TFN ran across the site for a line of ROTS fabric. It’s just plain hideous to me, but I’m sure someone will appreciate being able to wear an image of Darth Vader across their bum. Classic Trilogy fabric should be released within the year.
Celebs at Celebration
Nick Gillard, Lucasfilm’s swordmaster and stunt coordinator for the prequels, will be at CIII. No events have been announced yet, but hopefully it’s not inconceivable that a demonstration will be involved.
We don’t have actual names, but C2 Ventures, who are responsible for bring autographing Star Wars celebrities to Celebration II and GenCon, will be back for Celebration III next April. They’ll be providing early hours for Fan Club members.
Wantons, clear your shelves…
April brings a lot of Star War novels – now you can update your list with one more. The Desperate Mission, first book of The Last of the Jedi series by Jude Watson, will be released April 2nd:
Obi-Wan Kenobi is in hiding, mourning the loss of his fellow Jedi, and devastated by the betrayal of his former Padawan. He has been tasked to watch over and protect a young child who may hold the key to the galaxy’s salvation.
But when Obi-Wan finds out that a former Jedi apprentice has survived, he must make a painful decision: whether to stay on Tatooine to preserve the future of the Jedi, or voyage into the heart of the Empire on one last desperate mission.
Also on the official site: An interview with James Luceno on Labyrinth of Evil.
Natalie Portman Scores Oscar Nom
Sorry. I’ve always had this secret wish to write a Variety-type headline.
At any rate, Natalie Portman has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her work in the film Closer.
Big congratulations to her! We wish her all the best and hope she goes for her usual sophisticated fashion style, rather than the dress for which she was panned at the Golden Globes. (Let’s be honest about this, shall we?)
Naturally, John Williams is back for his work in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. (Would it really be the Oscars without him?) And I suspect ILM and/or Skywalker Sound are somewhere in the mix on the technical awards.
And our condolences to Liam Neeson for his snub. He’ll always be Qui-Gon Jinn to us!
In related news that will make many members of Club Jade happy, Johnny Depp has been nominated (again) in the Best Actor category. And Finding Neverland is up for 7 awards, total.
Warm up those wallets…
Have you been saving your Republic credits? Because Lucasfilms’ licensees have a lot in store for you, this year:
The Celebration 3 Exclusive Figure
The Official Pix license awarded to C2 Ventures
The new line of stickers from Mello Smello (alas, not scratch’n’sniff)
The Hallmark Ornaments for 2005
The ROTS Topps Cards (Spoilers abound!)
This just adds to the list that includes the previously announced books, action figures and the rather nifty, yet oh-so-pricey, window blinds.
Must start playing the lottery, again.
A Half-Blood Princess…
A hearty congratulations to JK Rowling and her husband on the arrival of her new baby girl on Sunday.
We are greatly pleased that the little tyke timed it so that her mother could finish the next installment of Harry Potter, first. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be clocking in at 672 pages, with a special edition containing 32 pages of artwork. (Big thanks to The Leaky Cauldron for feeding us our Harry Potter tidbits.)
In the bookstores
She’s back from vacation and hitting the bookstores, again. Be afraid!
Next week, we get a new Star Wars book. If they keep up the quality of the recent releases, we should be in for a fun read. This is yet another lead-in to Episode III. So keep an eye out for Labyrinth of Evil on the 25th.
Then we have the magazines:
Dreamwatch – February 2005, US Issue #4 – Features a Sneak Preview of 2005. Episode III is the first movie mentioned with some positive buzz. Nothing to spoil, unless you haven’t seen the trailer.
Entertainment Weekly – January 28, 2005 – No big surprise, but Natalie Portman was taunted for both her speech and outfit at the Golden Globes. Ah…the perils of stardom!
Starburst – No. 319 – As always, the US is a month behind on the really cool UK film mags. Our current issue boasts a very pretty cover touting Star Wars Episode III. But there’s really nothing in there that goes beyond mentioning Episode III. Quite disappointing, but safe for the spoiler-phobes. There is an interview with Anthony Daniels about his upcoming radio series Space: 1889; based on the miniatures game that’s apparently a cross between Vernes and Wells. And there’s the first in a series about the history of Star Wars, covering ANH. Nothing new for the Star Wars nut. (Cool interviews with BSG and Serenity casts, though!)
Until next week. This is Paula. And I’m a bookstore-aholic…
Spaceballs…It’s not just for Star Wars, anymore
Mel Brooks wants to use his famous Star Wars spoof, Spaceballs to lampoon other sci-fi and fantasy films.
He is currently developing an animated version of Spaceballs for television.
May the Schwartz be with you!
Next ROTS trailer with Robots?
TFN claims that the first full trailer for Revenge of the Sith will debut March 11th. It will be attached to the animated feature Robots, which features the voice of Ewan McGregor. They also have a ‘description‘.
The Return of Movie News
David Yates will be the director of the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix adaptation. Cutting it rather close, aren’t they?
Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh optioned Alice Sebold’s novel The Lovely Bones. It may seem like an odd choice for the Lord of the Rings director, but it does recall 1994’s Heavenly Creatures, his largest-budgeted feature before LOTR.