Warwick Davis asks an unsuspecting British populace what they know about Star Wars:
The fandom minute
- Oh, YTMD. One day you’ll get be a real boy.
- Interview with Jonathan L. Bowen, who wrote Anticipation: The Real Life Story of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Revenge: The Real Life Story of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, two self-published books for the prickly prequel fans.
- Another Star Wars guide to the presidential candidates. This is officially getting kinda tired, but I still laugh, though only a little.
- Video: There’s no Skywalker duds in sight, but there are Star Wars action figures (among other familiar faces) in Bill Gates’ Last Day at Microsoft.
In the news: Monday morning reading list
LucasArts at the Consumer Electronics Show. They’re showing off two games: The Force Unleashed and Fracture, as well as the new tech that powers them both.
In other news from the show, a Microsoft comedy video featured CEO Steve Ballmer dressed as Luke Skywalker (with Bill Gates as Harry Potter and Austin Powers.)
Star Wars presidential candidates
Sure, the Whedonverse folks did it first, but now one Star Wars fan has his say in casting the 2008 presidential candidates. I must admit the choices for Mitt Romney and Dennis Kucinich made me laugh.
Meanwhile, over at IGN, Artoo interviews Barak Obama. (via)
The GFFA’s most dangerous weapons, sort of
Pablo Hidalgo takes checks off ten fantabulous Star Wars Superweapons from the laughable (Darksaber!) to the completely ridiculous (The Tarkin: just like Darksaber, but more than a decade earlier!) you’re sure to learn something. For one, in the Centerpoint Station entry:
Just one quibble: Wedge Antilles is Corellian and grew up in the Corellian system, which is home to this bizarre space station that is 350 kilometers in diameter. So why is he the guy who exclaims “look at the size of that thing” when the comparatively small Death Star comes into view?
And that’s why you should never take the EU too seriously, kids!
I can see forever…
io9 does another list, this time pegging the best ‘Futuristic Vision Systems.’ Luke’s binoculars make the cut, but seem rather lame-duck to me compared to stuff from Predator and Bionic Woman. (Yeah, yeah, worst fan ever, I know.) Warning: the photo topping the article will probably squick the hell out of you.
On the plus side, I finally know where the “I came here to chew bubblegum and kick ass” quote comes from.
Friday morning reading list: Youthsaber justice!
Last month, an 11-year old drove off the man who attacked his mother – with a toy lightsaber. (via)
It’s like being inside YKW’s dreams…
io9 explores the best scifi superweapons. You’ll never guess what they name “the coolest and most-remembered superweapon in all of science fiction”.
Fans spoofing Star Wars from garage
The UK fans of Backyard Productions spoof Star Wars by utilizing household objects in their garage, get covered by the BBC for their troubles. See their handiwork at BackyardProductions.co.uk. (via)
Indiana Jones headlining new Vanity Fair
Like a select few event movies before it, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is getting a sizable spread in Vanity Fair, with the requite Annie Leibovitz photo shoot. There’s also an online-only George Lucas Q&A where he talks quite a bit about Star Wars, including the differences between the two trilogies:
People who are over 40 love [Episodes] IV, V, and VI and hate I, II, and III. Younger people like I, II, and III and don’t like IV, V, and VI, or they like I, II, and III better and think IV, V, and VI are kind of boring and slow. And of course the older people say, “Oh, I, II, and III—it’s too jittery, too fast, too complicated, it’s too digital,” or whatever they want to say. But definitely one generation has grabbed hold of one of them, and the other generation has grabbed hold of the next one.
The magazine ought to be on newsstands now. (via)
ETA: i09 has a rebuttal to George’s comments on why we’ll hate Indy 4. Awww. It’s so cute when they’re young and innocent enough to believe in the great and generous nature of fandom-at-large when confronted with new things.