DISNEY DISASTER: Many of Disneyland’s attractions have...

DISNEY DISASTER: Many of Disneyland’s attractions have been axed (E1), but the worst flop was Walt Disney’s idea. . . . The park’s authorized history says Disney ignored staff protests and ordered up the Mickey Mouse Club Circus in 1955. Soon llamas escaped and flocked onto the railroad track. A panther attacked a tiger during a parade. A chariot nearly collapsed the circus tent. Worst of all, attendance was low. . . . Within weeks, the circus had closed, proving, an aide said, that “people came to Disneyland to see Disneyland. “

BEST OF THE FIELD: Walt Disney Co. has chosen a business executive, movie producer and arts adviser to fill the late Frank G. Wells’ spot on its board of directors. But maybe you know him best as an actor. . . . Newest board member Sidney Poitier, now 67, won an Academy Award for “Lilies of the Field.” He stays busy running his own company but sits on several corporate or educational boards. Says Disney chairman Michael Eisner: “Sidney’s talent is more than screen deep. He’s an exceptional man.”

DOLLY’S DOUBLE: Dolly Parton, still a major headliner after 27 years of chart hits, never does anything small. She appears Sunday afternoon at Brentano’s Bookstore at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa to promote two new books she has out. . . . One is her autobiography, “Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business.” The other is her children’s book, “Coat of Many Colors,” based on her hit song. . . . One catch: To get her autograph, you have to buy one of the books there, or show a receipt that you bought one there earlier.

NO LONGER ABSENT: The final finals are finally in on counting absentee ballots for the Nov. 8 election in Orange County. The result: 146,786 people voted absentee--12.5%. That’s 4,370 fewer than for the 1992 general election, but that was a presidential race. . . . With the state’s election rules relaxed on who can vote absentee, the numbers were triple what they were in 1986.