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Disney CEO Bob Iger pushed back on reports of worrisome drops in Disney World attendance, claiming that foot traffic is down because of difficult comparisons with 2020, when Florida’s lax COVID restrictions sparked an unusual boom at the theme park.

“Florida opened up early during COVID, and it created huge demand. It didn’t have competition because there were a number of other places — states — that were not open yet,” Iger said during a televised CNBC interview on Thursday.

Since 2019, lines for attractions at Magic Kingdom, Disney’s most-visited park, have gotten increasingly shorter, it was reported this week. Average wait times fell from 47 minutes per ride in 2019 to 31 minutes in 2022, according to The Wall Street Journal.

So far this year, lines at Magic Kingdom are averaging 27 minutes, according to The Journal. Shrinking wait times are also reportedly a trend that are apparent at EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.

In response, Iger told CNBC that in 2020, “Florida was the only game in town,” suggesting that wait times have dropped because “there’s much more competition today” and he’s “not at all concerned” that attendance would continue to drop and affect business over time.

CNBC interviewer David Faber asked the Mouse House boss if the company’s warring lawsuits with Gov. Ron DeSantis could be impacting attendance.

“No,” Iger said definitively. “We see no sign of that at all.”

Iger also said that The Journal’s report of declining attendance failed to take into account that Orlando, Fla.’s temperatures soar “to about 100 degrees and 99% humidity” in the summer.

He added that Independence Day’s figures are “inaccurate” measures of year-over-year declines as it only accounted for a single day.

“We do not have long-term concerns about that business,” Iger added of the Orlando theme park.

Orlando’s Walt Disney World closed its doors for COVID on March 16, 2020, and was permitted to reopen just four months later, in July of 2020.

For reference, California officials didn’t allow Disneyland’s West Coast park to reopen until April 30, 2021, more than one year after its initial closure.

July 4 attendance at Disney was particularly dismal, The Journal found.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which features Disneys Star Wars attractions, saw its third-slowest day of the past year on the Fourth of July.

Jaime Brown, a Walt Disney World annual pass holder who lives in Celebration, Fla., told The Wall Street Journal that she visited all four of the resorts theme parks during the week of July 4.

Brown said that she managed to easily patronize attractions that are normally in high-demand such as Spaceship Earth and the Topolinos Terrace restaurant.

I couldnt believe how light the crowds were, Brown told The Journal.

The Post has reached out to The Walt Disney Company for comment.

Travel agents have attributed Disney’s pricing model, in part, for its dwindling attendance.

Ticket prices surged in early December — and the cost of entering Magic Kingdom around the holidays nearly doubled.

Despite generating a whopping $28.7 billion in revenue and $7.9 billion in profit for fiscal year 2022 — topping the company’s pre-pandemic performance — Iger upped one-day tickets to any of its four Orlando theme parks from $109 to anywhere between $124 and $189 depending on date and demand.

Three of Disney’s annual passes also got a price increase.

The Incredi-Pass increased to $1,399 from $1,299 and the Sorcerer Pass went from $899 to $969. In addition, the PiratePass will cost $749, up from $699, while Pixie Pass prices remain at $399.

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June Lockhart: Lassie and Lost In Space actress dies aged 100

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June Lockhart: Lassie and Lost In Space actress dies aged 100

June Lockhart, who starred in television shows such as Lassie and Lost In Space, has died at the age of 100.

The US actress died of natural causes at her home in Santa Monica, California, on Thursday, according to family spokesman Lyle Gregory.

He said: “She was very happy up until the very end, reading the New York Times and LA Times every day.

“It was very important to her to stay focused on the news of the day.”

(L) June Lockhart, Lassie, and Jon Provost in 1963. Pic: Everett/Shutterstock
Image:
(L) June Lockhart, Lassie, and Jon Provost in 1963. Pic: Everett/Shutterstock

For more than 200 episodes between 1958 and 1964, she played the role of Ruth Martin, who raised the orphaned Timmy (Jon Provost) in Lassie – a show about the adventures of a brave and intelligent Rough Collie dog.

And from 1965 to 1968 spanning over 80 episodes, Lockhart was Maureen Robinson, a mother who was part of a marooned family that travelled on the spaceship Jupiter II in Lost In Space.

She was nominated for two Emmys, including best actress in a leading role in a dramatic series for her performance in Lassie in 1959.

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She also received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for motion picture and one for television.

Born in New York City in 1925, she was the daughter of actor Gene Lockhart and actress Kathleen Lockhart.

June Lockhart (second left) with her Lost In Space co-stars. Pic: Moviestore/Shutterstock
Image:
June Lockhart (second left) with her Lost In Space co-stars. Pic: Moviestore/Shutterstock

Feature film debut

She made her feature film debut aged 13, starring alongside both of her parents in the 1938 production A Christmas Carol, where she played Belinda Cratchit, the daughter of Bob Cratchit.

After her breakout role, she appeared in films such as All This, and Heaven Too, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Yearling, and Sergeant York.

She was also in Son Of Lassie, the 1945 sequel to Lassie, Come Home, playing the grown-up version of the role created by Elizabeth Taylor.

Over almost eight decades on screen, Lockhart appeared in dozens of TV series and movies, including when she was well in her 80s.

