Hot off the presses, we have our newest issue of Spiced Peaches - Spiced Peaches LIV: Jukebox Edition
I’m so pleased to share this issue with all of you. We have a total 20 story, poetry, and artwork submissions, with contributions from thirteen(!) different generous and talented coyotes/Spones fans. It’s a marvelous issue, everyone, so please enjoy.
We have no R or NC-17 rated art this issue, but there are some R and NC-17 rated stories, as well as some tricky themes, so please mind the warnings and ratings for the individual pieces.
To all of our contributors, thank you for making this issue come together. We went down to the wire, and we have something splendid. To our newest contributor - welcome! We hope to see more from you in future issues.
Check out the Editor’s Wishlist for information about our next issue. A new issue for a new year.
Happy reading, everyone and sing along with us.
“Keys to the Kingdom”: What Bob Iger’s Return means for the Disney Company
by Bella O.
Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, the castle in Disneyland Paris (Pixabay)
Picture this: the year is 2004, and after almost losing Euro Disneyland (now known as Disneyland Paris Resort) to the French government, building three cheaply made “half-day” parks, and a failing film studio, the Disney Company was at a rough spot.
Sounds too crazy to be true, right? In late 2004, after holding their annual company meeting, 43% of Disney shareholders voted CEO at the time Michael Eisner out of his position. While anyone would have found such a harsh way to end their career and even embarrassing, Michael Eisner accepted and retired in September of 2004 after a long and stressful career. Now there was the question of who would fill in his shoes. The Disney Company was losing money, Pixar was looking for a new film distributor since their deal with Disney had ended, and had made three theme parks in a row that some believed were made to make money, not spread joy and happiness as all of their previous past parks had. So, who would they choose for the next Disney CEO? On March 13th, 2005, the Disney Company announced that former chairman and president of Walt Disney International Robert Allen Iger would be the new Disney CEO, though Michael Eisner was still considered to be the CEO until September of 2005. Over the next few years, Bob Iger would help to rebuild their half-day parks, buy Pixar, and help the company get back to where it had been before going overboard with Eisner. For a while, things looked good for the Disney company. Then, in 2020, Iger announced his retirement, and the board of directors made Bob Chapek, a chairman for Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, the new CEO. How would Chapek change the Disney Company: for the better, or for the worse?
In June of 2022, Bob Chapek signed a contract that gave him a three-year extension as CEO of the Walt Disney Company. However, in November of 2022, Chapek was “kicked out” of the Walt Disney Company. He had done very little with the theme parks, but had messed with the movie studio. Over his two and a half years as CEO, Disney had released the live action version of the 1998 hit Mulan, the highly anticipated but overall disappointing Lightyear, and Encanto, just to name a few. Overall, these movies were discouraging, boring, or too odd to be taken seriously. While, yes, the CEO has a part in creating movies and working on the theme parks, it is important to note that Bob Chapek took over just as the Covid-19 pandemic had begun, and that he wasn’t the only person working on the movies. Most of the Disney Company's money comes from the parks, and at that time all of them were closed due to the pandemic. It could be possible that they released these movies because they were worried about the pandemic, or how much money they’d lose because of the closed theme parks, though we don’t know for sure. What we do know, though, is that on November 20th, 2022, Bob Chapek was replaced by his previous boss, Bob Iger, who took back his place as CEO of the Disney Company. But even though Chapek was gone, Iger was in the same place he’d been in before. The company, mainly the film studio, needed fixing. Will Iger fix it again?
Iger is known to some as a “buyer”, others as a money hungry CEO, and to others as the savior of the company. Honestly, all of these are true. As I said before, Iger purchased Pixar, but he didn’t stop there. Throughout the years he’s also bought Lucasfilm, Marvel, 20th Century Studios, and the rights to the movie Avatar. Essentially, he’s bought the competition. Bob Iger also built two theme parks, Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disney Resort, Disney’s newest theme park, and added new themed lands into already existing theme parks including Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland and Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios (previously known as Disney’s MGM Studios). As for Bob Iger being money hungry, he apparently only raises the prices of tickets and souvenirs when he absolutely needs to. In a recent interview, he said that he wanted to make Disneyland an experience for all guests, locals or tourists, though some think otherwise. Some programs, such as Genie+ and Lightning Lane, seem more for tourists than anyone else, and the prices of tickets are slowly rising, too. Even if he is money hungry, like Chapek apparently was, it can be debated that it’s evened out by the fact that he did most likely save the company in the early 2000’s.
