Club Jade

There’s a new addition to the schedule this morning, the debut of a video
commemorating The Empire Strikes Back featuring George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan, and John Williams.

• Rebelscum has the first pictures from the floor.

• A program guide for the “risk-takers, thrill-seekers and match-makers.”
• Two looks at the TK Helmet Project
• Preview Sirius/XM radio with Tom Kane and James Arnold Taylor
• And what’s a Celebration without a Troop-Athlon?

Want swag? Keep an eye on the Twitter: We’ll post the where and when there.

It’s the last weekend before the con. What have you done so far?

Saturday is the last day to pre-order tickets to TheForce.net’s party! You want in on this, guys: In addition to being organized by CJ’s own lovely Dajuan, they’ve added a ton of celebrity guests in the last few days. You’ll want to be there!

• What do you do to follow up The Vader Project? Stormtroopers, of course! The 501st’s TK Helmet Project will be debuting in Orlando.

• There is some seriously awesome merchandise emerging. I brought very little home from CIII and CIV, but I’m seriously considering both the IGGY’S Eighty-Eight Espresso sign and the Scruffies. If I can get to them in time, anyway!
• On that note, Her Universe will be offering an exclusive limited-edition Empire Strikes Back necklace.
• Hyperspace member? Get your tips.
• Can’t make it to the CV? Have Sirius XM satellite radio and a long commute? You can listen to the con!

With Celebration V coming up fast, it’s easy to forget about this weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con – at least for those of us who aren’t attending. So it’s nice to see the 501st get some mainstream love.

(Also at San Diego: Some new Clone Wars characters. Also, aprons.)

Woe be unto you, Club Jade fans.  Dunc is having a real life this week and has left me to round up the news for you.  So, sorry.  She’ll be back soon!  So let’s round up some bits and bobs in the world of Star Wars, shall we?

• That awesome fan project, Star Wars: Uncut, is now cut.  And we have a trailer!
• Speaking of fans, the University of Georgia paper profiles a member of the 501st Georgia Garrison.  Yes, Athens fans, there are others near you!
• And they’ll need all the help they can get.  Star Wars Weekends is cranking up again.
• The 501st even helped Lando, um, I mean Billy Dee Williams, arrive in style to the Sunscreen Film Festival.  I bet he’d love to have  Colt 45 can greet him, just once.
• We’ll move from that The Empire Strikes Back actor to StarWars.com’s review of Empire cast and crew swag.  (I’ve always wanted one of those passports.)
• And finally, from the film that inspired it all, Kurosawa Hidden Fortress action figures.  Awesome!

Dunc will be back soon.  Promise!

Felicia Day gets her saber on. The internet geek superstar (you probably know her from The Guild, and Dr. Horrible) can check another box on her ultimate geek list by appearing in an internet lightsaber fight.

Kristen Bell teams up with hometown 501s. The Fanboys actress helped the the Great Lakes Garrison raise $2,000 for Michigan charities.

Those look familiar. Check out what they’re building on the International Space Station. Go go science fact!

Jedi church looking for a Master. Too easy. Way too easy.

Drink up. Discount code for Skywalker Ranch wine.

Vader’s finest getting the word out about the adidas Star Wars Originals line.

Stormtroopers and stockbrokers will be mingling this morning at the New York Stock Exchange as Lucas Licensing’s Howard Roffman and friends will be on hand to ring the opening bell. I’m going to guess that our favorite Ewok wasn’t invited.

UPDATE: Here’s the video:

This one is thanks to new 501st inductee Bryan Young.

CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

That’s what TFN is speculating, based on word that costumed Star Wars fans and “Imperial dignitaries” will be in attendance at Disney’s D23 Expo next month. (Disney World Star Tours photo by Michael Sauers.)

And while I’m not sure I want to face the possibility, we have heard Orlando (aka ground zero for Disney World) brought up in the list of sites that were being considered for C5. Not that I’m encouraging anyone to get their hopes up (again,) but you never know… (SERIOUSLY: Do not count on it. I’m just grasping at straws here.)

ETA: Evidence!

StarWars.com has been highlighting some old content this week with the women of Star Wars feature. Today we meet the ladies of the Imperial Service Organization.