The original case of Lucasfilm suing designer Andrew Ainsworth over his reproductions of the stormtrooper outfits ended with both sides claiming victory; Now they’re at it again.
Out this week: The Clone Wars DVD, Invasion, Insider
Look for The Clone Wars season one on DVD and Blu Ray tomorrow. James has already run down the particulars for us, but I’m sure there will be more coming. Also keep an eye out for the latest Star Wars Insider. Uh, it has a whole page on Thrawn?
Meanwhile, Wednesday means Invasion #5, which will be the last for a while. (It alternates with Dark Times, or at least that was the plan.)
Sean Williams writing The Old Republic novel?
NJOE spotted a listing (and ISBN) for a Star Wars: The Old Republic novel by Sean Williams in an ordering database, with a release date of July 27, 2010. If it’s in an ordering database, we should be getting some official confirmation soon.
We already knew Williams had another novel in the pipeline – he auctioned off a character namesake to help raise money for the Australian bushfires earlier this year. (Could this be the September mystery from Sue’s schedule, moved up to replace the July possibility that fell through?)
Comic interlude: Movie narrative charts by xkcd
Geek-favorite web comic xkcd’s latest tracks the characters of the original trilogy, Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park and 12 Angry Men. Head on over to see them all in readable form.
Weird things on the Wookieepedia: The blog monster
Before a blog was a type of website, it was a “a water-dwelling species” that appears to be a hippopotamus/Loch Ness monster crossbreed in the Ewoks cartoon. “They were fairly large and fierce, and would sometimes attack Ewoks.”
I might point out that Club Jade published an Ewok cookbook long before we ever had a weblog.
Poll: The inevitable Halloween question and link-up
We’ve been hearing that Star Wars costumes were a hot ticket this year. (Even at the White House.) Above, an amazing AT-ST spotted by Ralph Hockens in New York City. (Another shot here.) There are plenty of shots on Flickr – far too many to link – and StarWars.com has a roundup of their coverage, including action figure costumes.
My internet favorite has to be Darth Vader and the Death Star, though.
But our question is: How many did you see? Answer below or on the sidebar.
[poll id=”65″]
Spot any more pics on Flickr or the internet? Link ’em in the comments! And don’t forget you can enter the Rebelscum Costume Contest through tomorrow.
The Clone Wars returns early next week – on Wednesday!
The next episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is coming two days early next week! ‘Landing at Point Rain’ will be airing on Wednesday, November 4 at 8 PM, according to Leland Chee’s twitter feed and TheForce.net. Dave Filoni gave the Today show several online interview pieces, some of which tie into the episode:
- About working with George Lucas
- Bringing Barriss Offee into the show
- Clone Wars as a movie, not a television show – cartoons with consequences
- Al Roker gets an animated Clone Wars makeover for Halloween
Meanwhile, Newsarama takes a look at the stealthy revival in Star Wars, thanks to The Clone Wars helping to give the prequel era the feel of the original trilogy, and looks at the push and pull between Dave Filoni and George Lucas. Meanwhile, Hollywood Outbreak asks Lucas why behind The Clone Wars?
Gate Geek – Scandal Rocks the Franchise
Whether or not you watch Stargate, you’ve probably heard that Stargate Universe is a very different entry for the franchise. This has been met with both extensive praise and much gnashing of teeth.
WB didn’t do terribly much to help their cause when they insulted the existing fans with their press release announcing a new demographic was being targeted. Oh. And did we mention this came out the day after they cancelled Stargate Atlantis? This started a wave of angst at levels not previously seen in the franchise. (And fans are capable of some great levels of angst.) One can assume (or at least hope) this was not intended as an insult, but that’s how it was received.
The cast and crew have done quite a bit to reach out to the fans with a whole-sale assault on Twitter and Facebook. But unfortunately, the segment of fandom who can’t seem to phrase an opinion without a personal attack have gone after these folks in a major way; forcing one of the main actors (Brian J. Smith) to decide he’s stepping away from an online presence. (Definitely for the hiatus. Possibly longer.)
Producer Joe Mallozzi, who has long allowed people to express a certain level of these opinions on his blog, has spoken out about this. He stands up for his cast and crew (and their families) and reminds people that you don’t have to like a show, but you don’t personally attack the Stargate family.
To that I say “Bravo.” Enjoying the anonymity of being online is no excuse for not behaving with civility.
Christopher Lee now officially knighted
The Prince of Wales did the deed Friday at Buckingham Palace. Lee’s service to the genre extends far back his recent resurgence in Attack of the Clones and the Lord of the Rings trilogy – he’s appeared in 267 films, most notably the title role in Hammer Films’ Dracula (with Peter Cushing as Van Helsing,) The Wicker Man, and The Man with the Golden Gun. My generation’s introduction to him was probably as a voice in 1982’s animated The Last Unicorn. (It took me more than a year to figure out why Dooku/Saruman sounded so familiar…)
The Clone Wars S1 DVD and Blu-Ray coming Tuesday!
The box set containing the complete first season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray this Tuesday. StarWars.com starts a tour of the box set, looking at the contents of disc 1 – and showcasing the full cinematic aspect ratio used on this release, versus the broadcast version. There’s more picture to these moving pictures! The four disc set contains all 22 episodes of season 1, as well as seven extended director’s cuts, and a concept art book. The Blu-Ray version also comes with the Jedi Temple Archives bonus feature.
- CinemaBlend has got some clips, including a trailer and some episode clips.
- Monsters and Critics also takes a look, with a clip of their own.
- BigPictureBigSound gives the Blu-Ray version 3.5 out of 4 stars, and says about some of the extended director’s cuts: “I was surprised more than once by the level of intensity… It’s not the Star Wars I grew up on, but taken on its own, The Clone Wars is a captivating long-term adventure.
So add it to the holiday list, folks!