Star Wars with occasional sarcasm
→ Some of the Episode VII crew went out yesterday to celebrate Carrie Fisher’s birthday. The article is from the Daily Mail and thus awful, so here’s the pictures.
→ Daniel Radcliffe has visited the Pinewood set; he knows folks there due to Harry Potter, naturally.
→ Christina Chong still hasn’t been confirmed, but her management says she’s wrapped her part on Episode VII. (via)
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Like Shatner before him, Daniel Radcliffe also has some words about Star Wars in this clip, but he’s pretty classy about it, focusing on how Potter has inspired kids to read. Here’s the quote:
“I always think that that’s one of the wonderful things about ‘Potter’ and the ‘Potter’ fan base,” he continues. “If you think about the other big costume-wearing [franchises] that go with it, things like ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Star Trek,’ with ‘Potter,’ because it started off as a literary thing, has created a generation of the same kind of mentality … with an appetite for reading and literature, which is kind of amazing.”
Sure, Star Wars and Star Trek have their share of successful tie-ins, but I doubt they’ve gotten as many kids reading as Potter, where books are the cornerstone.
UPDATE: Radcliffe tells Moviefone that the only Star Wars movie he’s seen is The Phantom Menace. Oh, Danrad. Someone is already getting him the Blu-rays. But then:
What ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Potter’ have in common is a huge devoted fan base. Where they differ, I think there is a — and this is my perception, I may be completely wrong — I think there is a slightly more balanced split between the sexes in the fan base of ‘Potter.’ I associate ‘Star Wars’ as being a predominantly male thing. And I think ‘Potter’ is split more evenly.
Sigh.
With the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 just weeks away, the L.A. Times’ Geoff Boucher and Claudia Eller take a look back at the franchise’s Hollywood history.
George Lucas is on the Forbes Celebrity 100 again, this year clocking in at #24 – a hefty jump up from his 2008 spot of #46. The list’s only other Star Wars figure is, naturally, Harrison Ford, at #17.
Other geeks and geek icons making the rank include Steven Spielberg (#7,) Will Smith (#11,) Stephenie Meyer (#26,) Stephen King (#68,) Daniel Radcliffe (#70) and Tina Fey (#86.)
In less listy news, George will be honored by The Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago next weekend.
This is the ‘international teaser trailer’ but it’s pretty chock-full for a teaser! Enjoy!
It’s time for Forbes to break out this year’s Celebrity 100 list… And this year, George Lucas comes in at #46. He wasn’t on 2007’s list, but he was #15 in 2006 and #4 in 2005.
Other ranking geek idols include J.K. Rowling (#9,) Steven Spielberg (#13,) Stephen King (#34,) Keira Knightley (#47,) Daniel Radcliffe (#64,) Cate Blanchett (#77) and Tina Fey (#99.)
The Hollywood Reporter reports that it’s tough to say how the whole Harry Potter Lexicon case will go because fair use is complicated. No, really?
The U.S. news program 20/20 will air a special featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the life of J.K. Rowling in November.
Daniel Radcliffe is seeking a mysterious Aussie who caught his eye at a film event Down Under. Shockingly, there seems to be no shortage of mystery women. He claims it was all a joke.
Speaking of Radcliffe, his latest film My Boy Jack aired on PBS’ Masterpiece last weekend. Yes, it might have been more convenient if we told you about this before it aired, but it will probably be repeated throughout the week. In this article, Radcliffe and co-star Kim Cattrall (also known as Samantha on Sex and the City) discuss growing up, Harry Potter and, you guessed it, sex (in the city, anyway).
Harry Potter fans may want to tune into Ace of Cakes this Thursday, when Duff and company at Charm City Cakes create a bakery masterpiece for the Los Angeles Harry Potter premiere. The incessant Food Network promos have been featuring several Potter stars, including Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint.
Now, when are we going to get a Star Wars cake some episode face time?
The Writers Guild of America is officially on strike after last minute negotiations failed late on Sunday night.
The probably means that John Stewart and The Colbert Report will be going into repeats (is this really why Colbert has dropped out of the presidential race?) What impact the strike will have on television series and films will depend on how long it lasts (in 1988 writers walked the pavement for 22 weeks) and whether other entertainment industry unions follow suit.
In happier news, the BBC reports that Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has confirmed that he will be going the full monty in NYC when Equus comes to Broadway next year.
Because it’s Friday, damn it