Other roles

She had recurring roles on Petticoat Junction, General Hospital, and Beverly Hills 90210, and guest appearances on shows including The Beverly Hillbillies, The Colbys, Knots Landing and Happy Days, as well as Full House, Roseanne and Grey’s Anatomy.

Of her time on Lassie, Lockhart spoke frankly about her canine co-star.

She said: “I worked with four Lassies. There was only one main Lassie at a time. Then there was a dog that did the running, a dog that did the fighting, and a dog that was a stand-in, because only humans can work 14 hours a day without needing a nap.

“Lassie was not especially friendly with anybody. Lassie was wholly concentrated on the trainers.”

Even though she sometimes mocked the show, she conceded: “How wonderful that in a career there is one role for which you are known. Many actors work all their lives and never have one part that is really theirs.”

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In Lost In Space, Lockhart was part of a family that left Earth on a five-year flight to a faraway planet.

After their mission was sabotaged by fellow passenger Dr Zachary Smith, the group went from planet to planet, encountering strange creatures and near-disasters where viewers needed to watch the following week to learn of the escape.

Speaking fondly about working on Lost in Space, Lockhart said: “It was like going to work at Disneyland every day.”

She was married and divorced twice: to John Maloney, a physician, father of her daughters Anne Kathleen and June Elizabeth; and architect John C Lindsay.

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Manning injured as Longhorns rally for OT win

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Manning injured as Longhorns rally for OT win

Texas quarterback Arch Manning left the game after his helmet appeared to bounce off the ground at the end of a 13-yard run on the first play of overtime in the No. 22 Longhorns’ 45-38 victory at Mississippi State on Saturday.

Manning dropped back to throw on the play but scrambled up the middle when he couldn’t find an open receiver. As Manning dove while being tackled by safety Isaac Smith, he was hit from behind by defensive lineman Kedrick Bingley-Jones.

Texas right tackle Brandon Baker tried to help Manning up, but the signal-caller struggled to get on his feet and sat on the field, sending trainers out to get him. Manning was in the medical tent at the end of the contest.

Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian didn’t have an update on Manning after the game, telling reporters, “We’ll find out more when we get back to Austin.” Sources confirmed to ESPN that Manning suffered a concussion.

Backup quarterback Matthew Caldwell came in and threw a 10-yard touchdown to Emmett Mosley V to finish the Longhorns’ stunning comeback, in which they rallied from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.

According to ESPN Research, the Longhorns were the first SEC team to rally from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win since South Carolina came back from 17-0 down to beat Missouri 27-24 in two overtimes in 2013.

After a slow start, Manning had perhaps his best performance at Texas, completing 29 of 46 passes for a career-high 346 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. He also ran for a score. He went 12-for-20 for 166 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, becoming the first Texas quarterback with at least 150 passing yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter since Sam Ehlinger in 2019.

Trailing 38-21, Manning gave the Longhorns some life when he threw a 21-yard touchdown to Mosley to cut Mississippi State’s lead to 38-28 with 9:34 to go.

Texas’ defense came up with two sacks to force a three-and-out on the Bulldogs’ next possession, and the Longhorns reached the MSU 5-yard line. Texas had to settle for Mason Shipley‘s 26-yard field goal that made it 38-31.

After another three-and-out from the Bulldogs, Texas’ Ryan Niblett returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown to tie the score at 38 with 1:47 left in regulation.

The Longhorns will host No. 10 Vanderbilt next week.

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Indiana reasserts ‘will’ with 50-point rout of UCLA

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Indiana reasserts 'will' with 50-point rout of UCLA

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — No team in college football had won a conference game by 50 or more points this season — other than Indiana.

On Saturday, the second-ranked Hoosiers accomplished the feat for a second time.

One month after destroying Illinois by 53 points, Indiana hammered UCLA 56-6.

“We try to play every play like it’s nothing-nothing, game on the line, regardless of the competitive circumstances,” said coach Curt Cignetti. “That’s kind of our mentality.”

Indiana linebacker Aiden Fisher picked off Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava on the second snap of the game and returned it for a touchdown.

The Hoosiers led 35-3 at halftime, then opened the second half with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive before resting many of their starters.

Star quarterback Fernando Mendoza sat the rest of the half, as his younger brother, freshman Alberto Mendoza, replaced him at quarterback.

“UCLA is a very capable team,” said Fernando Mendoza, who threw for 168 yards and totaled four touchdowns to remain atop the Heisman conversation. “Teams are always looking for … ‘Hey, do we have that spark? Are we going to be able to come back from this game?’ And so right from the jump, we knew we needed to have an impressive drive … to (douse) their flame and impose our will.”

The Bruins arrived in Bloomington on a three-game winning streak, highlighted by an upset over then-seventh-ranked Penn State on Oct. 4.

But after Mendoza threw an interception off a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage on Indiana’s first offensive possession, the Hoosiers scored touchdowns on seven of their next eight drives.

Cignetti said the combination of Indiana’s running game, producing 262 rushing yards, and its defense, which allowed UCLA to muster only 201 yards total, ultimately broke the Bruins’ will.

“You start to see a team wave the white flag,” Cignetti said. “It usually happens sometime in the third quarter. It may have been what happened here.”

Indiana is the first Power 4 school with two 50-point conference wins in a single season since Clemson in 2018, according to ESPN Research.

The Tigers finished that year 15-0 and won the national championship.

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