JOBS FOR THE BOYS Who’s the real winner in the Disney/Pixar marriage?
I Having splashed out over £4 billion to buy hotshot animation studio Pixar. the money men at Walt Disney might have expected everyone to be talking about the boom times ahead for them. But of all the column acres devoted to the big film world acquisition, most were about Steve Jobs. who heads up Pixar, and who — as everyone from the FT to Al Jazeera reported — now finds himself as Disney's largest shareholder. with a seat on the board. Since Jobs is also chief exec of Apple. the San Francisco Chronicle summed up the questions on everyone's lips: ‘What next for Jobs? Does he take an active role in Disney. bringing his Silicon Valley sensibility to a Hollywood studio struggling to find its way in the digital world? Does he use his new clout at Disney to boost his true passion, Apple Computer. by tunnelling movies and television shows to the video iPod? Or does he just sit back and stay quiet? Keeping his mouth shut hardly seems likely given his track record.’ The FFs Lex column agreed that ‘the deal shows Disney is taking action to bolster its weak. though vital. animation business‘. Meanwhile. the Sunday Times described Jobs as ‘the real Mr lncredible‘. Will their optimism be borne out by events? Watch this iPod.
quite a help.
PARENTING MAGAZINES The mother (and father) of all periodicals I A recent NSPCC poll intending to determine whether new parents feel ‘desperate for advice’ has quite unsurprisineg come back with a majority answer of ‘Yes please!’ Well, there’s a deluge of guidance out there, and if you can stomach the self-satisfied gushes of the newly birthed, it could be
I Junior is the Vogue of parenting mags. The glossy pages are divided between maternal success stories, some practical advice on shopping for breast pumps, and photo shoots of model mothers who’ve been spared any outward signs of the nausea and exhaustion bestowed upon your average mum-to-be. Dressed in maternity garments that retail at the price of a good pram, they’re an attempt to bring a bit of glamour to a time more familiar with flat shoes and comfy bathrobes. I Practical Parenting flags up the Baby Show. Scotland which promises young parents ‘everything they need to give their babies the best start'. Aimed at the young mum wanting a life aside from milk expressing and the
nappy brigade. this mag’s full of tips on how to balance a healthy social life
ALAS ALI SMITH
Scottish author overlooked for final Whitbread Prize
I What a difference a day makes. As the Whitbread Prize judges mulled over the five category winners - including best novel winner Ali Smith, for The Accidental - pundits and bookies seemed united in backing her to win the overall Best Book crown. In the run-up to the announcement, her novel was described as a ‘delightful’ (New York Observer), ‘thrilling’ (Herald) ‘tour de force’ (Seattle Times), with ‘searing insight and a powerful dollop of dark humour’ (Miami Herald), while one critic writing in the Baltimore Sun explained that Smith is a ‘genius of voice’. Fortunately for Smith, she claims not to be affected
by what is said about her. ‘Fashion is fickle,’ she is quoted as saying in the Sunday Times. Lo and behold,
8 THE LIST 2—16 Feb 2006
with your parental duties. There’s also the inevitable celeb-mum gossip including quite a shocking revelation from Posh Spice that books bore her, so bedtime at the Beckham’s involves flash-cards instead.
I A more middle of the road publication, Mother 8 Baby, is notable mainly this month because it comes with two free children’s books. Not one for the Beckhams’ library then.
I 7779 Baby Show, Scotland, SECC, Glasgow, 3—5 Mar.
after bookies had made her the ‘hot favourite’ (Reuters), the judges instead gave the Best Book prize to biographer Hilary Spurting, and one critic was quick to post-rationalise. Early in January, the Guardian’s John Ezard had warmly described the book as ’unashamedly literary’. But Ezard’s post-Whitbread report revealed that The Accidental had only been the favourite of ’some commentators’ (ie, not him), and witheringly summed it up as ‘whimsical and ethereal’.
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