Who Is Wade Sampson And Why Are They Saying All Those Wonderful Things About Him?

As most every Disney fan who peruses the internet now knows, the mysterious online Disney historian Wade Sampson is actually the mysteriously gifted Disney historian Jim Korkis—and Jim has a brand new book that collects the many in-depth articles Wade, uh, I mean Jim has published online. (Go here to read the final "Wade Sampson" column.) One of the best thing about this book, entitled The Vault of Walt, featuring all kinds of overlooked, underrated and mostly unknown Disney behind-the-scenes stories is that Jim has enhanced his original historical reporting with new findings and even more little-known delicacies. Be sure and get your own copy of this fascinating book here and discover the wonderful historical world of "Wade Sampson."

Blazing A New Frontier At The Walt Disney Family Museum

If you are in the San Francisco area this weekend, you won't want to miss the Fess Parker tribute at the Walt Disney Family Museum. Jeff Kurtti, otherwise known as King of the Wild Disney Historians and one of the guiding imaginations and Disney authorities behind the splendid museum devoted to a man named Walt, will be hosting two very special salutes to the tall Texan who so winningly portrayed the coonskin-capped Congressman in Walt Disney's groundbreaking, blockbusting "Davy Crockett" TV shows. For more information about all the Fess Parker festivities, check out the Museum's website.

Share a Horse Laugh With Horace (and Other Disney Stars)

One of the many informative, intriguing and just plain fun offerings on the D23 website is a series of star bios. Who do we mean when we refer to Disney stars? Well, Mickey Mouse of course and Donald, Goofy, Minnie...but there's also some other members of the gang that don't always get the star treatment. I had the honor of writing these D23 biographies, and I have to admit I'm proudest of the pieces about such immortal but obscure Disney pals as Clarabelle Cow, Clara Cluck and that improbable matinee idol, Horace Horsecollar (seen here in panels from the famed Mickey Mouse newspaper comic strip drawn by Floyd Gottfredson, originally published on December 2, 1931; click on the image for a larger view). Don't miss Biographies of 10 Classic Disney Characters at D23.com.

Jimmy On Broadway

Or is it Broadway on Jimmy? Either way, all this week on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, it's Broadway Week. Each night, starting tonight, Monday September 13, 2010, Jimmy is presenting a number from one of the musicals currently trodding the boards on the Great White Way. Jimmy's show emanates from famed 30 Rock, and its proximity to New York's storied theatre district makes it a natural to showcase productions that only a relative few of us will otherwise experience, so this is a not-to-be-missed celebration of musical theatre. First up is this year's Tony winner as Best Musical, Memphis, followed on Tuesday by a selection from Promises, Promises (which looks, well, promising to me because it seems to have been produced with a very 1960s vibe), and on Wednesday, it's the Green Day musical American Idiot. Assuming you aren't staying up to watch the actual Late Night broadcast (and no one I know is doing that) you can catch all these acts and the rest of Broadway Week on Jimmy Fallon's website.