Walt DisneyBy Stacey Willets
TicketNews.com

Disney’s Hannah Montana show gets sued, Céline’s upcoming album gets a name change, and the NFL charges forward without Michael Vick in a TicketNews Top Tens teeming with controversy.

Hannah Montana continues to make headlines, and not just because her tour is selling like U2, Madonna, or the Rolling Stones. With the teen queen enjoying a second week atop the TicketNews Top Tens rankings, writer Morris Taylor “Buddy” Sheffield is seeing dollar signs – money he feels is owed to him by Disney.

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Sheffield claims that the empire that runs the Happiest Place on Earth ripped off his idea for a television show in which a teenage protagonist leads a double life as a middle-schooler hiding a secret rockstar identity. Sheffield’s case has the advantage of the suspicious coincidence that he pitched his Rock & Roland idea to Disney in 2001, Disney has the advantage of better lawyers and the understanding that there really are no original ideas left in the world, and both sides have the advantage that most Hannah Montana fans aren’t old enough to remember Jem. . .

For the folks not caught up in the debate as to whether Sheffield’s claims are well-founded or “truly outrageous,” there is the NFL drama of star quarterback Michael Vick’s federal dogfighting case. While the charges and Vick’s subsequent guilty plea aren’t helping to sell Atlanta Falcons tickets, the NFL increases its presence in the Top Events rankings. With less than two weeks to go before the start of the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys move up from the number ten spot to number four and the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos join the rankings at nine and ten, respectively.

Pro football dominates the Top Sports chart, occupying six positions. The New York Yankees fumble their lead in the event rankings, losing the number one spot to the Dallas Cowboys despite their upcoming series against the Boston Red Sox. The Green Bay Packers at number four, Denver Broncos at five, Kansas City Chiefs at six, Chicago Bears at eight, and New York Giants at nine round out the rest of the NFL group.

As the weather cools, Radio City’s Christmas show is heating up. It advances three spots on the Top Theatre chart and one spot on the Top NYC Theatre chart, putting it at number three in both sets of rankings. Grease slips to position six on the Top Theatre chart and five on the Top NYC Theatre chart, suffering relatively little damage at the hands of theatre critics. Because the musical caters to non theatre-goers, it may prevail despite negative reviews.

Miley Cyrus / Hannah Montana continues to rule the Concerts rankings with Van Halen just a step behind. Céline Dion follows at position three, ready to release a new album in November. The CD faced some controversy when Dion initially planned to title it The Woman in Me, the same name as a Shania Twain smash hit. The title has since been changed to Taking Chances. Among last week’s returning top concerts is a new but familiar face. The addition of tour dates in not-quite-tropical-but-nevertheless-warm-climate locations California and Florida puts Jimmy Buffett back on the chart at number five.

Sales for Céline Dion’s A New Day . . . show are not slowing down as she nears the end of her run at The Colosseum. She maintains her position at the top of the Vegas chart for the thirtieth straight week. Her replacement, Bette Midler, appears at number seven. The Divine Miss M has found a place on the chart most weeks since the announcement that she would become the successor to Dion, and may show more staying power as her opening night draws closer.

To see this week’s rankings, check out the press release in the Daily Buzz section of TicketNews.com.

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