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Rent the house where George Lucas apparently wrote The Star Wars

Curbed LA spotted this Craigslist entry for a Beverly Hills one-bedroom “once occupied by George Lucas,” claiming he “wrote the script for Star Wars here. But that was back in 1974 and the house, although habitable, is now very old and needs work.”

Curbed did a little digging to verify that Lucas had indeed rented a house on the street in question back in the day, and 1974 is indeed the year he wrote the first draft of the movie that eventually became Star Wars.

The house needs a lot of work and the owners are looking for a long-term tenant with a handyman streak. For $2000 a month, (it only cost Lucas $80) it could be yours.

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Discussion: What have you been reading?

What’s the last book you read? What’s the last book you read that you’d recommend, and why?

Also, what upcoming books are you looking forward to? What are the latest editions to your to-read pile

(No, none of these have to be Star Wars – in fact, please don’t, particularly those of you with advance copies of certain gigantic reference tomes – since we know all about those.)

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Other worlds: Rowling returns with The Casual Vacancy

J.K. Rowling. The author’s first non-Harry Potter book, The Casual Vacancy, is coming out on tomorrow. ‘Cozy village mystery’ is not a genre we’d cover if Rowling wasn’t writing it, but there is an interesting profile in The New Yorker for the occasion. Naturally, the part that went viral was the quote about sex and unicorns, but if you’re in the mood for a 10-page profile on Jo Rowling, well. Meanwhile, she told The Guardian that she promised her editor she wouldn’t read Fifty Shades of Grey. If we don’t ask every woman in publishing about the ex-fanfic smut, does the ex-fanfic smut win?

It’s (almost) the end of a Big Fat Fantasy era. The final book of the Wheel of Time series, A Memory of Light, will be released in January. Dragonmount’s Jason Denzel read the book, and shares some (spoiler-free) reaction and memories. meanwhile, fans can grab the book’s prologue on Amazon, while Tor offers the first chapter.

Adaptions. The latest YA book on the hoping-to-be-the-next-Twilight-franchise assembly line, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s Beautiful Creatures, debuted its first trailer last week, and it looks, well, like a gender-swapped Twilight. (She’s a witch; he’s normal.) I did read the book a while back, and was distinctly unimpressed. The movie features Viola Davis, Emma Thompson, Jeremy Irons and Emmy Rossum in supporting roles. Meanwhile, Dreamworks has optioned Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone. It will be produced by Harry Potter’s David Heyman.

All the powerful ladies. Tor’s Liz Bourke presents an argument against copping out on women in historical fantasy.

Do not want. Robin Hobb is quietly working on a new Fitz novel, a prospect which fills me with dread. Her breakthrough Farseer Trilogy is all well and good, but the second set of Fitz books were probably about 90% chaff and whining. (Despite that, I think parts of the ending – not Fitz – did actually make me cry. YMMV.) Is the character going to be Hobb’s Lestat? Speaking of, Anne Rice is asking her fans why they want Lestat to come back. Dear lord, no. I could write whole essays for her second question.

Also: Terry Brook’s Shannara series optioned for TV; Naomi Novik talks writing and fan fiction; A visual history of the Hugo’s Best Professional Artist winners.

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Out this week: Sith, Sith, LEGOs, and more Sith

There’s quite a variety of things coming this week, at least if you take formats into account. (…Lots of Sith.) First up, today, is Drew Karpyshyn’s The Old Republic: Revan in paperback.

Then Wednesday brings Darth Maul: Death Sentence #3 to comic shops. That night, tune into Cartoon Network at 8:00 p.m. EDT for LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out.

And finally, The Clone Wars returns Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. with the Maul-centric ‘Revival‘.

If none of this catches your fancy (I hear that, sister) hold tight: Pablo Hidalgo’s The Essential Reader’s Companion is coming on October 2.

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Interview: Michael Price on LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out

With LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out premiering this Wednesday night on Cartoon Network, I checked in with the show’s writer, Michael Price, who also wrote last year’s LEGO Star Wars special, The Padawan Menace. That first animated show (reviewed last year), which had Yoda, C-3PO and a young Han Solo, ranks up as the best Star Wars based comedy I had seen in years, and one of my top Star Wars on screen for 2011. In this interview, Michael talks about the comedy of The Empire Strikes Out, and the challenges of solo writing Luke and Vader. Continue reading “Interview: Michael Price on LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out“

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Video: Dave Filoni answers fan questions, plus a peek at The Clone Wars premiere(s)

It’s Saturday morning, so let’s get cartoon-centric. First off, StarWars.com has debuted ‘Ask Dave,’ where Clone Wars head honcho Dave Filoni answers fan questions. Above, “Will we see more of our favorite Jedi return in the near future?”; Below, “Does Rex’s story have a happy ending or a sad ending?”

And head over to Big Shiny Robot for a clip from the season premiere, ‘Revival,’ and a look at the Red Carpet event held at Celebration VI. If you weren’t at CVI or last night’s screening in San Francisco, ‘Revival’ will make its official debut next Saturday (September 29) at 9:30 a.m. on Cartoon Network.