Club Jade

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were on hand Sunday at the USC School of Cinematic Arts to celebrate the film school’s 80th birthday and dedicate two new buildings named for them. (See more photos at Rueters) The Lucasfilm Foundation donated $175 million to the school in 2006, $75 million of which went to building the new facilities.

George Lucas, architect

• Curbed LA checks in on the construction of USC’s Lucas-funded School of Cinematic Arts. Apparently Lucas did far more than just write a check – campus rumor says he nixed the university’s original architect and hired his own.

Also…

• Minnesota next stop for Where Science Meets Imagination.

• Ventura County FanForce profiled in local paper.
• Chewbacca impersonator on Judge Joe Brown.

The Lucas Foundation has give a record-breaking $175 million to George’s alma mater, the University of Southern California. $75 million goes to build a state-of-the-art facility for their cinema school. Lucas says:

“I discovered my passion for film and making movies when I was a student at USC in the 1960s, and my experiences there shaped the rest of my career. I’m also an ardent advocate for education at all levels and encouraging young people to pursue their ambitions by learning. I’m very fortunate to be in a position to combine my two passions and to be able to help USC continue molding the futures of the moviemakers of tomorrow.”

Doesn’t that make you feel at least a little better about buying the Star Wars DVDs for a second time?