New Comments Regarding Mickey in Wild West

Two more comments have been made on the article announcing Mickey's upcoming starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Neither one is supportive of the idea, to say the least. If these comments reflect the view of the wider audience, I'm not sure the objective of enticing previous visitors to return will be entirely successful. Look for "Comments on: Buffalo Bill recruits Mickey Mouse for Wild West Show!" in the right-hand column of this blog and click on one to read them yourself.

Voice Coach Chris Beatty Added to Blog

Awhile ago I did a fair amount of research to help determine optimum weekly scheduling for the Buffalo Bill role considering the intense vocal demands of the role. During that research, I ran across vocal coach Chris Beatty. For a few years I've been receiving his occasional newsletter and thought maybe you'd be interested in reading what a professional voice coach has to say so I put his feed on the blog, on the right hand column.

What's a "feed"?

Lots of interesting stuff for anyone who sings or wants to sing, or uses their voice in any intensive way. Just click on any of the links under "Voice Coach Chris Beatty" to your right.

Ryan Arrested for Carrying a Pocket Knife

photo courtesy of www.scoutingbooks.com

Ryan's step-father worked in the show in 1992 when the show first opened, so he's been around France before. The other day he showed up to work ahead of time, signed in, and moseyed over to the Post Office in the train station to do some business before his shift started. He was wearing his cowboy hat, an unusual look in France that identified him as a probable member of the cast of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.

In the train station two police officers approached him with an air of authority. Ryan figured they meant to question him. They ended up searching him and found a pocket knife in, well.. his pocket. They confiscated the knife and said that if the knife had been in his backpack there would be no problem but since it was in his pocket he'd have to come with them. Later Ryan commented that he could have had a 12" Bowie knife in his backpack and not been troubled, but a little pocket knife in his pocket got him arrested. They escorted him to the police station, booked him, fingerprinted him, and released him on foot. By then his shift was well underway so he ran from the police station to work. The police kept his knife. Maybe in their pocket.

At the time I wasn't clear where the sudden vigilance on the part of the police came from. Usually they're pretty cool but when something extraordinary happens they often change their demeanor and can be hyper-vigilant to a point bordering on harassment. It was only today, when I learned about the incident with the Indian (see below) did I come to the conclusion that perhaps Ryan's incident was partly influenced by the incident with the Indian. But I could be wrong.

Tomahawk Not Returned to Violent Indian

A friend of mine alerted me to this article, from le Parisien. This is a rough English translation. I'm not sure who the Indian is but I assume it's one from our show.

A Native American Indian from Canada appeared in front of Meaux's criminal court the day before yesterday for conjugal violence. The 26-year-old stuntman, employed by Disneyland Paris, was judged to have slapped his common law wife and to have tried to choke her before threatening her with a knife, on the night of 29-30 January, in Bailly-Romainvilliers, France.

Wearing very long dark hair, Boy Traveling Over Water, as he was named by the Blackfeet tribe, felt uncomfortable in the accused box. He seemed close to illness. Thanks to an interpreter who translated his English, the court was made to understand that the accused recognized the facts but that he was so inebriated with alcohol he did not remember the events.

"What she says is the truth, I am a weak man. Meeting Aurore is the best thing that has ever happened at me. " His common law wife, eight months pregnant, did not file a complaint.

Six months of prison, four suspended on probation required.

"The reassuring point is that he is conscious of the gravity of the situation. He does not try to minimize. He needs help. I require [him to serve] six months in prison among which four suspended on probation. I also ask for the seizure of the tomahawk which, if it was not used in this violence, was used in other contexts," commanded the deputy prosecutor, Emilie Goyet.

The Indian's partner, terrorized by the weapon, had hidden it. This did not prevent Mrs. Julia Moroni, the defense counsel, from demanding the restoration of this "domestic object".

"This dossier of conjugal violence is not uncommon. But there is a particular context: my client is a pure Indian from old stock, drinking since the age of 14, which is an atavism. He drinks before and after the show with his colleagues."

The court opted for six months prison, suspended with probation. And the tomahawk was seized.

The Parisian