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Talk of the day

By TIMES WIRES
Published October 6, 2006

New Hallmark cards sing the real song

Hallmark Cards Inc., the nation's leading card company known for its traditional values, is suddenly rocking. The company's new Sound Cards - the first line to use original songs from original artists - have young and old tuning into everything from Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Tim McGraw to the Rolling Stones. Feeling frisky? Let Marvin Gaye tell your loved one, Let's Get It On. Unveiled with a trial run of two dozen designs about a year ago, the Say It With Music line expanded to more than 220 with a July release. Christmas will bring waves of seasonal cards, and while some cards tied to movies and TV - including Star Wars and Law & Order - are available, a new wave will hit the stands in January. "These aren't cover bands and re-records," said Tim Bodendistel, one of three art directors for the line. "So the work to put out an offering of this size is amazing." Hallmark hopes it pays off, boosting the bottom line of a company that had $4.2-billion in revenue in 2005. While it won't say what percentage of that revenue is derived from the sale of greeting cards, the company says that Sound Cards have fueled a 9 percent increase in sales of everyday cards compared with 2005.

No more Finn and Sawyer at Disneyland?

Are Tom and Huck being booted off the island? That's the buzz on Web sites devoted to Disneyland fans, some of whom were despairing after a report that Tom Sawyer Island might get the heave-ho and be replaced with a pirates playground. Disney officials aren't confirming anything, but some think the 50-year-old attraction may be too dated for video-game-playing, Harry-Potter-reading kids, said Al Lutz, who reported the possible changes on Miceage.com, a Web site devoted to Disney news. The island, surrounded by the Rivers of America, is one of the few attractions designed by park founder Walt Disney. Visitors can explore caves, cross a suspension bridge and encounter characters from Mark Twain's classic American tale.

MySpace founder upset

MySpace.com founder Brad Greenspan demanded a federal probe into the sale of the networking Web site to News Corp., the media company led by Rupert Murdoch, claiming the deal defrauded shareholders of more than $20-billion. In a report at Freemyspace.com, Greenspan alleges the sale defrauded shareholders of MySpace.com parent Intermix Media Inc. He is seeking an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Justice Department and U.S. Senate.

[Last modified October 5, 2006, 22:52:44]