Suite Life on Deck up for some "changes"

Disney Wins Praise for Inclusive New Story lines

Suite Life franchise sails into uncharted waters

In conjunction with the Give a Damn campaign which raises awareness and promotes equality for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered community, Disney executives today announced new plot elements that will be seen next season on its popular Suite Life on Deck program, starring Cole and Dylan Sprouse.

Raising more than a few eyebrows at the press conference, a Disney spokesman detailed how GLBT issues will be a regular part of the show...and will feature several established characters 'coming out' about their orientation. Despite the controversy and possible backlash from certain segments of the viewing audience...Disney stated that they were fully committed to moving forward with a positive message for all its viewers.

"Disney provides quality entertainment to people of all races and creeds," the spokesman said. "And we are not going to exclude a large section of our audience that has been too long ignored and shunned."

Certainly the new storylines seem to be going far (some might say "too far") in the quest to be GLBT-friendly. Most shocking is the development that Cole Sprouse's character, Cody Martin, will make preparations for gender-reassignment surgery. The character will begin dressing and acting as a young woman and, for the most part, be accepted by his fellow shipmates. Disney wanted to make it clear however, that this development was not some cheap gimmick.

"Yes, Cole will be in drag and we're going to have some fun with it. This is a comedy after all. But the humor will not be aimed in any way at ridiculing or diminishing the process that transgendered individuals have to go through. There are very serious issues that need to be addressed."


Hopefully this is one of them.

One of those issues is Cody's onscreen love interest, Bailey, played by Debby Ryan. Her relationship with Cody will be coming to an end, but in an amicable manner and she will be supportive of his new gender identity. Her character will have her own complicated issues to deal with including a new love interest in the form of Libby, played by new cast regular Gilland Jones. When asked if Debby, an outspoken Christian, had any problems with her character's new lesbian storyline, the spokesman actually laughed.

"Debby anticipated questions like this coming up. It was one of the first things she said when these developments were discussed. We're happy to say that she's fully onboard with her character's new direction. Her personal beliefs are that there should be love and tolerance for everyone. Also, she and Gilland are having a blast working together."

These surprising developments actually overshadowed what would have otherwise been the biggest Disney news story of the year. The original Disney Channel superstar is returning to her roots and joining the Suite Life on Deck in a recurring role.

"Raven is back on Disney and we couldn't be happier."

Raven Symone, who headed her own series That's So Raven for Disney as a teen, is returning to the same role as an adult. Raven Baxter is now a successful fashion designer who finds romance when vacationing onboard the SS Tipton. She'll be making at least three return trips to the show after her initial outing. But the spokesman was tight-lipped about who her love interest was going to be.

"Watch and see. You're going to be surprised."

Judging from what's been revealed so far, next season will have plenty of surprises.

story by Avril Solof

So what's our thoughts on this little tidbit, fellows?

Personally, it sounds like it is going to be hilarious for one episode and then 3 more episodes will pass before the show gets canceled. But I still want to hear your thoughts, I wouldn't have stopped laughing long enough to post the above if I didn't.
Oh, yeah one more thing: April Fools!