Here’s the fifth – and final – video in the series
A look back: The 5 biggest Star Wars news, events, and kerfuffles of 2012
Tonight, we say goodbye to 2012. Here’s a look back at a few of the happenings in fandom this year – I’m sure you can guess at a few
Continue reading “A look back: The 5 biggest Star Wars news, events, and kerfuffles of 2012″
On the Tumblr: The Phantom Menace goes Vogue
We’re still going strong over on Tumblr, though I have been very lax at mentioning it here. Here are few things that haven’t made the blog proper.
High fashion. Remember the Star Wars spread in the April 1999 issue of Vogue? It featured several of Queen Amidala’s costumes from The Phantom Menace.
Long reads. How obsessive fans built a better Han Solo blaster is strangely fascinating. Or maybe drop the ‘strangely.’
A Major Award. Of course there’s a Star Wars version of the lamp from A Christmas Story.. Of course.
It is the year of the GIF, after all. Who doesn’t love the floating head of Ewan McGregor?
Quick hits. Was that a dead Jaxxon on The Clone Wars? The Star Trek Into Darkness poster gets a Star Wars remix There are already Scoundrels costumes! And no roundup is complete without Star Wars infographics.
EUbits: Read 50 pages of Scoundrels
Scoundrels. With only a few days until the book’s release in January 1, we’re seeing plenty of Scoundrels action. There’s 50 pages on Suvudu and a brief excerpt on io9 (which is also part of the larger chunk.) And Aaron Goins’ review is up over at Star Wars Report.
Interviews. For it being the holiday season, there sure are a lot of them popping up lately. Fangirl has Troy Denning, there’s Brian Wood at Newsarama, Randy Stradley at CBR and Steve Sansweet at GalacticHunter.
Rebels. Martha Wells is nearly done with the first draft of her Star Wars novel.
Another excerpt. Knights Archive was first to spot that there’s a chapter of Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff’s The Last Jedi up at the Random House catalog.
Disney World’s Star Wars Weekends 2013 will run from May 17th to June 9th
Start planning your vacation time, now. Disney has announced the dates for Star Wars Weekends 2013.
Each weekend from May 17th through June 9th in Orlando, Florida, you’ll get to meet a rotating array of Star Wars guests and enjoy other Star Wars shows and events at Disney Hollywood Studios. And you can usually count on The 501st and The Rebel Legion to be making appearances, as well.
Returning as hosts will be James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan) and Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka) from The Clone Wars. Both will be continuing the shows they hosted last year. And both are the perfect fit to blend Star Wars and Disney, as both have professed their love of the two franchises. (Which are now one franchise. Maybe?)
Guest announcements and schedules will probably start going out in early 2013 so you can start planning which weekend you’d like to attend.
Start stocking up on your sunscreen!
Video: Michael Arndt talks scriptwriting
Natalie Portman is Forbes’ most bankable star
Forbes, always one for making lists, has ranked Natalie Portman (aka Padmé Amidala — please tell me you knew that) as the star worth the most bang for the buck. For every dollar she is paid in salary, the studio makes $42.70. Apparently, she had some rather surprising hits outside of Black Swan. (Who knew No Strings Attached made such a big profit?)
Twilight’s Kristen Stewart was #2.
Another Lucasfilm alum making the list was Shia LaBeouf (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) at #3 with $35.80 returned for every dollar he’s paid. (Let’s hear it for him beating out Robert Pattison!)
More lists are surely soon to follow.
J.J. Abrams turned down Episode VII; Make your own (simulated) sequel
In Empire magazine’s cover story on Star Trek Into Darkness, J.J. Abrams admits that he turned down the chance to direct Episode VII.
There were the very early conversations and I quickly said that because of my loyalty to Star Trek, and also just being a fan, I wouldn’t even want to be involved in the next version of those things. I declined any involvement very early on. I’d rather be in the audience not knowing what was coming, rather than being involved in the minutiae of making them.
Thanks to ComicBook.com for the quote!
Abrams was one of the first director hopefuls that the internet championed, but he was quick to deny the possibility.
Elsewhere… Looking for some goofy Episode VII fun? Check Star Wars Sequel Debacle Simulator.
The Airing of Grievances: Best #StarWars, #EpisodeVII and #SWEU tweets for Dec 17-23
Watched the Star Wars Holliday Special last night. Spent all this morning drinking rum and crying. #swag #StarWars
— Mr. Gavin (@TheMeatFarm) December 23, 2012
As the tyranny of the holiday season comes to an end, Santa Maul has taken time from his busy schedule to present to you the best tweets of the week. They are full of anger and rage and the Star Wars Holiday Special, as is only fitting. May your holiday be victorious.
Lucasfilm officially acquired by Disney
And the deal is done. Lucasfilm Ltd. is officially a part of Walt Disney Co., the company reported Friday. For his part, George Lucas has acquired $2.21 billion in cash and 37.1 million shares of Disney, which based on today’s closing price totals to about $4.06 billion – a bit above the previously reported price of $4.05B. Lucas has said he plans to give most of the money to charity.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Lucasfilm to the Disney family,” said CEO Bob Iger. “Star Wars is one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time and this transaction combines that world-class content with Disney’s unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses and markets, which we believe will generate growth as well as significant long-term value.”
In addition to Lucasfilm and Star Wars, Disney also acquired subsidiaries LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, as well as an endless parade of blaster-toting Disney Princess jokes.