New era for Disney as studio chief steps down

Burbank, Calif. — A new era has begun for the Walt Disney Co. following the abrupt resignation of longtime studio chief Dick Cook.

After nearly four decades with the company, Cook announced Friday that he was stepping down immediately.

In a statement, Cook said, “I have been contemplating this for some time now and feel it’s the right time for me to move on to new adventures and in the words of one of my baseball heroes, Yogi Berra, ‘If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”‘

Cook, 59, joined Disney in 1971 and moved up the ranks, becoming president of Buena Vista Pictures distribution in 1988. He became chairman of the studio in 2002.

“I have loved every minute of my 38 years that I have worked at Disney, from the beginning as a ride operator on Disneyland’s steam train and monorail to my position as chairman of The Walt Disney Studios,” he said.

The studio’s recent movies, like “Race to Witch Mountain,” “Bedtime Stories” and “Confessions of a Shopaholic” were box office disappointments, however Cook said he believed that the studio’s slate of upcoming movies is the best in its history.

Cohen recovers from onstage collapse

Madrid — Leonard Cohen is recovering after collapsing onstage while on tour in eastern Spain, his music company said Saturday.

The veteran poet and performer has been released from hospital after suffering from a stomach complaint, Doctor Music Concerts said in a statement.

Cohen was part-way through his song “Bird on the Wire” in Valencia when he fainted, causing the band to stop playing to rush to his aid as concertgoers watched. The concert was stopped.

A video showing Cohen kneeling down several times during the performance and then keeling over sideways during a saxophone solo has been placed on YouTube on the Web by a fan.

The Canadian-born musician, who will be 75 years-old on Monday, was taken in an ambulance to the Nueve de Octubre hospital in Valencia but released early Saturday, Barcelona-based Doctor Music Concerts said.