Author: Paula

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DragonCon’s Star Wars activities will include Aloha for Aaron Allston Day

Dragon Con is coming up Labor Day Weekend. Once again, the center of Star Wars activity will be the Star Wars at Dragon Con track. On Sunday, August 31st, the track is asking fans to wear Aloha shirts in honor of one of Aaron Allston‘s favorite wardrobe features.

That same day at 5:30pm in Hyatt International North, there will be a tribute panel to Aaron and A. C. Crispin, who lost her battle with cancer since the last Dragon Con.

Other fun Star Wars activities coming up this year include:

  • Last Party on Alderaan – Party like it’s the end of the world at what is arguably Dragon Con’s best club dance.
  • Suits, Sinatra and Star Wars Mixer – A new event that will give you the excuse to wear your best Star Wars fabric suit or Rat Pack fashion and meet fellow fans.
  • The Empire Striketh Back Table Read – A “dramatic,” or at the very least amusing, table read of Ian Doescher’s next installment in his Shakespeare’s Star Wars series.
  • An Hour with Sam Witwer – Our own Bryan Young interviews actor Sam Witwer about his love of Star Wars and his roles as Starkiller and Darth Maul on The Clone Wars.

Coming back will be the Podraces for the kids. And, as always, lots of discussion about the movies, collectibles and books.

For the most up-to-date happenings, be sure to download the Dragon Con app.

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Original creators to reboot Stargate with new film trilogy

stargate-movie

This is when Dunc rolls her eyes and lets me post something about Stargate.

So it has been announced that the Stargate franchise is going to get the reboot treatment with a trilogy of movies. Coming back to the franchise will be the creators of the original film, Roland Emmrich and Dean Devlin.

Their announcement seems to indicate they will be going back to their own ideas for the new films. They have said many times in the past that they did not like the direction the TV shows took, so one can expect that canon to be blown up pretty quickly.

Whether or not this will work for or against these films is anybody’s guess. While there are many fans who enjoyed the original film, it was the humor and snark of the TV series that seemed to be at the heart of the love for the TV franchise. That’s not much evident in the original film. Still, the TV franchise got a bit bogged down towards the end, so a fresh start might be just what folks want.

As with all reboots, only time will tell.

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Win a chance to visit Skywalker Ranch, meet George Lucas and Mark Hamill

The Main House at Skywalker Ranch Would you like the chance to win a trip to meet The Maker and Luke Skywalker? There’s an interesting contest afoot that lets you buy chances to do just that!

For $10 an entry (which get less expensive the more entries you buy), you could win a trip for you and a friend to Skywalker Ranch on February 21st. (Cancel all plans.) There you get a tour of the Ranch with the ranch manager and get to meet George Lucas! Then you get whisked away to meet Mark Hamill at Nerdist HQ in Los Angeles. (That date is, apparently, more flexible, but they’re currently wanting you to do it the next day.)

All entries go to benefit Make-A-Wish. So even if you don’t win ::sob::, your money is going to a great cause.

There are perks to just entering. At various levels, you get everything from an e-card from Mark Hamill thanking you for entering to a t-shirt to a signed lightsaber and beyond!

What are you waiting for? This is actually a big event you can win without having to bid tens of thousands at an auction. How often does that opportunity come around?

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Review: Star Wars: Frames, the poor person’s edition

Star Wars Frames

It’s that most wonderful time of the year, when all the Star Wars gift books are out. So which ones are worth putting on your gift list?

Star Wars: Frames was originally released as a limited edition, glorious, really expensive monstrosity of awesomeness that few of us could justify putting into our collecting budget. (Yeah. I SO wanted that one. Wasn’t going to happen.) This version is in the way more reasonable price range and still contains all the frames that George Lucas personally selected from the Prequel and Original trilogies.

It comes in two volumes nestled in a plastic case. Original Trilogy in one volume. Prequel Trilogy in another. There are two frames per page, instead of the one frame per page of the original. The binding is sewn, which will hopefully help hold these hefty suckers together as you drool over the book. (Note: This sucker weighs in at 20.9 pounds! Please use proper lifting technique when maneuvering these books. An appointment with your chiropractor should probably also be on standby.)

