Star Wars: Uncut wins Creative Arts Emmy

The Emmys are tonight, but in this corner of the internet the biggest winner has already been announced: Star Wars: Uncut was named the Emmy winner for Interactive Fiction at last weekend’s Creative Arts awards. (A story even made the front of the Arts section of the New York Times.) Even Lucasfilm is down with the fan film’s success:

Lucasfilm said in a statement Friday that “we are really pleased that they won an Emmy for their efforts” and that its long-time partner for fan productions, Atom Films, is in talks with the producers. Atom holds an annual Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge, which culminates in screenings of winning films on the Spike channel, and “we hope that some day ‘Star Wars Uncut’ can air on Spike,” Lucasfilm said.

Also winning last week was Robot Chicken, which took home the Emmy for Short Form Animated Program.

Green and Senreich talk up Star Wars comedy show

io9 caught up with Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, and got a few todbits on both their Star Wars comedy show and the third Robot Chicken: Star Wars special. Here’s a little more on the timeline:

“It’ll be sketches all over the canon, but there will be a more linear canon… actually from before the first prequel to Return Of The Jedi,” says Green.

Video and more at io9.

Revenge of the Robot Chicken: Star Wars

swtv-rc-palpy1.jpgGreat news for fans of Star Wars parody: Robot Chicken’s third Star Wars episode will premiere December 12, with pretty-boy Zac Efron voicing Anakin. They’re trying something new this time:

“We’re telling more of a linear story this time that covers the series from start to finish,” says Green. Added Senreich says, “We wanted to take the Star Wars universe and see if through the eyes of our Robot Chicken: Star Wars Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, Boba Fett and Gary the Stormtrooper. We’ll still flip around the universe but we’ll get a unique perspective from the bad guy side, from people who just want to rule the universe.”

Whatever it is, I’ll tune in.

As for that other TV parody, it now has a poster.

Star Wars: Uncut is up for an Emmy!

Casey Pugh’s brainchild of collaborative fandom love is up against against network-producted fare for Glee and Dexter for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media – Fiction. Big congratulations to Casey and all who participated!

The Emmys are rarely a big deal for genre shows, but Lost is one of the few that have gotten plenty of love – and that adds up to twelve nominations for their final season, including Outstanding Drama Series. (Along with True Blood.) Matthew Fox, Terry O’Quinn, Michael Emerson and Elizabeth Mitchell are all up for acting.

Robot Chicken got two nominations, one for their ‘Full-Assed Christmas Special’ and another for Seth Green’s voiceovers.

As for the other genre nods, Ian McKellen got one for being the only part of The Prisoner remake that anyone liked, while Caprica, Stargate Universe, and V will duke it out with original flavor CSI for special effects.

Seth Green: New Star Wars series “isn’t going to suck”

Seth Green and Matthew Senreich | Photo by Bonnie Burton | starwarsblog @ Flickr.comVariety’s article on the new show gives us a few more details on what to expect, including the role of Robot Chicken masterminds Seth Green and Matt Senreich. They’ll be “shaping the type of comedy we’re looking for and the look of the show,” according to producer Jennifer Hill.

It will be neither a sketch show nor a spoof, but character-driven story comedy that may include “crossover appearances from the movie characters.” I’m getting Muppet Babies vibes again (grr, argh) but there’s also this:

But Senreich promised, “We’re on the same page as the fans, because we are fans.” Green concurred: “We’re not talking about Jar-Jar electrocuting his tongue. It’s not that kind of humor. If George (Lucas) would have wanted to make that version of ‘Star Wars,’ he would have hired other people to do it.”

So I guess we’re back to wait and see!

