Category: star wars

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Please don’t call me a ‘fangirl’

I don’t hate the word – certainly there are worse things to be called – but I don’t like the term ‘fangirl.’

Mainly because of the associations it brings up for me: Screeching, squeeing, inappropriate, out of control and usually prepubescent. The prototypical example:

I know, that’s well before even I was born, and it might as well be the dark ages for most of you. Nowadays, we call them Twilight fans.

(I kid. Sort of.)

So, please: Don’t call me a fangirl. I am female. I am a fan. But I don’t screech, I don’t approach actors with fandom crap that they’d probably prefer not to know about, and it takes something near to an act of god to make me squee.

And I’d rather not be called a Sister of the Force, either. This is not a silly homebrew internet roleplay. We are not all 12, and we certainly don’t need any more reason to be treated like mythological beasts. And hell, Star Wars fandom on the whole has done pretty well without a label. I say we keep that tradition.

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Star Wars in the news: Lawyers, marriage and lasers

The Star Wars kid is all grown up. Ghyslain Raza, who rose to unwilling internet fame as the subject of one of the internet’s first and most famous viral videos, hasn’t done too badly for himself. He’s pursuing a law degree (perhaps inspired by the lawsuit that he filed against the classmates who uploaded the infamous video?) and is the president of a conservation society in his hometown of Trois-Rivières.

Wedding bells. Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart got hitched Tuesday! The pair made it legal in New Mexico, where Ford is shooting Cowboys and Aliens. New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, a friend of the couple, performed the wedding at the Governor’s Mansion in Santa Fe.

…And not so much. In less happy news, Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson, who also got engaged in 2009, are “taking a break.”

Don’t try this at home. No, seriously, don’t. A company in Hong Kong is selling a laser “home theater projector” that resembles a lightsaber and is strong enough to burn skin and cause “irreversable retinal damage.” It can be purchased online for a mere $200. What could go wrong?

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Seth Green: Star Wars comedy series CG, not post-ROTJ

“Star Wars in a way you’ve never seen it,” he told MTV. “There are some recognizable characters but it’s a huge universe, so we’re really going where all the comedy is.”

That’s all pretty vague, but we now can put at least one question to death: It won’t be set after Return of the Jedi. But it will be CG animation: Which is fine with me, as long as they go in a different direction with it than Clone Wars!

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Roundup: Get ‘married’ at Celebration V, if you dare

The embarrassment squick strikes back. The second WTF moment of the runup to Celebration V has arrived… The Celebration Chapel. Yes, because going to a Star Wars convention just isn’t geeky enough, you can get a (not legally binding) “light side” or “dark side” wedding. Amusing in theory, but… Really? Seriously? That said, apparently I accidentally proposed to Mandy on Twitter earlier and was invited to photograph her other fake internet wedding, so… What? I’m not even sure anymore. Embrace the pain!

Panels. Shocker! There will be a collecting track! Okay, so it’s not shocking at all, since this has been pretty much the only track at the last couple of Celebrations. Sigh.

Guests. In addition to George Lucas, Carrie Fisher and the usual suspects, Ray Park (Darth Maul) and stunt coordinator Nick Gillard have been confirmed.

Don’t tell us the odds. The feds are predicting an “extremely active” hurricane season. Thought you should know.

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Video: The Bechdel Test for women in movies

The Bechdel Test or Mo Movie Measure (misnamed as it may be) is a simple formula that tests three simple things in a movie: a) if there are (named) female characters and b) that they talk to each other about c) something other than a man.

Most movies fail this by a mile, including the lions share of the Star Wars saga.

I believe The Phantom Menace (Shmi and Padme) and Attack of the Clones (Padme and Queen Jamillia, Padme and Beru) may be the only Star Wars movies that pass the Bechdel test… Though perhaps barely, Anakin being a topic (but not a romantic one) in all three conversations I’m thinking of. Thoughts?