Found this on JimHillMedia.com:

Sources within the online Disneyana community have reported that Mr. Lutz's fellow Planeteers have plans to increase MousePlanet's profitability and commercial appeal. Mr. Lutz's writing "style" was reportedly seen by a majority of the sites shareholders as an impediment to those plans. According to sources familiar with these events, one morning Mr. Lutz arrived at MP only to be thanked for his contribution to the site, handed his hat, and shown the door.

(from http://www.jimhillmedia.com/articles/guest/dizbiz.12312002.1.htm)

I was under the impression that Al quit. But if Mouseplanet fired him because they wanted to become more profitable, then boy did they make a huge mistake. Al Lutz WAS Mouseplanet, and I think it's clear that the site is now dying in his absence. His style may not have enormously broad appeal, but it's what set Mouseplanet apart from other sites and what attracted the site's visitors.

Huh.
Ever heard the expression "don't believe everything you read"?

Remember who that report is coming from, and what motivations that person may have.

Tham, please stop trying to stir up trouble. For one, that column was posted on jhm almost two months ago. It's old news. For another, we (the MousePlanet we) have already said:
Originally posted by AVP here (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=180753#post180753):
I will also say, one last time and I truly hope people finally believe this, Al was not asked to leave MousePlanet, for ANY reason. Al chose to leave the site for his own reasons, made his intentions known to the board of directors, and went on his way.
Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is pushing an agenda of their own that has no basis in reality.

"Sources within the online Disneyana community"... really... that's pretty funny.

According to sources familiar with these events, one morning Mr. Lutz arrived at MP only to be thanked for his contribution to the site, handed his hat, and shown the door.

Arrived at MP one morning?!? Since Al never worked in the MP office, that is funny. Obviously they can't be all that familiar with events.

Tony

- Reaching for my hip waders - it's getting too deep in here

Al and Kevin left MousePlanet? :rolleyes:

AVP

Originally posted by AVP
Al and Kevin left MousePlanet? :rolleyes:

AVP


You didn't knnow??? I heard that they were lovers.;)

Well I Heard they got decapitated!

Originally posted by Andrew
Tham, please stop trying to stir up trouble. For one, that column was posted on jhm almost two months ago. It's old news. For another, we (the MousePlanet we) have already said:


Excuse me??? I did not post this to "stir up trouble." I just found this from a google search and thought it was interesting. I didn't know how old the article was, and besides, others like me might not have read it yet.

And regarding what Mouseplanet staff members have said, I defer to Morigoon's wisdom: "Remember who that report is coming from, and what motivations that person may have."

Originally posted by thamnarestan
I didn't know how old the article was, and besides, others like me might not have read it yet.

The bottom of that article is dated December 31, 2002. If you go back a couple of months on this forum, you'll find discussions from that time that address this issue.

Adrienne K

Originally posted by thamnarestan
I didn't know how old the article was, and besides, others like me might not have read it yet.

Dang looks like someone else didn't get the BULLETIN!!!!!!!!!!!
;)


Once again shamelessly stealling EandCDad's intellectual property

Originally posted by cemeinke
Dang looks like someone else didn't get the BULLETIN!!!!!!!!!!!
;)


Once again shamelessly stealling EandCDad's intellectual property

:crying: And he's not even around to threaten to sue you....:crying:

Originally posted by thamnarestan
And regarding what Mouseplanet staff members have said, I defer to Morigoon's wisdom: "Remember who that report is coming from, and what motivations that person may have."

True enough. Who are you going to believe, then, if not someone who could plausibly be said to know the whole story? If you don't believe MP staff, and, following Morri's advice the way she meant it, don't believe Jim Hill's "sources" either, then what? I suppose you could Ask Al™ but then he might be said to have motivations as well.

I guess you'll never know.

To boil it down, isn't this a discussion on what another website wrote?

So, since it's comments on another web-site's article, shouldn't it be locked? :confused: :confused:

Originally posted by MonorailMan
To boil it down, isn't this a discussion on what another website wrote?

So, since it's comments on another web-site's article, shouldn't it be locked? :confused: :confused: Mmm... not quite. It's a fine line, but technically this is still a discussion about the [alleged] circumstances surrounding Al's departure from our site. If this discussion moved towards discussing Al's new site, then yes, you're quite correct, MM.

Tham, please do not twist my words to support your argument, which I clearly disagree with.

Originally posted by thamnarestan
I didn't know how old the article was, and besides, others like me might not have read it yet.

So you read the article but completely missed the first couple paragraphs which very specifically sets up the timeline as being the end of December, and you also completely missed the "December 31, 2002" date at the end of the article that was in a different color and a bigger font?

Originally posted by cstephens
So you read the article but completely missed the first couple paragraphs which very specifically sets up the timeline as being the end of December, and you also completely missed the "December 31, 2002" date at the end of the article that was in a different color and a bigger font?

Yeah, I guess so...

Sorry.

