Mickey Mouse’s Makeover

Disney’s (DIS) signature cartoon character Mickey Mouse is getting a makeover, says today’s New York Times. Concerned that kids these days aren’t connecting with the character as much as older generations did, the media and entertainment company is planning to update Mickey by making him edgier. The paper explains that  in his new personality, “the formerly squeaky clean character can be cantankerous and cunning, as well as heroic.” The new version of the mouse will make his debut in a video game to be released next year called Epic Mickey. The redesign is a big move and one that the company is making cautiously, the paper explains: “Disney executives are treading carefully, and trying to keep a low profile, as they discuss how much they dare tweak one of the most durable characters in pop culture history to induce new generations of texting, tech-savvy children to embrace him.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that chipmaker Intel (INTC) now faces antitrust charges from the New York attorney general’s office. The suit accuses Intel of using threats and “billions of dollars in kickbacks” to persuade tech companies to use its products. The paper says, “Though the charges are familiar, the latest complaint increases the pressure on Intel, which has already paid a $1.45 billion fine to antitrust authorities in Europe and faces an investigation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.” This new complaint also brings to light e-mail correspondences between executives at Intel and other companies, as well as offering up estimates for just how much Intel may have paid to maintain business with its partners.

More than one-quarter of all businesses are owned by women, according to a report from the Center for Women’s Business Research discussed in the New York Times. The center’s report also revealed that a mere 4.2 percent of all revenue generated from U.S. businesses comes from those owned by women, and that only one-fifth of these businesses have employees. So while the seeds of leadership are there, women-owned business development still has a way to go. The paper says, “Armed with the new research, center officials and other women business leaders are approaching the Obama administration, the Small Business Administration and House and Senate small-business committee members to ask for more resources and new programs to support women-owned businesses.”

The Federal Reserve will most likely keep interest rates at near-zero for the next six months, the Financial Times says. While that's nothing new, the paper notes that the Fed has changed its tune ever so slightly, reporting that “[t]he US central bank tweaked guidance in its policy statement that had been unchanged since March, edging away from a simple forecast that it expects to keep rates at 'exceptionally low levels' for an 'extended period'—commonly understood to mean at least six months.” Now, the Fed has spelled out the conditions that could prompt it to raise rates earlier, including “low rates of resource utilisation, subdued inflation trends and stable inflation expectations.”

Automaker Chrysler, still building itself up since its government bailout and hasty partnership with Fiat, has embraced a softer tone, the New York Times reports. At a meeting yesterday, its executives spoke in a “subdued” and “understated” way about the company’s financials and future plans. “Many in the audience remarked on the decided lack of sizzle from an automaker that once sponsored a ‘Lingerie Bowl’ of women playing football in underwear,” the paper says. Sean McAlinden of the Center for Automotive Research told the Times, “They were the ones who mixed the drinks, wore turtlenecks and told all the best jokes. … They let the G.M. and Ford (F) guys wear the gray suits, but I guess things have changed.”

Finally, toys are the new Hollywood A-listers, according to the Wall Street Journal. The paper explains that as toys like Stretch Armstrong and the Transformers steal the spotlight in feature films, they’re increasingly getting treated like star actors in Tinseltown. “Toys now are receiving the same A-list treatment that any bankable movie star here has come to expect,” the article says. “That includes top billing and contracts with special perks. They even have their own talent agents.”