On June 17, Kevin Smith guest-hosts an episode of IFC’s Dinner for Five with guests Jason Lee, Stan Lee, Mark Hamill, and J.J. Abrams.
It’s a lineup to make even me squee.
Four Times the Ewan!
It’s the dream of Ewan worshippers everywhere! No, Obi-Wan hasn’t fallen victim to the Kaminoans. But there will be four roles for Ewan McGregor in his upcoming film.
Empire Online notes a couple of links to Star Wars in this:
Sir Alec Guinness (who was old Obi-Wan to Ewan’s Young Obi-Wan, of course) played multiple roles in some of his Ealing comedies.
And the screenwriter is the same one who wrote Local Hero starring Denis Lawson who is, of course, the uncle of Ewan McGregor and who also played Wedge (Wedge!) in the Classic Trilogy.
Star Wars causes all sorts of incestuousness, doesn’t it?
George Lucas attacked… by right-wing bloggers?
Boing Boing reports that a Q&A with George Lucas in Wired magazine has made an inpact on conservative bloggers. Apparently mildly criticizing Fahrenheit 9/11 makes one a frothing Michael Moore fanboy. Who knew?
Depp admits “21 Jump Street” was career highlight
In a startling revelation Johnny Depp has admitted, “Who’m I kidding here? I’ll never top 21 Jump Street and I know it.”
Ha! Made you look!
Link Corral
The ROTS trailer with 133t subtitles. Sheer brilliance.
Hayden Christensen isn’t afraid of being typecast. Good for him. Speaking of future roles, Rob Cohen has talked to Christensen about a role in his Sinbad remake, which stars Keanu Reeves in the title role. Stars of Star Wars and The Matrix existing in harmony? Just imagine the fanboys head’s exploding at that one.
Also, someone on the list (memory fails me) found out where Matthew Stover is blogging since his original host went down. He’s blogging his book tour and other publicity efforts, so be sure to check it out.
Slashing Action!
Perez Hilton of the delightfully trashy Page SixSixSix claims that Hayden Christensen is gay.
True? False? Don’t know. Don’t really care. But it’s sure to make fangirls cry and slashers giggle madly, and that warms my black little heart.
Fan reaction seems mostly amused. But then, TFN doesn’t seem to have found it yet.
Fisher memoirs, again
Carrie Fisher’s Star Wars memoirs aren’t an IMDB pipe dream after all – Entertainment Weekly reveals that the source is an interview Fisher did with the UK’s Sunday Telegraph. You can read the entire interview (registration required) or just stick with the EW version for the pertinent Star Wars info.
Carrie Fisher to tell all?
This is from IMDB, so accuracy should not be assumed. Still, if it’s true, could be fascinating, so I’ll take the chance. Since IMDB news items have a habit of disappearing after a day or so, here’s the item in full:
Actress-turned-novelist Carrie Fisher is set to expose the secrets of the original Star Wars films in a behind-the-scenes expose of the classic sci-fi trilogy. Fisher, 48, kept a diary during the late 1970s and early 1980s, when she played Princess Leia Organa opposite Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill. She explains, “My publisher has told me not to talk about it… oh what the hell. When I was in Star Wars, I kept diaries. Big books full of what went on, what I thought, what I did. I am going to write them all up as a narrative. It will be riveting. Once I get started, that is. I’m months behind already.”
Smits in ’05?
Jimmy Smits is running for President. On TV, anyway. He’s one of three contenders for the Democratic nomination on The West Wing.
But he hasn’t forgotten Star Wars:
“The ‘Star Wars’ politics has a lot more gravitas to it,” Smits explains. “It’s got that kind of lore and tradition, the decorum. I think it’s much more akin to what our Founding Fathers had with the wigs and stuff, in its own futuristic kind of way.”
On “West Wing,” there’s little pageantry to politics. “It’s much more quick, we [make] the audience keep up with us,” he says.
I guess the whole ‘long time ago’ thing does factor into it…
A Great Book for Lucas Fans
Just picked up the book The Cinema of George Lucas by Marcus Hearn.
This is an amazing look at George from birth through Episode 3. The author divides up his life into various sections including: birth through USC, Student Films, THX-1138, American Graffiti, ANH, ESB, ROTJ, “The lost years” (my quote, not his) and the Prequels.
Besides the tons of personal pictures, there are some interesting shots from his films. He’s also included shooting schedules and other nifty bits for many films. And there are descriptions of each film that help with his more obscure student works. There are also interviews with folks I haven’t seen interviewed for a Lucas biography.
Very throughly researched. It’s HUGE; weighing in at a solid 4.5 pounds. And, thus far, it’s proving to be an enjoyable read.
Just resist opening the last 20 or so pages of the book and you can avoid any Episode 3 spoilage.
It’s priced at a quite reasonable $50 for a book that’s so large and printed on such high quality paper. (Of course, you can get it cheaper almost everywhere.) A worthy investment for any film buff and almost every Lucas fan.