There is a second Star Wars animated series in the works, and it might be a good thing

Robot Chicken Star Wars II: Take Your Daughter to Work Day

I originally had no idea what to think about today’s annoucement of a second animated Star Wars TV series, but cautious optimism seems to be winning out. The involvement of Robot Chicken’s Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, as well as writer Brendan Hay from The Daily Show, is a good sign. But Green and Senreich are “creative involvement,” whatever that will end up meaning. Still, their comments are interesting:

“The Star Wars universe is so dense and rich; it’s crazy to think that there aren’t normal, mundane everyday problems in a world so well-defined,” said Green. “And it’s even crazier to think of what those problems might be, since it’s all set in a galaxy far, far away. What do these characters do when they’re not overthrowing Empires?”

Said Senreich, “We’re going to pull back the curtain of some of those behind-the-scenes shenanigans. It’s going to appeal to all ages, the way Star Wars should — but there’ll be plenty buried under the surface, as well. As Obi-Wan might say, ‘it all depends on your point of view’.”

There’s so much unanswered here as well. What will the animation style be? Will be digital like The Clone Wars? Stop-motion ala Chicken? …In the style of ‘Galactic Heroes’?

I do love the idea of a Robot Chicken: Star Wars-esque series… But I’m too wary of this to get excited just yet. Still, this is a lot better than those Squishie rumors.

Up, Robot Chicken: Star Wars 2.5 win Annie Awards

Pixar’s Up took Best Animated Feature last night at the Annie Awards. And while it might not be worth a mention from The Hollywood Reporter, Robot Chicken: Star Wars 2.5 nabbed Best Animated Short Subject. Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder was named Best Home Entertainment Production.

The Clone Wars’ Kevin Kiner was up for Music in a Television Production, but that honor went to The Fairly OddParents

Check out the complete list of winners at annieawards.org

Clone Wars, Robot Chicken get Annie nods

The Clone Wars’ Kevin Kiner was nominated for Music in a Television Production for the episode ‘Weapons Factory,’ while Robot Chicken: Star Wars 2.5 is up for Best Animated Short Subject. Other genre noms went to Coraline, Up, Futurama and the other usual suspects. (via)

Kiner was nominated in the same category last year for the music of ‘Rising Malevolence,’ while Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II took home three awards, including Best Animated Television Production.

SDCC ’09 roundup: And thanks for all the fish

Panels and things. StarWars.com has reports of panels with The Clone Wars voice actors, Robot Chicken and Family Guy.

Fannishly. StarWars.com continues their Fan Movie winner profiles with Star Wars: Retold (yay!) and Star Sports. They also round up their picks for best Star Wars costumes (play spot the Jader in this one) and best costumes.

Videos. Big Shiny Robot caght up with Clone Wars voice actors Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka,) Dee Bradley Baker (OMG MOMO, uhh, he voices the clones) and Catherine Taber (Padme.)

Muggs. Empire Muggs back profiles of Dave Filoni, Cat Staggs, Robot Chicken’s Rebecca Van Cleve and Adam Koford. And thr auction is on now, with one or two figures currently fetching up to $425. (Most are still much lower.)

Buy stuff! Nab a Luke Dagobah Variant Mimobot flash drive without waiting in any lines at all.

SDCC ’09: Continuing coverage of Muggs, stormtroopers, and roller-skating mechanical chickens

Robot Chick Skate Party / starwarsblog @ Flickr / Photo by David IskraNow that everyone’s settled back home and able to blog more easily, we’re starting to see a few more con reports. StarWars.com has recaps of The Empire Muggs Back and the Robot Chicken Skate party (which is now moving on to L.A.,) while Rebelscum posted a gallery of Sideshow’s customized stormtroopers. Meanwhile, Atom.com has recruited G4 hostess Olivia Munn to help with their Fan Movie Challenge. We can only pray that mullet-play is optional.

In EUish news, the Scribe Awards were also given out at the con, and Karen Miller’s The Clone Wars: Wild Space did not take the Best Novel – Adapted prize under Speculative Fiction. It went to an actual adaptation, Bob Greenberger’s novelization of Hellboy: The Golden Army. However, James’s Rollins novelization of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull did take the Adapted prize in the category of General Fiction. (How are aliens general fiction, again?) Congrats to Rollins and condolences to Miller, in any case.