Looking at the movies in frames is really interesting. The frames he chose are not always the choice you’d expect. Some are even blurry with action. (“Faster! More intense!”) So you aren’t just looking at images that have already been released as publicity stills; which makes this an interesting new perspective.

So yes. This is one to add to your wish list. Enjoy!

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Review: National Geographic Angry Birds Star Wars

Angry Birds Star WarsIt’s that most wonderful time of the year when all the Star Wars gift books come out. So which ones are worth putting on your gift list for the year?

National Geographic Angry Birds Star Wars: The Science Behind the Saga has a fairly self-explanatory title. This book, targeted at the teenage reading level, gives you cute little stories about the adorable Angry Birds Star Wars characters, but also delves into the science associated with it. Astronomy. Physics. Science history. There’s a little bit for everyone in there. And since it’s National Geographic, you know they’ll have it right.

This is probably a fun book even if you haven’t gotten yourself aggravated by Angry Birds Star Wars, yet. (Why am I so bad at that game?) Many of the facts concern the science behind Star Wars, as well. And the graphics are bright and colorful.

Both the hardcover and paperback versions are reasonably priced. So if you’re trying to find something on the lower end for folks to get you, this would be a good one to add to your wish list.

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Review: The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Making of the Return of the JediIt’s that most wonderful time of the year: When all the Star Wars gift books come out. So which ones are worth putting on your gift list for the year?

If you have enjoyed J.W. Rinzler’s previous explorations into A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, then you are going to flip over his look at The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. It’s just as full of interesting stories and pictures and documents as the previous ones.

Rinzler has had unprecedented access to the archives and to the key players involved with the movies. George Lucas has done several reviews of his material to make sure things are captured correctly. He was also able to find lost interviews and pictures that complete the story for those who are no longer with us.

So yes. This is definitely one to put high on your wish list. However, if you are not an OCD completist nut like myself, you might choose to go the Enhanced Edition route and read it on your Kindle, instead. The book is heavy. The print is small for my old eyes. (Old Fart Fan, here.) And while it’s delightful to spend a few hours doing nothing but flipping pages and looking at the glorious pictures and layout, reading it on a Kindle-compatible device is much easier on both the eyes and back. Plus, the Enhanced Edition also had some pretty amazing video and audio that hasn’t been seen before. SO cool.

Go forth. Add it to the list.

Santa Maul would approve if you decided to put both the book and the enhanced versions on it. It’s only right.

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Princess Leah has passed away

A special person to the Star Wars fan community has passed away.

Leah Esquanazi, better known as Princess Leah, suffered from a mitochondrial disease that caused her to have breathing difficulties and a related disorder that caused blindness. Her parents are big Star Wars fans and are very involved in fandom. When word went out that Leah was ill, the fans rallied to get funds together several times through collections and auctions so that her parents could cover their extensive time away from work and, eventually, the high costs associated with her care.

Even though she struggled with many health problems, her parents tried to give her an active life full of adventures that they chronicled on their blog and Facebook page.

Keep an eye out on their Facebook page for any planned tributes.

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May the 4th: Star Wars Day drink recipes

Obi-Wan after a Mary drinkMost people know Mary Franklin as Lucasfilm’s Senior Events Lead extraordinaire who creates the awesome Celebrations we all love. (Along with tons of other events for the company.) But Club Jade knows that her true talent lies in her awesome bartending skills and ability to create awesome Star Wars-themed drinks.

So imagine how happy we were that she has agreed to share a couple of her top secret Star Wars cocktails with us in celebration of Star Wars Day.

The Double Mistryl
1 oz blended whiskey
1 oz gin
1 oz sweet and sour mix
Splash of maraschino cherry juice
Shake with ice; strain into lowball glass or ice or cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Sex with a Rodian
2 oz Midori Lemon Liqeur
1 oz sweet and sour mix
Shake together and pour into a lowball of ice
Gently pour in a 1/2 oz of Chambord — it will sink to the bottom
Float: A drizzle of Jaegermeister

As always, don’t overdo it. And be sure you have a designated Wookiee to drive you home after these. You’ll need it!

If you’re going to be the designated driver or if you, like me, aren’t a fan of alcohol, Kristen Hidalgo, who you might know as a key part of the Lucasfilm event team, uses her culinary past to create some fantastic mocktail recipes on the official blog, including improvements on Yoda Soda and Blue Milk.

Is it time for the party, yet?