So, what steps are Iger taking to rebuild the company again? Well, the main thing to fix is the film studio. With the parks reopened now, money’s not much of an issue at the moment, however, less and less people are subscribing to Disney+, Disney’s streaming service. Iger is looking to raise popularity and stop people from subscribing to watch the latest season of a show or watch a new Disney movie. Instead, he hopes to make long time subscribers by advertising the newest shows and movies, as well as some older movies that were popular. Recently, they aired the first episode of season three of The Mandalorian on a few different channels available on cable. By doing this, Iger hopes that more people will subscribe to watch the rest of the show, and continue keeping the streaming service to watch older movies and shows, as well as new releases.
The Disney+ Logo
It seems that just having Iger as CEO is getting the filmmaker's creative gears turning. Recently, Iger announced the sequels to three blockbuster movies, Zootopia, Frozen, and the ever popular Toy Story. There’s not much information on these three sequels so far since they were just announced a little while ago, though we should be able to expect more information as their release dates get closer.
While Iger did reluctantly agree to return to his position as CEO of the company, we shouldn’t be expecting him to stay with the company much longer. At the age of seventy-two, it’s not hard to see why he retired in the first place. Being the CEO of any company would be stressful. Now think about how big the Disney Company is, and how large their legacy is. Disney is popular worldwide, with twelve theme parks around the globe, including Paris, Florida, and Tokyo, as well as more than sixty animated films with Disney Animation Studios alone. Iger announced soon after his return as CEO that he’s only here to get the company back on its feet and then he’ll retire for good. We can expect Bob Iger to be around for another two years, at least, with very minimal changes to the parks and a few new movies.
In the words of Walt Disney “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” The same appears to be true for the rest of the Disney Company, too.
The Biggest Moments, Wins, and Comebacks of the 2023 Oscars Ceremony
by Peyton C.
Image of Michelle Yeoh after her historic Oscar win on Sunday (Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
The Academy Awards ceremony is a pivotal moment in both cinema and popular culture. Not only does it showcase the hard work and dedication that goes into filmmaking, but it honors those who are considered the best at what they do. From awards ranging from Best Animated Feature Film to Best Picture, the Oscars honor all who achieve greatness in their work. This year’s ceremony was no different, with many talented people nominated for their devotion to the arts. The 2023 Oscars ceremony featured many iconic moments, historic wins, and massive comebacks.
To start the ceremony, the Academy of Motion Pictures played a montage full of nominated films like “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” & “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” to name a few. After that, the host, comedian Jimmy Kimmel, entered the stage via parachute to parody the nominated movie “Top Gun: Maverick.” During Kimmel’s introduction monologue, he poked fun at some of the ceremony’s attendees. He joked about the vast number of Irish nominees by saying, “It was some year for diversity and inclusion. We have nominees from every corner of Dublin.” But he also referenced the incident between Will Smith and Chris Rock that occurred on-stage at last year’s show. He said, “We have strict policies in place. If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point in the show, you will be awarded the Oscar for Best Actor and permitted to give a 19-minute-long speech.”
But besides Kimmel’s hilarious jokes, there were other iconic moments throughout the show, such as the incredible performances from singers nominated for the Best Original Song category. For her performance of “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” Lady Gaga changed out of her stunning black Versace dress into regular clothes and took off all of her makeup to create a vulnerable performance. Gaga spoke of what the song means to her, “It’s deeply personal for me, and I think that we all need each other. We need a lot of love to walk through this life. And we all need a hero sometimes.” Other performers included Rihanna for “Lift Me Up” (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”), David Byrne and Stephanie Hsu for “This Is A Life” (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”), Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava for “Naatu Naatu” (“RRR”), and Sofia Carson and Diane Warren for “Applause” (“Tell It Like a Woman”).
