I generally run screaming in the night from stuff sent to me in press release form, but this is actually kind of neat. And, what the hell, it’s (another) slow news day. Enjoy.
Other worlds: Major SF/F publisher going DRM-free
Big news for e-book lovers. The parent company of Tor, one of the biggest SF/F publishers, announced today that they’re going to make their ebooks DRM-Free. This is a pretty big deal – and it looks likely means we’ll likely see more cross-polinating on the existing readers. But I’m no expert – you’ll want to check in with folks like John Scalzi and Charles Stross.
Oh, e-book lovers? Don’t be this asshole.
On another note, I swear I’m almost done, you really, really want to go and buy The Price of Stars for $2.99. I have an entire post to write about the Mageworlds series, but who knows if it’ll still be on $2.99 then? $2.99!
Awards. I am shamefully late in writing about the Hugo Award nominations, for which I apologize. The novel nominees include George R. R. Martin’s A Dance With Dragons, Mira Grant’s Deadline and Jo Walton’s Among Others, which I gushed about back in the Nebulas. There are plenty of other familiar names in the media categories (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, even Community) but the news that made waves was that the blog SF Signal is up for best fanzine. They were so excited that they made an infographic. NERD PARTY! No, seriously, it’s pretty neat.
On a shoestring! SyFy is going to adapt Stephen King’s fantasy novel Eyes of the Dragon and I predict it will try very hard to look like Game of Thrones. Meanwhile, over at Vulture, Gilbert Cruz ranks all 62 of King’s books. His #1 is one of my favorite, can’t-miss novels.
Upcoming. N.K. Jemisin starts a new duology. This may be the thing to finally tear me away from my second Mageworlds reread in a month.
Also… Stop taking this picture – Drew Karpyshyn signed for fantasy trilogy – Wedding invitations with a Hitchhiker’s theme – Jim Hines follows up his viral recreation of women on book covers by posing like the men.
Wilton resurrects the classic Darth Vader cake pan
Soon you won’t need to head to eBay to get an old-school Star Wars cake pan: Wilton is bringing back Darth Vader this summer. Now, finding a recipe for black icing that tastes decent will be your only problem! (via)
Return of the Jedi storyboard artist talks Star Wars, Hollywood
The Movie Blog has an interview with Return of the Jedi storyboard artist David Russell. The interview is interesting, of course, but the real prize here are a series of storyboards that make the Emperor look like something out of a Stephen King novel. Russell also worked on Red Tails and the 1989 Batman.
Out this week: Scourge and a heap of comics
Have you heard about Jeff Grubb’s Scourge yet? Because it comes out Tuesday and I swear I have an entire EUbits worth of links for it. At least someone is excited… Roqoo Depot even has a reader’s guide.
Last week, Grubb chatted about the book on Facebook. (For the impatient, TFN has a recap.) He also chatted with the Fictional Frontiers podcast, EUCantina, Rooqoo Depot and Suvudu.
The reviews have been pretty positive, at least so far: Read up at EU Cantina, Lightsaber Rattling, Knights Archive, NJOE and Roqoo Depot. Or you can try a 50-page excerpt to see if it’s to your tastes.
Meanwhile, it’s a good week for comic fans, with three comics and a trade collection coming to stores on Wednesday. Two of the books – Crimson Empire III: Empire Lost #6 and Dark Times: Out of the Wilderness #5 – close out their storylines, while another begins with Blood Ties: Boba Fett is Dead #1. And for the final offering, the third volume of Invasion, Revelations, is collected.
Interview: Chatting Star Wars with Jason Fry
DK’s Attack of the Authors Tour was in San Diego this weekend at the Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, and James had a chance to catch up with author Jason Fry.
Everything is Jar Jar’s fault: Last week’s best #StarWars and #SWEU tweets
Remember when the Jedi were just normal people who could do extraordinary things? Yeah. Me too. #SWEU
— Nancipants (@nancipants) April 21, 2012
Remember when we raked Courtship of Princess Leia over the coals because Luke was way too powerful? Some problems never go away.
Next time you are having a bad day just remember this simple fact: Everything is Jar Jar’s fault #starwars #swtor
— Not David Bass (@doctordike) April 20, 2012
Damn it, Jar Jar, stay OUT of publishing!
I think the most significant impression the Star Wars prequels had on our culture is that hipsters now rock the Jedi braid.
— Benjamin Bailey (@616Earth) April 21, 2012
No one should rock the Jedi braid. No one.
C’mon guys, can you at least tell us some #SWCVI news is coming very soon? Guests, exclusives etc?@SW_Celebration
— Gary Mancini (@Indiana_) April 21, 2012
OH, YES, PLEASE. Four months to go, and we’ve had exactly two actual announcements? Damn it, Jar Jar, our patience is beginning to fray!
Okay, okay, I’ll leave Jar Jar alone now. Continue reading “Everything is Jar Jar’s fault: Last week’s best #StarWars and #SWEU tweets”
Star Wars in the news: Opposition scuttles Lucasfilm studio project, Michael Fassbender’s toy collection
Last week, Lucasfilm shocked Marin by pulling out of their plan to build a film studio on their Grady Ranch property. The studio project had faced opposition from the nearby Lucas Valley Estates. Others in Marin begged the company to reconsider, but Lucasfilm is standing firm. Lucasfilm is hoping to sell the property for use as low income housing, something I’m sure the Lucas Valley Estate folks will just love. Meanwhile, I’m sure that Lucasfilm will have no trouble finding another Bay Area community to welcome a film studio.
Michael Fassbender loves Star Wars toys. Of course he does. “‘Star Wars’ was really the only sci-fi sort of fascination I had as a youngster,” he told Absolute Radio while doing promotion for Prometheus. “I collected and I’ve still got the AT-AT and the Millennium Falcon and the Ewok village.”
Lucasfilm is among those named in a burgeoning antitrust case that alleges companies stiffed “lucrative job movement in Silicon Valley by agreeing not to raid their rivals for employees.” Apple, Google, Intel, Adobe and Pixar are also named.
Is The Old Republic already losing subscribers? The analysts say TOR has lost about 10% of it’s subscribers in the last month, and they project an average of 1.25M subscribers through the year. (I’m no expert, but isn’t that kind of how an MMO launch works? Not everyone is going to stick around?)
The game has had a good share of controversy – an anti-gay campaign and a free game time giveaway that alienanted some players (Though Bioware did expand upon the giveaway.) Let the course of gaming never go smooth, or something to that effect….
Wired’s Kathy Ceceri and her family got a sneak preview of the Star Wars Identities exhibit in Montréal, and shares quite a bit about what you can see there. It opened on the 19th.
TGIF: The Stormtrooper Shuffle
Why not, right? Warning: Uses that awful earworming LMFAO song. (via)
Alternative: I’m Elmo and I Know It
I Am Legend director offered Catching Fire
Lionsgate has selected Francis Lawrence to helm The Hunger Games sequel, says the The Hollywood Reporter. It’s not a sure thing quite yet – just an offer – but this is quick work for the studio, which failed to come to an agreement with Gary Ross earlier in the month.
Lawrence, no relation to star Jennifer Lawrence, is no stranger to adaptions: He directed Water for Elephants (2011,) I Am Legend (2007,) and the much-lamented Constantine (2005.) More in his favor for the world of Hunger Games may be his work the short-lived NBC drama Kings, aka the TV show that Ian McShane did not swear in.
He also directed Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance video. How strangely appropriate…