Author: jawajames

San Diego-based Jawa.
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Wear Star Wars Every Day: Week 21


We’re doing some Star Wars math for this week of #WearStarWarsEveryDay! I had 7 Star Wars shirts, lent by 7 Star Wars fans, for 7 days, and that adds up to Week 21! Thanks to Carrie, Todd, Margaret, Mike, Anastasia, James, and MediocreJedi for all the cool wear I showcase this week: aloha shirts and plenty of other cool threads, including some representing Chicago Force and Rebels Report. This review for Week 21 covers May 20 to May 26 of my wearathon, and an update on fundraising for Collateral Repair Project, a non-profit organization that provides emergency assistance, education, and community support to urban refugees.

But there’s a big fat zero this week when it comes to donations to Collateral Repair Project.- maybe you can do something about it for next week as I hit Day 150 today, Sunday, May 29th! Perhaps just $15 to celebrate this milestone. Please please help me out! This month has been pretty slow on the donation front. Do I need to offer a new incentive?

Get more info on what Wear Star Wars Every Day is all about, or make a donation or a per-day pledge!

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Video: Unboxing Star Wars: Little Golden Books & Concept Art Show at Gnomon

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Happy 39th birthday, Star Wars! To celebrate, we’ve got a new episode of Unboxing Star Wars! Yowie the skunk, Baby Jawa, and I review some of the latest crop of Star Wars Little Golden Books: I Am a Droid, I Am a Pilot, and I Am a Jedi, as well as I give my recap on the James Clyne and Iain McCaig presentation and The Force Awakens concept art exhibition at Gnomon in Hollywood. For more info on the presentations by Art Director James Clyne and Concept Artist Iain McCaig, check out my article on starwars.com: Designing The Force Awakens. Also, check out photos from the concept art exhibition and the artists’ presentation. Plus random fun with Ponda Baba, and then some Baby Jawa fun time!

Quick reviews
→ I Am a Droid – Thumbs up! Written by Christopher Nicholas and illustrated by Chris Kennett, this Little Golden Book focuses on different aspects and roles of droids in Star Wars. My favorite of the bunch, though possibly could have done without a page showing a droid being tortured.
→ I Am a Jedi – Just OK. This Little Golden Book by Christopher Nicholas and illustrated by Ron Cohee talks about the basics of what a Jedi is and what a Jedi can do, and a little about the Force and the Sith. Nothing from The Force Awakens, but it does reveal the identity of Darth Vader, just in case you want to save that revelation for later in your child’s life.
→ I Am a Pilot – Just OK. By Christopher Nicholas and illustrated by Alan Batson, this Little Golden Book showcases a bunch of different pilot characteristics in Star Wars and some of the more famous pilots. Sadly, none of the pilots in the book are women.
→ Episode VII: The Art of James Clyne & Iain McCaig at Gnomon Gallery, Hollywood – Go see it if you’re in the area! There’s almost fifty pieces on display, pretty evenly split between Clyne and McCaig. I *think* all of the displayed artwork can be found in The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but here’s a chance to see it in a larger format. The exhibition runs until July 20, 2016.

Get more info on Wear Star Wars Every Day or make a donation at GoFundMe or sign up to make a per-day pledge.

Note: No Aqualish were harmed in the filming of this program.

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Wear Star Wars Every Day: Week 20


This week, #WearStarWarsEveryDay goes to the dark side! The whole week is a showcase of clothing from the 501st Legion, lent by Darth Paul of Imperial Sands Garrison. We’ve got the usual shirts, but also a happi coat from the Japanese Garrison. But no donations to Collateral Repair Project in this week – maybe you can do something about it for next week! This review for Week 20 covers May 13 to May 19 of my wearathon, and an update on fundraising for Collateral Repair Project, a non-profit organization that provides emergency assistance, education, and community support to urban refugees.

Get more info on what Wear Star Wars Every Day is all about, or make a donation or a per-day pledge!

