Category: lucasfilm

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Star Wars Shop is closing down: What now?

In the latest in a string of big changes for StarWars.com, it was announced today that the Star Wars Shop will be closing down on July 18th.

I must admit I’m kind of shocked by this news – when the site’s advertising went away, I had assumed that the shop’s success was part of the reason.

The announcement says they are looking at “new ways to showcase Star Wars merchandise” and that information would be shared “in the coming months.”

Matt Martin, the site’s buyer, is staying with Lucasfilm, “shifting into something new,” he said today on Twitter.

For that matter, we’ve had no official word on Steve Sansweet’s replacement, though he’s been officially retired from Fan Relations for several months now. Could a reworking of StarWars.com coincide with that announcement?

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Sad news: Sue Rostoni is retiring

LucasBooks Executive Editor Sue Rostoni is retiring, the official site says today. She’s been working for Lucasfilm as an editor since (at least) the launch of the modern publishing program in the early 90’s with the Thrawn trilogy.

“I have enjoyed the best job in the world with the most wonderfully creative people,” said Rostoni. “I’m so grateful to have been a part of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones programs these past years — it’s been the most challenging and rewarding time of my life.”

This isn’t a total surprise – Rostoni stepped back from socializing with fans a few months back, and her final message had a touch of finality to it that led to some fans speculating that her retirement was indeed forthcoming.

Regardless of one’s opinions about the books at the moment, we can’t deny that Rostoni was a important figure in the creation and guidance of the Expanded Universe. She was always gracious and forthcoming with fans, and for that she has my gratitude. Club Jade wishes her a long, happy, and most importantly, stress-free retirement!

There’s no word on who will replace Rostoni as Executive Editor, but it certainly does put a new spin on that job listing for Senior Editor.

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Lucasfilm looking for a senior fiction editor

A Lucasfilm job listing for a Senior Editor has been kicking around. The position involves both adult fiction and comics, which sounds like it would give one a guiding hand in the future of the expanded universe.

I can’t say for sure, but it should be noted that Sue Rostoni is Executive Editor, so I believe this listing is for someone who reports to or works with her, NOT her replacement. Or perhaps not: It was announced 6/9 that Rostoni is retiring.

The position requires a BA, several years of experience and knowledge of Star Wars fiction.

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In the news: Will we see Red Tails in January?

Director Anthony Hemingway tweeted a few days ago that Red Tails, the George Lucas-produced film about World War II’s Tuskegee Airmen “hits screens January 2012.” Meanwhile, it seems that Lucas himself may be in Prague to oversee the film’s score.

3-D on the wane? The New York Times says the pricey format is fizzling, which could spell bad news for next year’s Phantom Menace rerelease. Scalzi is more optimistic; Maybe Star Wars can be part of the solution here.

Good news, bad news. People checks in with Carrie Fisher’s Jenny Craig-powered weight loss. Spoiler: It’s going well! The news is less good for Hayden Christensen… His lawsuit over USA Network’s Royal Pains was thrown out by a federal judge.

Whatever happened to… Those kids who got suspended for the lightsaber fight? They did get to walk at their graduation and even got to complete their ‘fight’ at a senior assembly.

Fannishly. An interview with the Mike Litzenberg and Bridge Stuart, the guys behind ‘George Lucas Strikes Back.’

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StarWars.com forums close today as ads go away

Between these two tweets, I have to wonder… Could the closing of the forums and the loss of ads be related? Or is it just simply a coincidence? Just part of the site’s regular housecleaning?

I can’t recall exactly when StarWars.com started running ads (Before the forums? With the forums?) but I do remember when Hyperspace membership ceased to mean browsing ad-free. Not a lot of happy people that day…

Of course, you will still see some ‘ads’ on StarWars.com – but they’re all for Star Wars Shop, DVD/Blu-Rays and other things that directly benefit the company. (House ads, called them back in my print days.) Hopefully this is a good sign for Lucasfilm’s faith in the site – and/or Lucas Online’s ability to support itself.

I may miss the forums a little, but the ads? Nah.

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In the news: Lucasfilm puts the brakes on “AT-AT for America”

Not so fast… Michael Koehler wants to build a life-size, working AT-AT. His project quickly got (l)ink from Cnet and the New York Daily News. A mention on Attack of the Show certainly didn’t hurt his cause… But it looks like it’s not exactly kosher with Lucasfilm. At least Koehler can solace in techies saying the feat is not impossible.

Paint it black? Plants on worlds with double stars – like Tatooine – would probably evolve plants that would look black to us, says National Geographic.

Blast-offs and could-have-beens. Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz writes in The Guardian’s film blog talks about the devotion the film inspired. Elsewhere on the site, Danny Leigh wonders what if Star Wars never existed?

A sandcrawler for Singpore. Remember the sandcrawler building that Lucasfilm was planning for their folks in Singapore? They announced details of the project last week.

Science, defense division. The U.S. Navy has made a significant leap forward in testing offensive lasers. A “solid-state, high-energy laser beam” successfully disabled a small vessel off the coast of California. There’s video!

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LFL’s continuity guru opens shop on Facebook

Lucasfilm’s Leland Chee, the Keeper of the Holocron, has started a new Facebook fanpage in the wake of Monday’s announcement that the StarWars.com forums are not long for this world. You can ask him questions, join a discussion, or find out how this stuff works.

Fear not: If you’re not a fan of the site, you can still bookmark and read the fan page. You will need an account to ask questions or join discussions, though.

Chee has also been on Twitter as @HolocronKeeper for some time now.

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In the news: Colbert dings politician for Portman pregnancy remarks; U.K. atheists blast ‘Jedi’ census

Fake-pundit fun. Stephen Colbert blasted Mike Huckabee for his comments on Natalie Portman’s pregnancy. “Look, I’m no fan of single mothers either. But it’s Natalie Portman we’re talking about. That kid she’s pregnant with is Luke Skywalker,” Colbert said. “So logically, if you’re against her pregnancy that means you’ve aligned yourself politically with Emperor Palpatine. You’re alienating all of Tatooine. It’s a swing planet.” Of course Tatooine is a swing planet.

Serious matters. An atheist group in the U.K. has launched a campaign to convince folks not to write down “Jedi” on their census forms as a joke. No word on how they feel about ‘real’ Jedi. (via)

Legal. Lucasfilm is back in court again – the British Supreme Court this time – over the Shepperton studios stormtrooper replicas.

Random. Harrison Ford is helping to develop a Facebook game. Okay, so it’s an environmentally-concious Facebook game… But it’s still a Facebook game. Which I guess is better than watching him get his chest waxed again.