And we bid farewell to the official site’s ‘What’s the Story’ feature with a listing of all 61 fan-written contributions to the Databank. (CJers will probably remember Kalyn Farnmir, even if the winning entry does lack penguin squeezing.)
Advertising fun: Your daily dose of potty humor
This ad for the German (?) digital TV service Premiere is one of three featured on Ads of the World. The other two invoke Scream and Spider-Man. No idea if these are real ads or spec/student/portfolio work, but still pretty funny.
Poking around I also found a few more Star Wars-themed ads for Sony, Blockbuster and Disney (1, 2, 3, 4.) And it appears that Spike wasn’t the first to put fluorescents to work for the cause.
In the news: Thursday morning reading list
- Rejected Star Wars merchandise still making the rounds, now on NPR.
- Comic Book Resources tours Star Wars artist Tommy Lee Edward’s home and studio.
- Popular Mechanics gets a few tips from on modelmaking from Grant McCune, who worked on A New Hope. (via)
- Lucas foundation honors former teacher.
Darth Vader among EW’s choice baddies
Naturally Darth Vader is the poster boy for Entertainment Weekly’s 50 most vile movie villains. The lineup continues with part 2 tomorrow, and then there will be a vote.
Other genre baddies making the cut (so far) are Khan Noonien Singh and Captain Vidal of Pan’s Labyrinth.
Lately on StarWars.com…
The very latest in the constant parade of extremely puzzling merchandise is Stormtrooper and Vader golf gear. From Japan, naturally. Gotta give them credit for not just slapping a silkscreen on a generic bag, at least in the case of the Stormtrooper.
Star Wars around the internet
- Diesel Sweeties is here to praise Chewbacca, not to mourn him. (Though it’s probably best we don’t tell them about Vector Prime.)
- io9 discovers Mon Calamari. So 1983.
- Yesterday, the other Star Wars turned 25.
Ten Star Wars videos you should already know
I don’t necessarily agree with this list entirely (The Vader Sessions? #2? Really?) but Day of the Jedi’s coolest Star Wars videos does hit most of your instant (and not-so-instant) internet classics.
On set with Fanboys
Wired has a large article tonight on Fanboys, including a look at the cancer edit scandal and behind-the-scenes photos.
Lorne Peterson, home theater at Lightsabre
Lightsabre has two new features today – the first of a three-part interview with ILM’s Lorne Peterson, and a look at Steve Simon’s Star Wars home theater.
In the news: Wednesday morning reading list
The New York Post got wind of the “Deadwood meets The Sopranos” rumor, and they also report that Lucas met with cable channel executives, including HBO, last year… Though that could easily have been for The Clone Wars.
On that note, Entertainment Weekly’s Dalton Ross ponders Star Wars cartoons.
- Space: Ion thrusters propel real spacecraft.
- Fans: Georgia collector Pete Eckroat profiled by the Rome News-Tribune.
- Books: Matthew Wilhelm Kapell, an anthropologist and historian from my neck of the woods, explores the Star Wars phenomenon in his book Finding the Force of the Star Wars Franchise: Fans, Merchandise, and Critics. He’s doing a signing in Modesto today.