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Wear Star Wars Every Day: Week 19

We review what #WearStarWarsEveryDay is up to for the second week of May! And we start off with a bang – some really cool biker scout trooper armor! We also had one donation to Collateral Repair Project in this week, and a whole bunch of folks who lent clothing to cover me every day of the week! Thanks to Todd of the Imperial Sands Garrison of the 501st Legion for the helping me fit into his scouttrooper armor, and him, Paul, Darren, James, and Mike for letting me borrow shirts (and even a hockey jersey). This review for Week 19 covers May 6 to May 12 of my wearathon, and an update on fundraising for Collateral Repair Project, a non-profit organization that provides emergency assistance, education, and community support to urban refugees.

Get more info on what Wear Star Wars Every Day is all about, or make a donation or a per-day pledge!

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Disney pulling the plug on Infinity

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In a bit of a surprise announcement, Disney’s toys-to-life game, Disney Infinity, which introduced Star Wars characters in its 2015 release of Infinity 3.0, is going to be shut down in June.

In line with the company’s quarterly financial report, Disney decided to end the popular game, which was first introduced in 2013, and shutter the game studio, Avalanche as the company moves out of game publishing and toward solely being a game-licensing company, much like when Lucasfilm shifted LucasArts out of making games and just into licensing games to companies like EA. Disney won’t be pulling the plug immediately, as there are a few more products coming out this month and in June.

On the plus side, those Disney Infinity figures that have already been spotted on clearance will probably get even more discounted at the retailers. Star Wars figurines include characters from the original trilogy, The Clone Wars, The Force Awakens and Rebels.

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Wear Star Wars Every Day: Week 18

#WearStarWarsEveryDay heads out of April and into its fifth month, May! No donations to Collateral Repair Project in this week, but we did have a whole bunch of folks who lent or donated clothing for the last two days of my Celebration streak and the beginning of my monthly focus on fandom! Thanks to Paula for the donated shirt, and Todd, Debby, Jennifer, and Caitlin for letting me borrow items of clothing — this time going on the small side with a bib and a ladies small t-shirt. This review for Week 18 covers April 29 to May 5 of my wearathon, and an update on fundraising for Collateral Repair Project, a non-profit organization that provides emergency assistance, education, and community support to urban refugees. Also, I was on the Galactic Fashion podcast recently talking about the project and about geek fashion for guys!

Just a reminder, I want May to be a showcase of Star Wars fandom, highlighting different fan efforts such as websites, podcasts, costume clubs, collecting clubs, artwork, etc. So if you’ve got something cool to donate or lend, like a club shirt, hat or costume item, send it on over, and I’ll promote your group or solo effort. I’ve got plenty of 501st Legion wear lent to me, but stuff from other clubs would be awesome! Get the shipping info here.

Get more info on what Wear Star Wars Every Day is all about, or make a donation or a per-day pledge!

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Video: Unboxing Star Wars: Bloodline, C-3PO comic & Jello!

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Happy Star Wars Day! We’ve got a special episode of Unboxing Star Wars for May the 4th! First, Baby Jawa, Yowie and I check out the fun at “The Dome Awakens”, the Star Wars Day celebration at the downtown San Diego Public Library held on May 1, 2016. Then it’s time to review the recent C-3PO one shot comic by James Robinson and Tony Harris, and get excited for the new Star Wars novel, Bloodline, by Claudia Gray. We finish up with the results of our first try at making Star Wars Jell-o Jigglers, and then some Baby Jawa fun time!

Quick reviews
→ C-3PO #1 – A fun (and long-awaited) tale that does indeed explain the origins of Threepio’s red arm. Read this comic then watch the LEGO Star Wars short “The Resistance Rises: Poe to the Rescue” for an interesting crossover of canon and LEGO Star Wars.
→ Bloodline – Strongly recommend! I had high expectations for this novel because of Gray’s first Star Wars novel, Lost Stars, and she surpassed them. I really enjoyed this tale – it’s a top-notch story with some great characters, and Gray nails Leia’s character.
→ Star Wars JELL-O Jigglers Mold Set – Comes with two 6-character mold trays and 4 boxes of Jello! All the characters look great, except Yoda, who is in some sort of action pose which doesn’t quite work right. Be sure to use the special mold instructions on the big box instead of the regular Jiggler instructions on the inside boxes of gelatin.