This year’s awards ceremony was also full of historic wins for some nominees. Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win the Best Actress category for her role in the hit movie, “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” During her acceptance speech, Yeoh said, “For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities.” The film “RRR” also received a historic win for the first song in an Indian movie to earn the Best Original Song award for “Naatu Naatu” by M.M. Keeravani and Chandrabose. Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” also earned a historic win for its costume department. Ruth E. Carter, the costume designer for the film, became the first Black woman to ever win two Oscars. Carter previously won for her amazing work in the first “Black Panther” movie back in 2018. Carter thanked the Academy in her speech by saying, “Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the superhero that is a Black woman.”
But many have called the 2023 Oscars a year for comebacks, especially for two beloved actors. Brendan Fraser and Ke Huy Quan have resurfaced in Hollywood after staying away from the mainstream media for years. Fraser recently starred in “The Whale,” which earned him a nomination for Best Actor. During the ceremony, Fraser won the award for his respective category and received a standing ovation from the audience. Meanwhile, Quan starred alongside Michelle Yeoh in the critically acclaimed movie, “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” Quan’s performance earned him the nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Quan also won the award in his respective category, giving an emotional acceptance speech on stage. Quan said, “My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp, and somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage.” Later in the night, Quan was able to reconnect with his former “Indiana Jones” co-star Harrison Ford, in an emotional reunion as he presented the award for Best Picture to Quan’s movie. After both of their wins, many look forward to the continued appearance of Fraser and Quan in other big projects.
As one of the longest traditions in Hollywood, the Oscars are a time when the movie industry and its contributors can come together and celebrate cinema. Whether you win or not, the Oscars acknowledge those who are some of the most creative and talented people. They are also a time when we as an audience can laugh, cry, and rejoice for our favorite actors and creative visionaries. The Oscars are also a time diversity in cinema can be celebrated. Films like “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “RRR,” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” are just some of the diverse and extraordinary films from 2022. After the 95th Oscars ceremony, many look forward to seeing what films will gain recognition and become a part of this prestigious institution next year.
Image of the wreckage caused by the crash (Getty Images)
Late Tuesday night on the 28th of February, in the town of Tempi Valley, Greece, a head-on collision between a passenger train and a freight train occurred. As the trains went off the tracks, chaos ensued. Many who were in the train cars stated that the windows exploded, and suddenly they were flying through the air. As the trains derailed, many cars caught on fire, leaving destruction and devastation across the tracks.
Of the total number of 352 people in the trains, over 50 people were reported dead as rescue teams searched through the remnants of the train cars. With the help of 150 special rescue firefighters, 17 vehicles, and over 30 ambulances involved in the search and rescue mission, over 60 people were sent to hospitals for minor care, while 6 people were taken into intensive care before passing away later. 20-25 are reported as missing at this time, but many are suspecting that they slipped away in the chaos or were taken to other hospitals by friends or family. It has been declared that a majority of the victims and injured are young adults and children who were returning from the nearby university. While the many others who were killed in the front cars, which caught fire, are in the process of DNA process analysis for identification due to the state of damage and injuries in which occurred.
As many wondered if the situation occurred due to faulty safety systems in place, the country’s transport minister, Kostas Karamanlis, declared that they were not in fact up to 21st century safety regulations and went on to honorably resign from his position in the wake of the disaster, in honor of those unjustly killed in the accident. Following his visit to the crash site, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has concluded that the circumstances behind the accident fall to human error based on the faulty infrastructure of the railroads. Greek police officials later arrested the station manager during the ongoing investigation in order to figure out why both trains were on the same rails line for several kilometers. As the death tolls rose many senior officials operators in OSE and its subsidiary ERGOSE resigned in the following days.
Over 1,000 people protested in places near the crash site, as well as the Hellenic Train Offices, another branch of the railroad where the crash occurred. Many were throwing rocks, yelling, and starting dumpster fires as their anger rose due to the unjust deaths caused by the unlawful safety conditions that had been exhibited for years, and that the government never took action to fix. Many workers went on strike to protest the lack of permanent staff, training, and the implementation of modern security technology which has been ignored.
The local station manager has been charged with causing mass deaths through negligence and causing grievous bodily harm negligence. As investigations continued he denied the accusations stating that the automatic signals had technical failures. An audio recording was uncovered during the investigation with the station manager clearly telling the train driver to “Proceed through red traffic light exit until traffic light entry of Neon Poron”. The driver asks if he is supposed to turn yet, but is told to stay on the track. Meanwhile, in the background, you can hear him tell someone else to direct the other train on to the same track.
