The latest addition to the Celebration Europe guest list are Mark Hamill and sound legend Ben Burtt.
It’s also your last day to buy VIP tickets.
Jadecon is on, we’re busy
James, Paula and I are all in Columbus at Origins for Club Jade’s annual JadeCon gathering, and blogging will be spotty for the rest of the week. Or at least until my laptop power cord arrives. (D’oh!) There will be tweeting, but that’s about it unless something absolutely earth-shattering comes down the pipe. (Did I just guarantee that something absolutely earth-shattering will break? If so, you’re welcome.) We’ll catch up on Monday. Mondayish.
Nerdist kicks off webseries for Course of the Force
With less than two months to go for the second annual Course of the Force lightsaber relay prior to Comic Con in San Diego, Nerdist Industries has kicked off a multi-part webseries to help promote the relay that supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation
In this first episode ‘Lightsaber’s Lost’, Matt Mira goes to Lucasfilm to pick up this year’s lightsaber, only to find that it has been stolen, and has to report in to Chris Hardwick. Also, R2-D2 quotes Office Space and dances like JT.
The 2013 Course of the Force relay will be headed from Skywalker Ranch all the way to San Diego from July 9 to July 16. Will Matt Mira retrieve the missing lightsaber in time? Is he really our only hope? (Hint: There is a another, if Wil Wheaton is available). New webisodes will appear every Tuesday from now until July 2.
In other Course of the Force news, all of the relay spots for the San Francisco and the Pacific Beach to San Diego legs of the relay have been filled, and they are now taking a waitlist for those two sections. Sponsor Otter Pops is giving away a free spot in the relay to someone willing to show their Otter Pop pride!
Attack of the Clones 3D to screen at Celebration Europe
It may not be coming to a theater near you anytime soon, but Attack of the Clones 3D will be heading to Germany for Celebration Europe II in July. Reed today announced that exclusive screenings of the converted film will be shown for ” an extremely limited engagement.”
They’ve also revealed the art show prints, which are now up for pre-order.
Other recent CEII news: Ashley Eckstein will be attending, and there will be a limited edition Her Universe dress and tee avaliable, as well as 200 of the Return of the Jedi necklaces.
Celebration Europe: Return of the Jedi under the stars, David Collins
Today we got a few more updates for Star Wars Celebration Europe, coming up in only two months:
- Friday night will include a free outdoor screening of Return of the Jedi for its 30th anniversary, in the park next to the Messe Essen convention hall. I’m hoping that actual fireworks will go off over Grugapark after the Battle of Endor!
- Sound designer and voice actor David Collins returns as a Celebration host for the Digital Stage, which usually showcases animation, effects, and other multimedia panels. A veteran of many Star Wars games for LucasArts, Collins might be best recognized as the voice of PROXY from The Force Unleashed.
- With Mary Franklin hinting at the mammoth programming schedule she is preparing, the Celebration website has started listing the ongoing Celebration activities with the Continuous Daily Program. Check out what’s always available for Celebration attendees each day of the show.
Kathleen Kennedy attending Celebration Europe
The president of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, will be heading to Germany for her first Celebration in July, Reed revealed today.
“When I joined Lucasfilm, I immediately saw the true passion shared by Star Wars fans around the world,” Kennedy says. “I’m thrilled to attend my first Star Wars Celebration and see in person that energy that makes the Star Wars experience so special.”
Kennedy is executive producing Episode VII, so there’s a chance we might actually get some movie information…
Anthony Daniels announced for Celebration Europe; “not sitting by the phone” for Episode VII call
Reed announced today that Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) will be among the stars at Celebration Europe.
He also did an interview with Digital Spy, where he sidestepped sequel talk:
“Look, it’s all very early days and I don’t want to wear anybody out by speculating or letting you waste your energy by saying ‘What do you think?’
“I’m certainly not sitting by the phone, but it’s always nice when it rings. Do you know what I mean?”
Still, he can certainly afford to be vague: C-3PO is one of the characters that few expect to be totally absent from the new movies.
Sneak peek at Hallmark’s 2013 Star Wars ornaments
Sure, it’s a little fuzzy, but you get the idea… And there’s a distinct Return of the Jedi vibe, fitting with this year being the movie’s 30th. We’ll get a closer look when the new ornaments go live on Hallmark’s site. And as for the event exclusive for SDCC and NYCC? It’s the rancor!
Thanks to Rach for the picture, and we’ll let you know when Hallmark takes it all up for public viewing.
Course of the Force is back, this year starting at Skywalker Ranch!
Course of the Force, the lightsaber relay to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, is coming back for its second year, and this time it’s going to be even bigger! Announced by Chris Hardwick of The Nerdist on Jimmy Fallon’s show, this year’s Course of the Force will start all the way at Skywalker Ranch on July 9, north of San Francisco and wind its way down to Comic Con San Diego on July 16.
Registration is now open, with participants carrying the Course of the Force lightsaber (often in costume) for a quarter mile. This year’s fee is $150, which is much lower than last year’s inaugural race fee, but 100% of the proceeds go to several California chapters of the Make-A-Wish Foundation: Bay Area, Greater Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire, and San Diego. In addition to the leg of the relay for that day, Course of the Force hosts a public ‘Conival’ in the afternoon and evening, with cool bands, giveaways, and more.
I ran in Course of the Force last year, which was like an Olympic torch dream and Star Wars dream mashed together to come true. It really was a fun experience that helped a good cause and brought fans of all kinds together. Last year, Her Universe’s Ashley Eckstein was a co-host of the event, providing daily video recaps after each day’s leg with Chris Hardwick from the Sail Barge, and Peter Mayhew was also a guest. So who knows who might show up this year!
If you can, come join the fun – either by being a relay runner/walker, coming to a Conival, or simply helping raise funds for Make-A-Wish through Course of the Force! The relay is sponsored by Nerdist Industries, Lucasfilm and Octagon Events. For more info, just visit CourseOfTheForce.Starwars.com.
Celebration Europe: Carrie Fisher attending
Reed and StarWars.com today revealed that Carrie Fisher will appear at Celebration Europe. Fisher has appeared at several domestic Celebrations, but this’ll be her first CE.
Fisher will hold court with Warwick Davis on the Celebration Stage.