There was plenty to behold for the 30th anniversary screening of Return of the Jedi at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood as part of Entertainment Weekly’s first CapeTown Film Festival. Held on Star Wars Day, May the Fourth, the set of four screenings of the no-longer-final installment of the Star Wars saga brought out fans and celebs alike. With Jedi being my favorite Star Wars film, I was stoked to see it again on the big screen – twice! While we’ve already covered the news of Mark Hamill’s appearance after the evening screenings, there’s plenty more to share, including a visit from The Clone Wars cast and more! (Also check out my full photo album on Flickr!)
The USO has posted their highlight clips from last week’s visit by the cast and crew of Star Wars: The Clone Wars to MCAS Miramar in San Diego. Ashley Eckstein has posted her experience from the USO tour to the official Star Wars blog. I’ve already posted the transcript of the part I: the first question and answer session with Dave Filoni and the voice actors at Big Shiny Robot! earlier this week, along with my report on the event, and interview with James Arnold Taylor. Now it’s time to present the second Q&A session, the one that happened after the US premiere screening of ‘Eminence’.
As reported last week, some of the cast and crew of Star Wars: The Clone Wars were at MCAS Miramar in San Diego on Friday for special USO screenings of the show, including the US premiere of last week’s episode with Darth Maul, ‘Eminence’. Before the screening of ‘The Gathering’, voice actor James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Plo Koon, etc.) took time to sit with me and chat about season five of the show, his work with the USO to give back to the troops, looking at the growth of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his connections to other characters on the show, and some of Taylor’s other characters on The Clone Wars.
Pre Vizsla and the Mandalorians of Death Watch encounter some new potential allies when they come across Darth Maul and Savage Opress in ‘Eminence’, this week’s episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. While they have a common enemy in Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Sith and Death Watch first team up to take on some crime lords on Nal Hutta, in order to start building up Maul’s criminal empire so he can challenge the Jedi for his vengeance. In the clip above, Vizsla and Bo-Katan encounter the injured Sith brothers, and decide to keep them alive. In the second clip, below, Maul wakes up and has to answer some questions. On Saturday, watch for the appearance of a Falleen and listen for the Huttese!
Each weekend from May 17th through June 9th in Orlando, Florida, you’ll get to meet a rotating array of Star Wars guests and enjoy other Star Wars shows and events at Disney Hollywood Studios. And you can usually count on The 501st and The Rebel Legion to be making appearances, as well.
Returning as hosts will be James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan) and Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka) from The Clone Wars. Both will be continuing the shows they hosted last year. And both are the perfect fit to blend Star Wars and Disney, as both have professed their love of the two franchises. (Which are now one franchise. Maybe?)
Guest announcements and schedules will probably start going out in early 2013 so you can start planning which weekend you’d like to attend.
This is the whole thing, clocking in at almost 43 minutes and cameos from Star Wars and The Clone Wars cast/crew, plus fans like Amy Ratcliffe, Bryan Young and even a few Jader cameos!
Hint: At about minute 27, Ashley and artist Cat Staggs talk abut the con’s exclusive Mara Jade shirt.
I didn’t go to any panels this afternoon, but that’s not to say it was uneventful. I went back to the con floor intermittently, but perhaps the highlight was sitting down with fellow Jader Nancy Lutz to talk Club Jade and fandom with SiriusXM’s Dave Ziemer. And it was only yesterday that I did my first podcast… Celebration is truly a con of wonders!
But most of the afternoon was spent was spent wandering about the floor and halls, chatting with folks and getting pictures. For instance, Russ getting cuddly with some Ewoks. Meanwhile, James was able to catch a special showing of a new Clone Wars arc.
We got the first of what is likely to be several Celebration VI announcements over the next few months: The hosts of the three main stages. The Clone Wars’ Obi-Wan, James Arnold Taylor, will be commanding the Main Stage. LucasArts’ David Collins will handle the Digital Stage, while author and Internet Rockstar Pablo Hidalgo will be hosting the Behind-the-Scenes Stage. We’ll be seeing a lot of Pablo, I expect.
Attention TK-Mart shoppers, there’s a special on Star Wars: The Clone Wars this Friday: the first part of the two-part season finale featuring the return of the warrior who’s half Sith Lord.. and half not, Darth Maul. Stock up now on the following voice actor goodies as you prepare for the end of season four:
UGO chats with Sam Witwer, the voice of Darth Maul, on how charming Maul is, and what Maul’s return means for fans and Obi-Wan
James Arnold Taylor, the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi, shares with Newsarama his experience with Darth Maul, as well as voicing Rako Hardeen, flirting with Asajj’s Nika Futterman, and being a voice actor
Tonight’s episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is ‘Crisis on Naboo’, finishing the four part story arc involving Obi-Wan Kenobi’s infiltration of the criminal underworld. The Jedi posing as a bounty hunter Rako Hardeen will be teaming up with Cad Bane and the rest of the Box-surviving team to kidnap the Chancellor during a summit on Naboo. Watch the show and talk with the man behind Obi-Wan, James Arnold Taylor, who will be hosting a live chat (8 PM Eastern/5 PM Pacific) during the broadcast on Entertainment Weekly‘s website Also, Catherine Taber talks about working with Matt Lanter and the late Ian Abercrombie.
And for a neck-snappingly refreshing good time, check out this second clip of the bounty hunter team in action:
Club Jade is a group of (mostly) female fans who love Star Wars - particularly the Expanded Universe novels - and other things of that nature. You can also follow us on Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook!
Start planning your vacation time, now. Disney has announced the 
I didn’t go to any panels this afternoon, but that’s not to say it was uneventful. I went back to the con floor intermittently, but perhaps the highlight was sitting down with fellow Jader Nancy Lutz to talk Club Jade and fandom with 
Ashley Eckstein shares her experience 
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