Don't call it a come back because Mike Eisner didn't go anywhere except to the bank

“Just because Eisner is behind something, it doesn’t mean it is going to be a success.” -Darren Aftahi, media analyst BY SDH Former Disney CEO turned Internet player Michael Eisner has been slowly putting together his new digital media empire piece by piece. Some would call it a comeback but the truth is Mike Eisner really didn't go anywhere. Right after he left Disney he was hosting his own show on CNBC called "Conversations with Michael Eisner" which we are happy is no longer airing because to be honest it sucked. When the show wrapped, Eisner turned his focus fully on what he saw was an opportunity to build a digital media empire via acquisitions and launches. With his acquisition of companies like Team Baby Entertainment, Topps, and the launch of a digital studio called Vuguru, Eisner has the ingredients to take on Hollywood where they are weak. But will he execute it well? There are plenty of people in Hollywood who are rooting for him to fail. Jealousy over the success of “Prom Queen” — and Mr. Eisner’s occasional boasting about it — is one reason. He also retains his share of detractors from the Disney days. And while Internet types have overwhelmingly welcomed him, others remain skeptical. The Very Model of a Modern Media Mogul [NYT]

Mike Eisner wants to get us all reading again

"This is a whole new way to get an audience that's not reading as much as they did in the past to get to know the characters in a novel" - MIKE EISNER BY SDH Dethroned Disney CEO Michael Eisner is still working at cementing his post Disney act. Fresh off a win for bubble gum, baseball card maker Topps, Mike's Internet production studio, Vuguru is teaming up with book publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons to turn "Foreign Body," a book by Robin Cook into a digital movie, the first of its kind. The book is about a series of unexplained deaths in foreign hospitals. Hmmm sounds interesting, but it would be nice to watch the movie right through without having to go through 50 separate 2 minute webisodes. Set to debut on May 27, a new Webisode will air every Monday through Friday for 10 weeks, with the finale premiering on August 4 and the book hitting store shelves the next day. Advertising will be sold against the Webisodes. DIGITAL DREAMERS [NYP]

Michael Eisner's character-driven emotional mystery

-Shomari Hines The former Disney dictator in his never ending campaign to remain relevant, sits with Wired News for an interview on his new teen flick project "Prom Queen". Eisner makes it clear that his project should not be compared to Lonelygirl15. As a matter of fact, he seems to freak out whenever anyone mentions Lonelygirl15. Whatever you do, don't compare Michael Eisner's latest project to Lonelygirl15. Yes, Prom Queen, a web-based serialized soap opera made up of three months' worth of 90-second shorts launching April 2, is aimed at the same tech-toting, YouTube-watching, advertiser-tempting teens. But Eisner insists he's offering viewers far more than a pretty face talking into a camera. Meet Michael Eisner's Prom Date [Wired]

Afternoon Wire: Mike Eisner's a VuGuru | The Reilly victory, and more in this afternoon's worthy media news...

-Shomari Hines Looks like Michael Eisner will land on our winners list this week again. The man just keeps the news coming. last week he and some of his money bags buddies took over baseball card maker Topps, and now the former Disney dictator has launched a media studio which will produce content for the Internet. Is this the comeback of Eisner or the new Eisner? [Businesswire] Kevin Reilly being kept on as President of entertainment at NBC, some kind of victory for fans. [AZstarnet] That chick who got the NBC Nightly News Executive Producer job, does a Q&A with Broadcasting & Cable in what seems like an effort to convince herself and readers that she can do the job [B&C] Our friends in our heads at Gawker talks to the staff of the New York Daily News in a way only they can understand [Gawker]