- Sci-Fi Wire readers picked Star Wars: A New Hope as the top science fiction movie of all time. It won by 7.8%, with Blade Runner coming in second with 7.5%. No doubt that percentage would have been bigger if any of us fansites had heard of it beforehand…
- Our latest sidebar poll is about Legacy of the Force: Revelation, and so far 32% of you have no plans to read it. Thankfully I have a whole week to figure out how I’m going to make a chart out of that one.
- Those of you that have read it (and have Livejournal accounts) can surf over to the Expanded Universe community and take (Warning: Spoilers!) a slightly more detailed survey.
The catchup: Friday morning reading list
George Lucas still is still raking in the cash – He’s #1 on Forbes’ list of the Biggest Celebrity Paydays of 2007 for Hasbro’s $200 million stock buy back.
Also…
- Speaking of bling, UK rocker shells out £8,000 for replicas of R2-D2 and C-3PO.
- The Marc Ecko line is getting coverage again. I suppose that means it’s hitting (still in?) stores.
- Collector Don Frisque profiled.
- Star Wars’ 30th is memorable for The Naperville Sun.
- Geekdad reviews Legacy.
- Gossip alert: Carrie Fisher dating Salman Rushdie?
Friday morning reading list
Slashfilm came across a fan-made poster that spans the entire saga. I’m usually not a huge fan of the collage aesthetic, but I gotta admit this one is pretty nifty.
NEWS
- This week saw the release of Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga – and yesterday the game’s developer, TT Games, was purchased by Warner Brothers. Guess all that hard Wiisaber work paid off.
- The Discovery returned safely to Earth on Wednesday – presumably with lightsaber intact.
- Fan compiles relevant screenshots from The Clone Wars videos on StarWars.com.
- BBC interviews ANH prop hauler.
FANDOM
- Humor site Aniboom casts U.S. primary candidates and assorted other political types in Star Wars roles. It’s… about what you’d expect. Meh.
- Know A Legion: Neon City Garrison.
BOOKS
- TOS interviews Dick DeBartolo, who penned (all? some of? most?) Mad’s Star Wars film spoofs.
- McClatchy review of The Star Wars Vault.
HYPERSPACE
- On Hyperspace, the Insider #96 online supplement.
- You can now add a StarWars.com app to your Facebook account.
Video du jour: Kicking it old school
The grace and beauty of classic 1977 vector graphics, loving rendered for a new age. (via, again)
Indy IV theft déjà vu for LFL?
Two similar incidents to this week’s Crystal Skull production theft occurred in 1977 at the Star Wars publicist’s office and ILM’s Van Nuys studio. That time, however, the stolen items were never full recovered.
Variety features Alan Ladd Jr.
Alan Ladd Jr., perhaps best known to Star Wars fans as the studio executive who nurtured A New Hope, is featured in a series of articles from Variety today:
Star Wars or Raiders? (Or Psycho?)
The American Film Institute is having a poll to decide which of their 100 most thrilling movies will be screened for free at Hollywood’s Arclight on Halloween. Both A New Hope and Raiders of the Lost Ark are on the list.
Can’t get enough of that wonderful… lists?
First off, A New Hope tops Slashfilm’s top ten greatest movie endings. Congratulations, Leni Riefenstahl!
Then, George Lucas makes Total Film’s list of the greatest directors ever. At #95. Well… umm… he did beat M. Night Shyamalan and Baz Luhrmann. Yay?
And to round us off, Cinematical recommends American Graffiti/Dazed and Confused double feature. Aww!
From the Blogside
Mike of the blog Mmmm has, for the past month or so, posting about Star Wars and reviewing the saga. Going chronologically, he rolls through The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Clone Wars, Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, the Holiday Special, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
I’ll give the guy credit – he takes a mostly even-handed approach to the saga (even the Holiday Special – we all know it’s exactly that wretched, though he pans the Ewoks more than I think is necessary.) But, overall – a good read.
Star Wars news roundup
Great American film, or Greatest American film?
The American Film Institute is revisited their list of the top American movies yesterday. In 1998, Star Wars was #15; this time, it’s moved up to #13! Also making the cut are American Graffiti (#62, up from #77) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (#66, down from #60.) New additions include Fellowship of the Ring (#50) and Blade Runner (#97.) Register on the site to download the list in PDF.
Elsewhere…
- The International Space Station has a familiar silhouette.
- 5.7 million viewers tuned in for Robot Chicken: Star Wars.
- The X-Wing mailbox is pretty neat, but will Rogue Leader fetch your mail? (Thanks, MJS!)
- Australian poll personifies their politicians as Star Wars characters. Next poll: Pulp Fiction.
- The seven deadly sins of kid culture. I’m irrationally amused by the images each being a section off, placing Jar-Jar under ‘princess-ness.’
- Library in suburban Chicago holding Star Wars event.