Anyway, maybe I've missed something else. I don't get a chance to read these boards very often so I might have missed an announcement. Are there any plans to increase coverage of the Anaheim parks? Those weekly updates are nice but don't really have much interesting content... just dates and stuff one could find in the cast member refereence guide. More stuff in the line of David Koenig would be nice.

BTW, did anyone hear about the bomb threat at Disneyland on Sunday night? Some guy with a deep, throaty voice called up the Splash Mountain break room and said something like, "Man, get everyone out of there. Just get everyone out of there." I wasn't working there that night, but I heard that the ride was closed for a couple hours. I guess Disney isn't taking any chances under Code Orange.

Hey tham,

If you click on the link on the home page that says Recent Updates (http://www.mouseplanet.com/mp/updates.htm), it'll let you see all the latest updates. There was a column from David on 2/18.

Also, in the Disneyland section, there have been some threads about park security.

Welcome back.

Sheila

You mean MP has a HQ???????????

I'm confused.....

Originally posted by cemeinke
Dang looks like someone else didn't get the BULLETIN!!!!!!!!!!!
;)


Once again shamelessly stealling EandCDad's intellectual property

I have so little intellectual anything, I'm bummed when any of it is stolen from me.


Originally posted by thamnarestan
Those weekly updates are nice but don't really have much interesting content... just dates and stuff one could find in the cast member refereence guide.

I guess that could be true. Hey, let me get out my cast member reference guide and see. Let's see......where is it......ohhhhh....I remember now, I don't have one since I'm not a cast member, like 98% of the people who read this site.

Originally posted by EandCDad
I have so little intellectual anything, I'm bummed when any of it is stolen from me.

I guess that could be true. Hey, let me get out my cast member reference guide and see. Let's see......where is it......ohhhhh....I remember now, I don't have one since I'm not a cast member, like 98% of the people who read this site.

That just made my day :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Boy, am I late to this discussion (last post was like four days ago).

Still, MPad is great for letting me have my say even if I'm not saying it to anyone.

I want to applaud the mods for letting this sort of discussion take place. I know it pushes some buttons for at least certain members of the MP staff.

Morrigoon - I don't think anyone was twisting your words to prove a contrary point, but it just so happens that they were wise words that are applicable to more than one point of view.

No one has complete credibility in regards to this story. And so it is a fact that we will never know what happened with Al and Kevin's departure and to what extent it was or was not amicable.

Despite whatever spin various parties want to put on it, I think it is fairy obvious that there were creative differences.

I can understand if MousePlanet did not want to continue to be known primarily for the patented Al Lutz point of view. However, I truly hope that it is not the intention of MousePlanet to have a site so bland that its relevance and enjoyment factor plummets drastically. If MousePlanet is attempting to transform itself into a simply travel aid site, I think that is a horrible mistake. Travel aid may work well for the DisneyWorld side of the story since most guests there are tourists. But most Disneyland guests are locals, and I think MousePlanet must begin to reintroduce some sort of journalism about Anaheim into the mix.

It doen't necessarily have to be gossip mongering, or inside scoops, or negative in outlook (as Al's columns were, fairly or unfairy, often considered to be). No, I think we can look to the type of reporting generally done by Kevin Yee as a more positive, more mainstream style of reporting that would fit the new MousePlanet. Maybe an eloquent current cast member can be recruited to report on the Park. Something, anything, that can provide a little deeper perspective than a day guest can glean from simply walking around the park. Alas, that is the state of the Disneyland updates we have been treated to since the change. Not that this information is bad, mind you, and I'm sure those who can't get to Anaheim regularly appreciate knowing what's going on even at the surface. But something a bit more is going to be required if MousePlanet is going to retain its standing and maintain its reputation.

So what's everybody's favorite color of ice cream?

Originally posted by innerSpaceman

No one has complete credibility in regards to this story. And so it is a fact that we will never know what happened with Al and Kevin's departure and to what extent it was or was not amicable.

Despite whatever spin various parties want to put on it, I think it is fairy obvious that there were creative differences.



I don't really see it as spin, iSm. The current Mouseplanet Staff says that Al left Mouseplanet by his own choice for reasons that are known to him. They are either lying or telling the truth.

They aren't spinning it at all. They aren't citing "creative differences" or "new opportunities" or a "different direction", they are saying "he told us he was going to leave and he left." If you choose to believe the staff, then if Al is saying something different, he's lying; if someone else cites "sources" and says it was for another reason, they are lying.

I certainly see how you could say "I think the people at MP are lying" or "I think someone else is lying" or that "I just don't know" but it isn't spin. It isn't obviously creative differences, either. Maybe the money opportunities are better at Miceage. Maybe he got tired of having partners. Maybe he wants more opportunity to publish without sharing with WDW, Paris, videos, etc. The variations are boundless.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure. I believe the MP Staff. I don't know them well, but I've met most of them and would tend to believe what they say on this issue. If they say Al informed them that he was leaving and didn't give a reason, I believe that. I could be wrong, but I'll put my money on Alex, Tony, Adriennek, etc. over just about anyone else who says anything about this issue.