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PYONGYANG, North Korea — Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh took the stage in North Korea during a concert for new leader Kim Jong Un, in an unusual performance featuring Disney characters. Performers dressed as Minnie Mouse, Tigger and others danced and pranced as footage from “Snow White,” “Dumbo,” “Beauty and the Beast” and other Disney movies played on a massive backdrop, according to still photos shown on state TV. The inclusion of characters popular in the West — particularly from the United States, North Korea’s wartime enemy — is a notable change in direction for performances in Pyongyang. Actors...

WASHINGTON -- Rep. David Wu resigned from office Wednesday, releasing a statement that he has officially ended his job as a member of Congress. The action kicks off what is expected to be a wide-open race for his replacement. It also brings to an inglorious close to Wu's tumultuous 14 years representing Oregon's 1st Congressional District. "Serving as a U.S. Congressman has been the greatest honor of my life," Wu said in a statement accompanying his resignation announcement, effective a minute before midnight. "There is no other job where you get up each day and ask, 'How can I try...

A few weekends ago, I watched a movie with my son called “Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too.” It’s a very cute show—my son loves Tigger, and Disney is still making family-friendly movies, so I was on board. The movie starts off with a song about friendship, where all of the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood are having a picnic organized by Rabbit. Rabbit did such a wonderful job organizing the picnic that he was immediately appointed mayor of the Hundred Acre Wood. Upon Rabbit’s inauguration, he breaks into song to tell the citizens what he will do...

There was a big (no,better make that a SMALL) commotion on my patio this morning. Once I checked the calendar, it became clear.

SAN FRANCISCO - Officials in a Northern California school district might not think Tiggers are such wonderful things after agreeing to pay $95,000 in lawyers' fees to five families who sued the school over its dress code. The parents went to court after a student was disciplined for wearing socks with the "Winnie the Pooh" cartoon character Tigger on the first day of school last year. The district's superintendent said Thursday that the settlement money is for the plaintiffs' lawyers; the district is also on the hook to pay the lawyers it hired. The settlement also says Redwood Middle School...

When a Napa seventh-grader was cited for wearing Winnie the Pooh-themed socks in class and struck back with a lawsuit, it marked an odd but not unprecedented clash in the decadelong spread of dress codes and uniform policies at public schools. The seventh-grader and five other students at Redwood Middle School, along with their parents, say the school's dress code is so strict that it amounts to a uniform policy. California law allows parents to opt out of dressing children in uniforms -- a choice that Redwood Middle School doesn't offer. The case, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union,...

Napa, Calif. (AP) -- A seventh-grader might end up in court for wearing Winnie the Pooh socks to school. Toni Kay Scott, 14, was sent to an in-school suspension program called Students With Attitude Problems last year for violating a dress code, according to a lawsuit against the Napa Valley Unified School District and Redwood Middle School. She had donned socks with the Tigger character from the Winnie the Pooh cartoons on them, along with a denim skirt and a brown shirt with a pink border. But the school's policy requires students to wear clothes with solid colors in blue,...

Catching up on Pop Culture for the new year, we begin with the first baby born this New Year only NOT….. And what’s up with Disney’s Tigger? We’ve got a video of the incident, with some excellent narration that explains what exactly went down. Katie Couric continues to tank as CBS anchor and an amazing engineering feat….a WATER BRIDGE! Some media nuggets and blind items asked and guessed round out this week's Pop Culture Update.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A confrontation between a costumed Tigger and a child at Walt Disney World that led to a sheriff's investigation and the suspension of the character is grabbing national headlines and was featured on CBS's 'The Early Show' Monday.The incident happened over the weekend when Jerry Monaco, of New Hampshire, and his family visited Disney-MGM Studios. During a photo with a "Tigger" character, the man in the costume, Michael J. Fedelem, was videotaped apparently throwing a punch at Monaco's son, Jerry Jr., Local 6 reported.Monaco said he took his son to the hospital Saturday to be treated after...

Father: Costumed 'Tigger' hit his son Sun Jan 7, 5:53 AM ET ORLANDO, Fla. - A Walt Disney World employee dressed as the character "Tigger" was accused of hitting a child while posing for a photo, a spokeswoman for the theme park said Saturday. Park officials temporarily suspended Michael J. Fedelem while they investigate the accusations, Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez said. "Naturally, physical altercations between cast members and guests are not tolerated," Suarez said. Jerry Monaco of New Hampshire videotaped his son, Jerry Jr., posing with the costumed character at Disney-MGM Studios on Friday and recorded the confrontation, according to...

Monday, June 27, 2005; Posted: 8:02 a.m. EDT (12:02 RELATED • Paul Winchell, voice of Tigger, dies YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS Obituaries (Entertainment) Bob Newhart or Create Your Own Manage Alerts | What Is This? NEW YORK (AP) -- John Fiedler, a stage actor who won fame as the voice of Piglet in Walt Disney's Winnie-the-Pooh films, died Saturday, The New York Times reported in Monday editions. He was 80. Fiedler served in the Navy during World War II before beginning a stage career in New York. He performed in supporting roles alongside Sidney Poitier on Broadway, John Wayne in Hollywood...

The man cleared last month on claims he molested a teenager while playing Tigger at the Magic Kingdom has been suspended again.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A Walt Disney World worker who portrayed the character Tigger was found not guilty Wednesday of touching the breast of a 13-year-old girl while posing for a photo at the Magic Kingdom. Jurors found 36-year-old Michael Chartrand not guilty of misdemeanor battery and lewd and lascivious molestation, a felony, after deliberating for less than one hour. He had faced 15 years in prison if convicted. Chartrand hugged his attorneys when he heard the verdict. The prosecutor and defense lawyer ended their closing arguments in Michael Chartrand's molestation trial at about 5:15 p.m. Defense attorney Jeffrey Kaufman tried...

Costumed character at Disney World charged with fondling girl, mother. Orange County Sheriff's Office investigators have arrested a Walt Disney World employee who worked as the character "Tigger" and charged him with molesting a 13-year-old girl and her mother while posing with them for pictures in February.

Our Tigger Of A President President Bush reminds me of Tigger, the bouncy, high-energy pal of Winnie-the-Pooh. The president's own doctors have recently pronounced him to be in superb condition. Let us all rejoice in that. Unfortunately, the president seems to possess Tigger's mindless optimism and self-confidence. When Congress recently forfeited its constitutional duty to set trade policy by passing fast-track legislation (the new Orwellian euphemism is "trade promotion authority"), Mr. Bush announced that he would accomplish magic with this authority. He will increase the number of American jobs, increase American exports and raise the living standards of all American...