Club Jade

Those of us with iPhones and iPads will the first to get a closer look at the Star Wars Blu-ray extras. The Star Wars Blu-ray: Early Access app will be up for free in the Apple Store on Wednesday. If you’re lacking an iDevice, you can always check out booth #3528 at San Diego Comic-Con. Or, well, it’ll be all over the internet by Thursday, I’m sure.

UPDATE: The app is live now, but only for iPad users. (via)

Dannu Choo – aka the Tokyo Dance Trooper – got himself cloned! Sort of. On his blog, he documents his visit to the Clone Factory.

Sure, it’s all fun and games now, but arming the robots just seems like a bad idea. Or maybe I’ve just watched too much sci-fi.

Darth Vader will be on hand at the Consumer Electronics Show later this week to make a “most impressive announcement.” While my immediate thought was the Blu-Rays or Phantom Menace 3-D, the location – Panasonic’s booth – makes me think it could have something to do with this little tidbit.

UPDATE 01/05: And it’s the Blu-Ray. Oh well!

UPDATE 01/06: The Digital Bits says that the announcement will be an October release date for Star Wars: The Complete Saga – 35th Anniversary Collection. We’ll find out for sure in a few hours. (via)

In the wake of two futile C&Ds, Lucasfilm has filed a $5M trademark lawsuit against Jedi Mind, Inc., a company which “touts a wireless headset that detects brainwaves on both a conscious and non-conscious level.” But apparently they lack the foresight to talk to a lawyer before formally naming their company. (via)

Reed warns us that the schedule isn’t totally complete just yet, but the bulk of the panels are there. A few highlights:

• Pablo’s Behind-The-Scenes Stage will host panels on Fate of the Jedi, Knight Errant (with exclusive,) ’30 Years of Lucasfilm Licensing with Howard Roffman’ and Gary Kurtz, all on Saturday.

• Author panels on writing in the Project Room & Lecture Hall from Troy Denning (Friday at 5:30), Christie Golden (Saturday at 3:30) and Aaron Allston (Saturday at 5:00)
• Get started early on the EU when ‘Star Wars Galaxy with the Essential Guides’ will take over the Behind-The-Scenes Stage on Thursday at 1:30. CJ’s own Helen Keier will be making her first Celebration apperance along with fellow writers Jason Fry, Pablo Hidalgo, Dan Wallace, and Ryder Windham, plus artists Chris Reiff and Chris Trevas and Del Rey editor Erich Schoeneweiss. Could we get an announcement or two?
• EU Cantina is hosting a Friday panel on The Essential Atlas.
• Bryan Young (The Star Wars Examiner, Big Shiny Robot) is moderating “Why We Love the Prequels,” also on Friday.
• And last but by no means least, ‘Fandom in 140 Words or Less: Social Media and Star Wars Fandom,’ hosted by TFN’s Mandy and Eric Sunday at 2:30 in the Project Room & Lecture Hall. Your humble panelists include Bonnie Burton, Meagan Finnerty, Kyle Newman, James Arnold Taylor and…. Moi. WHOO-HOO!

But wait! That’s not all!

• Celebration V apps are now available in the Apple Store and Android Market. I downloaded it on my iPhone and found it rather underwhelming: Hopefully a schedule and map is in the cards.

• The merchandise catalog has also surfaced, so make your game plan.
• Meet the tattoo artists and make appointments…

• More artists! Sign up for speed dating… If you dare!

And I still probably forgot something. You know what to do.

Remember the Kessel Run puzzle race at Celebration IV? Well, our own James and Dan are back with the Bounty Hunt – this time with three different challenges – one each Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Sign up your team by August 5 to guarantee a spot!

• UPDATE: If you made your hotel reservations through 1800Hotels.com, double-check with your hotel! The company has filed for Chapter 11.

• The Commitment Chapel is now taking reservations. Sure, it’s not legally binding, but it will cost you 75 big ones.
• Want to take home a really permanent souvenir? Don’t forget your painkillers, because there’ll be live tattooing. If you’re not quite ready for that level of commitment, there’s a tattoo show Sunday morning or one-of-a-kind skateboard decks will be auctioned off for charity.
• Need a reason to get a smartphone? iPhone and Android users can look forward to a Celebration mobile app.

And don’t forget postmarks, the Star Wars Stories Project and cereal boxes.

Yes, TomTom is actually offering a Darth Vader voice for their GPS, with Threepio, Yoda and (seriously?) Han Solo coming soon.

Cnet goes into the belly of the beast at at LucasFilm’s Letterman Digital Arts Center a few years back. (Via /Film, who also has some photos of Pixar’s render farm.)

The fully-featured mobile version of The Force Unleashed is on sale in Apple’s App Store for 99 cents, down from the usual $6.99. Don’t know how it’ll last, so nab it while you can.