io9 includes Darth Vader in The Greatest Art Featuring 6 Iconic Scifi Villains. Some of it is fairly old hat (The Vader Project? So 2007!) but there’s always someone shocked by it. Besides, they have a brand-new spiffy robot chart as a consolation prize for those of us a bit too jaded for our own good.
What all the Femtroopers will be wearing next season
…Stormtrooper high heels. What will they think of next? No, wait – I’ve seen that Cathouse clip. Nevermind. (via)
In the news: LucasArts, George, a filly named Shmi
- LucasArts: The layoffs earlier this month also took out key members of the team for The Force Unleashed. (via)
- Politics: George is talking up Barak Obama again! While on Capitol Hill the other day, he said it’s “reasonably obvious” that the presidential candidate would be a Jedi.
- Sports: A filly named Shmi Skywalker? Why not?
See Steve Sansweet at Wizard World Chicago
He himself namedropped Chicago as a possible location for Celebration V, and the speculation to that effect has been flying fast and heavy ever since. So there’s a possibility that something might get announced or at least hinted at this weekend:
4-5 p.m.
STAR WARS: WHAT’S COMING WITH LUCASFILM’S STEVE SANSWEET
The Steve Gerber Room: 1-3 12-14
With “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” movie and TV series hot on the horizon, not to mention all the other events and projects in the works at Lucasfilm, Steve Sansweet, the entertainment company’s head of Fan Relations, will have much to share with fans at Wizard World. Sansweet’s presentation will reveal exciting looks into the upcoming animated movie and series, as well as into LucasArts’ breathtaking new game, “The Force Unleashed.” Don’t miss this hour covering all the Star Wars excitement to come.
Remember: Heavy on the ‘possibility’ and ‘might.’ (via)
Let’s check in with GraphJam!
In the news: George goes to Washington, Red Tails, AT-AT urban legends, ILM
Yesterday, George Lucas spoke up for educational broadband at a Congressional hearing in his guise as chairman of the George Lucas Educational Foundation:
“Telecommunications provides the new learning platform of this century and is replacing the textbook as the medium through which a modern education is provided,” he said. “The world’s knowledge is now available online, far beyond what books and materials can provide in schools and libraries themselves.”
- Red Tails: Rick McCallum tells the AP that they hope to start shooting George’s Tuskegee Airmen flick by early 2009. Lucas is not directing it, but since he’s only been talking about producing I can’t say that’s a surprise.
- Industrial design: The San Francisco Chronicle looks into the urban legend that Port of Oakland container cranes inspired the design of ESB’s AT-AT walkers.
- ILM: The New York Daily News has reported that ILM may be heading to Broadway on effects duty for a musical starring Whoopi Goldberg. Wait, what?
Fan art: Stormtrooper Crossing the Alps
Napoleon Trooper is a mashup of Star Wars and Jacques-Louis David’s ‘Napoleon Crossing the Alps’ by James Baker and Julie Ashcraft. (See also: NASA Trek.)
Video: $400 Lego Death Star in the brick
Oh my god, the tiny prison cell. This thing is so cool it should be illegal. Warning: Video contains a full day’s dose of adolescent fanboy squee. (via)
Generate your own Star Wars crawl
Your video editing skills? You will not need them. Star Wars Crawl has all the tools for you to make your very own (and fairly passable!) epic opening scroll. For best results, study the conventions.
UPDATE: “LucasFilm has asked us to remove this site.” Sigh.
How offensive is Jar Jar, anyway?
Entertainment Weekly has placed the prequel’s least beloved digital effect in their list of sixteen characters that offended moviegoers. But fear not, Jar Jar fans – you can vote on his exact level of offensiveness.