Club Jade

It’s May, and as always, Hallmark’s 2011 Dreambook is out. The ornaments were on display at Celebration, but for those of us who weren’t there or somehow completely missed the Hallmark booth, this is the first look.

Come July 16, you can pick up Jedi Master Yoda, Slave I, LEGO Darth Vader and the ever-controversial Showdown at the Cantina, featuring audio from the DVD edition. A fifth ornament, Bossk, will be available during the Keepsake Ornament Premiere.

Other familiar franchises you can deck your trees with this year include Star Trek, Harry Potter, Wizard of Oz, Pirates of the Caribbean, several superheroes and… Twilight.

All these ornaments will be available only in Hallmark stores.

In our second early peek at Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire annotations, he shares the origins of Karrde:

In some ways, Karrde is my vision of how Han might have ended up if he hadn’t dropped into the Mos Eisley cantina that afternoon for a quiet drink. Both men have a code of honor, especially toward their friends, and both are willing to be part of a larger group, though Han admittedly dragged …his feet a long time before getting to that place.

I’ve heard this one before, but honestly… I’m not sure I can see Han ever running – however reluctantly – something the size of Karrde’s operation. Thoughts?

So @nancipants, @Blankitout and I think the #SWEU need a Zahn (ex-)smuggler team-up novel. Lando, Mara, Han and Karrde. Who’s w/ us?

— Dunc (@clubjade) February 16, 2011

There’s been a lot of discussion lately about what’s wrong with the EU. That’s nothing new, but there’s only so much one can really take before you start wondering about alternatives instead of just pointless ranting. Luckily, a few of us on Twitter tonight have had… Some ideas. Well, one idea.

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Han Solo in Firefly? It’s true! There is proof! Amy spots a Han in Carbonite figure in several episodes. Can you find the rest? Break out the DVDs!

Video. Harry Shum Jr. (of Glee) made a fanfilm. Or something. It has lightsabers, anyway.

Hmm… Take a Star Wars detox? I can’t deny it has some temptations. Think of all the Law and Order reruns we could watch!

At random. Vader’s tombstone and Charlie Brown as Luke Skywalker.

Y’all loved ‘Midichlorian Rhapsody,’ so here’s another Star Wars selection from Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff’s Grated Hits. You can buy the songs individually now, too.

On a related note, I hear that the manuscript for Holostar has been turned in.

Build-A-Bear Workshop launched a Star Wars line last year with a Darth Vader and several Clone Wars offerings. This poster Eliz spotted yesterday reveals this year’s selections: A Star Wars bear and outfits for Han Solo, Threepio and Princess Leia.

Ashley Eckstein is getting some ink for Her Universe in the most unlikely of places: ESPN! I don’t doubt being married to an MLB player helps widen the field of interest, but let’s not forget we’re the only fandom with a noteworthy gender disparity. (Sports-loving ladies can see the Alyssa Milano line that Ashley mentions as an inspiration at Fandalia.)

Not the lawsuit you’re looking for… Lucasfilm has backed down from their legal threat against Wicked Lasers, which makes a (you have to admit) very lightsaber-looking laser. But elsewhere in the world, the march continues…

Horrors of the audition tapes. Sylvester Stallone auditioned for Han Solo? Sounds like he didn’t get far enough for tapes, but that’s probably a good thing.

Presented without commentary. Are Jedi Knights Libertarian or Socialist?

Pablo reports from last night’s The Empire Strikes Back screening and Harrison Ford Q&A in Los Angeles.

May is still showering, but in the land of Hallmark, spring means only one thing: The 2010 Dreambook is out. There are several Star Wars selections: One set of Yoda and Captain Rex (page 56) and several Empire Strikes Back-themed ornaments (pages 60-61) that you can check out below the cut. Luke in flight gear, a snowspeeder, and Vader chatting with holo Palpy are full size, while the mini set is Boba Fett and Han in Carbonite. (more…)

The official site brings us our first look at the cover for Troy Denning’s Vortex, the sixth Fate of the Jedi novel.