Get more info on Wear Star Wars Every Day or make a donation at GoFundMe or sign up to make a per-day pledge.

Note: Del Rey provided a copy of Star Wars: Bloodline for review.

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Wear Star Wars Every Day: Week 17

My streak of Star Wars Celebration wear continues for #WearStarWarsEveryDay week 17! Plus we have a new per-day pledgemaker, so big thanks to Kismet! Also thanks to Kristen who donated Celebration shirts for two of the days! This review for Week 17 covers April 22 to April 28 of my wearathon, and an update on fundraising for Collateral Repair Project, a non-profit organization that provides emergency assistance, education, and community support to urban refugees.

Just a reminder, I want to turn May into a showcase of Star Wars fandom, highlighting different fan efforts such as websites, podcasts, costume clubs, collecting clubs, artwork, etc. So if you’ve got something cool to donate or lend, like a club shirt, hat or costume item, send it on over, and I’ll promote your group or solo effort. Get the shipping info here.

Get more info on what Wear Star Wars Every Day is all about, or make a donation or a per-day pledge!

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Wear Star Wars Every Day: Week 16

Here’s the week in review for #WearStarWarsEveryDay! No new donations to Collateral Repair Project this week, but I celebrated the Star Wars Dark Side Half and then kicked off my run of Star Wars Celebration wear as it was the anniversary of Star Wars Celebration Anaheim! Some of that Celebration apparel, two shirts and a hat, was donated by Kristen! This review for Week 16 covers April 15 to April 21 of my wearathon, and an update on fundraising for Collateral Repair Project, a non-profit organization that provides emergency assistance, education, and community support to urban refugees.

How long will my Celebration streak last? Will I make it to April 30, the day that the first Celebration started in 1999? If you have a favorite clothing item from Celebration that you want to let me borrow, better send it quick! Also, I want to turn May into a showcase of Star Wars fandom, highlighting different fan efforts such as websites, podcasts, costume clubs, collecting clubs, artwork, etc. So if you’ve got something cool to donate or lend, like a club shirt, hat or costume item, send it on over, and I’ll promote your fandomness. Get the shipping info here.

In pledge news, my push to increase the per-day total pledge is still at $4.15/day, but there’s also another way to support my continued effort – you can sign up for monthly giving on the GoFundMe! In week 15, an anonymous donor has started with $10/month. This is like adding another $0.33 per day, and it is automatically set up, just as easy as making a one-time donation! So help me out, and make a per-day pledge!

Get more info on what Wear Star Wars Every Day is all about, or make a donation or a per-day pledge!

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Wear Star Wars Every Day: Week 15


#WearStarWarsEveryDay has now completed 15 weeks! In this update on my charity fundraising project, I cover Day 100! We had two one-time donations this week (Abdul and Anonymous), putting the GoFundMe up over $1,100! Plus, this week most of the clothes I wore were lent by three people: MediocreJedi, Margaret, and Christian. Plus I announce the winner of the prize drawing for the Poe Dameron cover version of Star Wars Insider #146! Is it you? This review for Week 15 covers April 8 to April 14 of my wearathon, and an update on fundraising for Collateral Repair Project, a non-profit organization that provides emergency assistance, education, and community support to urban refugees.

Going into week 16, I’ve started a run of Celebration apparel, in honor of the one-year anniversary of Celebration Anaheim, so if you have a favorite clothing item from Celebration that you want to let me borrow, better send it quick! I’m also planning to turn the month of May into a streak of fan clothes, highlighting different fan efforts such as websites, podcasts, costume clubs, collecting clubs, artwork, etc. So if you’ve got something cool to donate or lend, send it on over, and I’ll promote your fandomness. Get the shipping info here.

In pledge news, my push to increase the per-day total pledge is still at $4.15/day, but there’s also another way to support my continued effort – you can sign up for monthly giving on the GoFundMe! An anonymous donor has started with $10/month. This is like adding another $0.33 per day, and it is automatically set up, just as easy as making a one-time donation! So help me out, and make a per-day pledge!

Get more info on what Wear Star Wars Every Day is all about, or make a donation or a per-day pledge!