right. Upon entering the main lobby one finds a small snack bar and gift shop to the left and the ticket counter to the right. After purchasing our tickets, we looked at some of the artifacts in the waiting room to enter the main museum. These included many of the awards Walt Disney received through the years. Some of them were incredibly flashy and some I never knew existed. A highlight was definitely seeing the Oscars given for Snow White. At our appointed time (we were actually a few minutes late… oops), we were let into the first gallery of the Walt Disney Family Museum.

The first gallery of the Walt Disney Family Museum covers Walt Disney’s early life. There are pictures, artifacts, interviews with Walt about his early life, drawings, and even a replica of the ambulance he would have driven in France during World War 1.  Some highlights in the room definitely were his early drawings and replicas of comics along with some pictures of Walt’s family.

We then entered an elevator that was made to look and feel like the interior of a Pullman train car. As the doors opened we found ourselves up a level and facing a wall with the Hollywood sign on it. Each letter however was also a TV screen. This room focused on Walt’s entrance to the Hollywood scene. In this gallery were some of the earliest known drawings of Mickey Mouse. I did have to notice how different his nose and mouth originally were. There was also a wonderful display about the creation of Steamboat Willie. Of course Oswald was in this room as well as was one of Walt’s original cameras. This was also the time when Walt would marry Lillian Bounds. 

Entering the third room one first notices all of the storyboarded pictures on the wall for Steamboat Willie. Several of them in the middle were actually screens with portions of Steamboat Willie playing in them. The middle of the room had several replica instruments with headphones where a group can provide the sound effects for Steamboat Willie to portray how sound was synchronized with a cartoon back in the day. It was a blast and we had quite a laugh as we tried to get everything lined up and sounding/looking right! The room also had more of an explanation of how sound was added to cartoons. It also had a wall full of really old Disney merchandise. Lastly, there was also a section on the Family history of the era. This was done in pretty much every room and added a personal element to each gallery that I really appreciated and enjoyed.

The fourth gallery was predominantly dedicated to the move from shorts to full length animated features, specifically Snow White. There was also some focus on some of the Silly Symphonies. There were various clips, interviews, and original sketches and artwork from Snow White. Various aspects and characters of the movie were also explored.

The fifth gallery showed what could be done once Walt Disney had success on his hands. This included displays on Bambi, Pinocchio, and Fantasia. The story of how Fantasia came together was incredibly well told and it was fun to see some different aspects of the relationship that Walt Disney and Leopold Stokowski. There was an awesome book that was also digitized that could be explored next to a large screen presentation on Fantasia. This room also had the multiplane camera in it that stretched down to the entrance of the gift shop a floor below.   

As we entered the sixth gallery we were immediately faced with stories of the strike that faced Walt Disney. Something that really stood out here for me was how hurt Walt was by this. The hurt and anger was clearly evident in his interviews. This room also showed how active Walt was with the war effort and dedicated to the American cause.

After the sixth gallery we took a break to walk down to the bay and enjoy a picnic lunch with the gorgeous view of the Golden Gate Bridge. To leave and return all that was required was a signature on our tickets and off we went. Upon our return we picked up right where we left off. The seventh gallery focused on the mid 40’s and the 50’s when the Walt Disney Studios were rebuilding from the war. There were projections of the various projects around the top of the room on what reminded me of a giant ribbon. Below there were stations that were interactive where interviews, photos, and video could be pulled up to share about various things going on at the time. There were also artifacts from some of the earliest live action Disney films like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Treasure Island. There was also artwork from the animated features of the times including Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Lady and the Tramp.

As we left the seventh gallery and entered the eighth we found ourselves looking out of a glass wall at a stunning view of the Presidio and Golden Gate Bridge. This room was dedicated to the natural world. In it were videos embedded into the curvy walls of Walt Disney’s True Life Adventures and also the People and Places documentaries. The end also had a saddle that Walt Disney had won and later went on to be used in Zorro!

The next gallery was perhaps the most unique of all of them. Focusing on the 50’s and 60’s it centered on a gently sloped spiral ramp circling a fictional and timeless model of Disneyland with elements and attractions from different years included on it. At the top of the ramp was the original scale model Lilly Belle train that once was in Walt Disney’s backyard. The room also houses many television screens with the various Disney programs of the era. There also was the camera that was developed in house and used to film the Circacamera Movies. As one continued down the ramp and around the Disneyland model, there were interesting tidbits to be told about various aspects of the park accompanied periodically with videos when the park went into nighttime mode. As one enters the last section of the room there is an excellent display focusing on Mary Poppins. This includes a video presentation, letters from Walt Disney to Julie Andrews, photos, and more! There was also some interesting stuff on the development of Walt Disney World as well as a potential ski lodge.

The last gallery (tenth if you are still counting) was perhaps the most moving of all of them. In this very sparse room, the details and coverage of Walt Disney’s death are covered. An old fashioned TV plays the newscasts and interviews about the death of Walt Disney. There are many different newspaper articles, letters, telegrams, and drawings the show how both America and the world mourned Walt Disney’s death. While this wasn’t the most interesting room in the Walt Disney Family Museum, it definitely was the most moving. To describe the last gallery in the word I would have to choose heartbreaking. It definitely captured the heartache of this tragedy and I cannot imagine anyone who made it this far through the museum with even a remote amount of interest not being moved. For those who are more serious fans, it might be smart to have the tissue handy. As one exits there is a room with pictures and quotes from Walt Disney’s life. The room is all white with several offset screens. Hollow, simple, and empty, with Walt Disney smiling on the walls it is both sad yet portrays how Walt’s memory lives on past the pain of his death. It is the perfect transition from the tragedy of the last gallery back into the real world, gift shop, and lunch area.

The Walt Disney Family Museum is a must visit for any Disney fan. We visited for a good portion of the day and while we caught the bulk of what was offered in the galleries, there was a whole lot more that we could have stayed and enjoyed. Every room has multiple interviews to be listened to. There is a theater that this month was playing Sleeping Beauty. There are also special events with people connected to the Walt Disney family one way or another happening regularly. It is an excellent attraction and I think I coming years it will become the place where Walt Disney fans make their pilgrimage to be closer to Walt Disney. I definitely felt closer with the man rather than the figurehead upon leaving. This was due in part to the interviews and displays but also in part to the cast members the run the Walt Disney Family Museum. It is clear that they are first generation and have had personal contact with the founders of the museum, including Diane Disney Miller. From this comes a sense of vision that can’t just be taught but is instead caught. These cast members definitely have caught this vision and it makes for a superior experience to many other museums and attractions I’ve visited.

Entrance for the Walt Disney Family Museum is $20 for adults, $15 for Seniors and Students, and $12.50 for kids 6-17. However, if you are a member admission is free. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online up to 60 days beforehand. Admission is timed so that the flow of guests can be regulated. Once inside though, you can explore the museum at your own pace and come and go as you please once your ticket is signed. For the average guests, I’d suggest allotting several hours. For the more hardcore fans, better plan on the whole day.